Can exposed Ilford Delta 400 be developed 8–16 months after shooting?
Asked 1/4/2018
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I’m shooting Ilford Delta 400 black-and-white film while living abroad and may not be able to develop it until I return home in 8–16 months. The exposed rolls would be stored in a cool, dry, dark room at about room temperature. Will that delay noticeably harm image quality, and is airport/customs X-ray scanning a bigger risk than simply waiting to develop it?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
8y ago
2 Answers
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Ilford Delta is a pretty common film. I am certain you will be able to find a reputable lab to develop it somewhere around (you do not mention where exactly in Germany are you spending your year).
On the other hand, you should not have a problem developing it yourself in a years time. To maximize your chances you should keep it cold - in a fridge, or even better freezer.
Frozen film keeps well for years - there are records of exposed film recovered from failed polar expeditions after tens of years (the most famous probably S. A. Andrée's Arctic balloon expedition of 1897 which was found and successfully developed in 1930).
Originally by user62463. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user62463
8y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Yes—exposed Ilford Delta 400 will generally be fine if you wait 8–16 months before developing it, especially if it’s stored in a cool, dry, dark place. Developing exposed film as soon as practical is best, but for this film the delay is unlikely to cause noticeable image loss for normal use.
If possible, colder storage is better: a refrigerator helps, and a freezer is even better for long-term keeping. But room-temperature storage for this timeframe is usually not a major problem.
A bigger concern is air travel and security scanning. X-rays can fog undeveloped film, so try to avoid having it scanned if you can. Hand inspection is preferable. Some people also store film in foil or a metal container to reduce incidental radiation exposure, though the main issue is still airport scanners.
So: waiting to develop it yourself is reasonable, and the film should still look good if stored well. The travel/scanning risk is more important to manage than the storage time.
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