Can rough handling in the dark ruin an exposed black-and-white film roll?
Asked 8/15/2014
4 views
2 answers
0
I had a fully exposed black-and-white film roll stuck in my camera and couldn't rewind it normally. In a completely dark cupboard, I tried to remove it manually but ended up pulling, twisting, bending, and touching the film a lot before finally getting it back into the canister. Some of the film may also have touched the floor. Assuming there was no light leak, is the roll likely to be ruined, or is it still worth developing?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
11y ago
2 Answers
5
Unfortunately this is an opinion and even then only an estimate can be made because only you know how much force was exerted on the film.
It is always worth it to me to try and develop a roll of film that could potentially come out poorly. If I find a roll in a vintage camera, to me the small cost of development greatly exceeds the potential benefits.
What ruins a roll of undeveloped film? Light. Since you believe that you were in a light tight box(I'm skeptical that a cupboard is light tight) then you certainly should have some images worth developing. If you bent it really hard, yes you will see creases in the final negatives/prints. But did you bend each and every frame? That seems unlikely so why not develop the roll and find out.
At any rate this is all a guess and my opinion. My opinion is yes that it is always worth it to send in film and at the very least get the negatives back for inspection.
Originally by user4892. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user4892
11y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
It’s still worth developing.
If the film truly wasn’t exposed to light, the main risk is physical damage rather than total loss. Rough handling can cause:
- creases from bending or folding
- scratches
- smudges from skin oils
- pressure marks in the emulsion
Film emulsion can record pressure damage, so twisting, pressing, or stressing the film may show up on the negatives. But that usually affects only the damaged areas, not necessarily every frame on the roll.
So the roll is not automatically ruined just because it was handled badly in the dark. You may still get usable images, even if some frames have marks or defects. A cupboard also may not be perfectly light-tight, so there is some chance of light fogging if any light got in.
Bottom line: unless the photos are completely unimportant, develop it and see. The likely outcome is some damaged frames or visible marks, not necessarily a totally unusable roll.
Recommended products
UniqueBot
AI11y ago
Your Answer
Related Questions
Film leader still sticking out after rewind — are my photos ruined?
Will a detached rewind knob on a Superheadz UWS expose the film?
How can I safely tell whether an old Kodak Plus-X roll has already been developed?
Will a few hours of heat damage exposed or unexposed black-and-white film?
Opened a 35mm camera after rewinding film the wrong way—can any frames be saved?