Film Stored In Hot Car

I just got my car back from the mechanic. I opened the trunk, and found an old carrying case, which I opened, only to find an unopened box of 35mm Fuji Velvia 100. It's been there since July 2019 when I went on a roadtrip to Arizona.

 

I did some research -- is this roll even useable? I hate to throw it away, since Velvia has had a major price hike ( 1-2 years ago, a roll of 35mm Velvia 100 was $12.99, now it's $20? What the Hell happened??)

 

Thank you for any help.

Hmmm

It's impossible to say. Nobody knows the temperature in your car trunk for the past 12 months. But cars are widely cited as not being good places to store film! You need to store it somewhere cold.

 

I wouldn't count on this roll for something critical. You could just list it for sale on eBay - with full disclosure. Someone who likes experimenting will buy it, and that'll give you some dollars towards buying a fresh roll.

Apparently you didn't miss it for an extended period of time, so why not just use it to experiment with rather than risk it on something meaningful.

In my experience, I'd give it a 50/50 chance of being fine.

 

If it's a 5 roll box, I'd shoot one roll and see how it came out, and let that guide you. If it's fine, shoot it. If not, dump it with full disclosure and maybe even a few sample scans-you won't get anything close to retail, but the lomographers and the like might gobble it up. Alternatively, you can cross process and might get something interesting/useable.

 

If it's a single roll...I'd probably not take my chances but like said above sell it on Ebay with full disclosure.

 

BTW, with Ektachrome now holding at ~$14 a roll, I don't see a lot of 35mm Fuji in my future. I'll continue to shoot it in MF, where prices are tolerable and I can really use it to its potential. In 35mm, though, Ektachrome is a nice "clean" film and really to me is a better all-around film than any of the Fuji E-6 products.

Edited June 27, 2020 by ben_hutcherson

I would junk it. This is color slide film. Long exposure to heat will cause the colors to drift. The question is how much.

 

E-6 processing will cost about $12 plus tax (at Mike's Camera), if you drop it off and pick it up. Dwayne's will charge $8.95 (36 exposures) plus $5 shipping to return the slides. Add the cost of packing and shipping to Dwayne's and your looking at between $15 and $20 depending upon packing. In other words processing is almost equal to the cost of the film.

I've left Velvia 50 120 in the trunk in my RB67 through the year including the hot summer and cold winter in my NJ uninsulated garage which gets brutally hot and cold. Didn't notice anything unusual. In fact some of the film was exposed, some exposed later.

Thanks for all the input, and I think I'll give it to my friend who likes to experiment with film, rather than use it for "Kodak Moments", haha.

 

Thank you again. I'd honestly send one of y'all the roll if you cover shipping. Let me know if you want a free roll of Velvia 100, a film Fuji is purposely pricing at explicit levels so that they can eliminate their film sector. Corporations are assholes.

I've left Velvia 50 120 in the trunk in my RB67 through the year including the hot summer and cold winter in my NJ uninsulated garage which gets brutally hot and cold. Didn't notice anything unusual. In fact some of the film was exposed, some exposed later.

I'm based out of the Sonoran Desert along the Mexighanistani border where temps hover just below 120. I too have never had a problem.