What is the longest time between exposure and development of a "Medium Format" roll of film?

[Arklatexian]

The camera store that I once worked for in the mid-1950s, was a division of a larger photo-finishing company that received films for processing from "drug stores". One of of those stores sent in a roll of film which when developed showed a pilot standing in front of a "Spad" aircraft. We discovered that the film had been found in the bottom of an old "trunk" belonging to the person who had us process the film. It was of that person standing in front of the "Spad" he had flown in World War 1 and had been exposed in 1917. The film had been exposed (and forgotten) for 38 years.

 

[Pentode]

About 25 years ago I dated a young lady who inherited an old roll-top desk from her grandfather. In one of the drawers was a roll of exposed 620 film and I offered to develop it for her. It turned out to be photos of her in her crib as an infant. She was 30 at the time.

Not quite as old as your photos of the Spad pilot (and that’s really cool, by the way) but still pretty old.

 

[Vaughn]

Well, if it is Ilford Pan F, there may be no latent image left to develop after that long. But that's an odd duck amongst the flock.

My guess about old films is that they contained some nasty chemicals - chromium and whatever -- that had the secondary effect of keeping anything from attacking the gelatin. But just a guess.

 

[MattKing]

I recently developed a "found" roll of 620 film (from a Brownie Hawkeye) which is of uncertain age, uncertain brand, and uncertain origin.
This thread recites the story: https://www.photrio.com/forum/threads/pink-backing-paper-620-film.166780/
I'm guessing at least a couple of decades old - the curl of the film would hint at several decades!

 

[Mick Fagan]

A few years ago I developed film found in a camera that had been in a garage for many decades. The daughter of the fella who had died, found it when going through the garage, her son in-law gave it to me and I developed it. The pictures were of the daughter when she was around 5-6 years of age, or thereabouts. She was about 60 years older at the time of finding the film, so around 60 years.

There is a thread on it, but I couldn't find it.

Mick.

 

[alentine]

PanF like slide films, never delay development.
But most films can continue retaining latent image loooong time after exposure with reasonable loose of quality.

 

[macfred]

Some times ago -while cleaning up my parents-in-laws house- I found some undeveloped, Kodak branded medium format color negative films. This is what I got - the little boy in the pictures is my brother-in-law (today in his mid-40's):

Regarding the imprints here even 40 years ago Kodak had a backing paper problem ...

 

[mcfitz]

An interesting discussion about developing old film is in this thread: https://www.photrio.com/forum/threads/50-year-old-latent-images.162329/

with some few pictures posted as well.

 

[xya]

this summer I bought an ensign 820 with an exposed roll of ilford hp3 in it. I developped it in rodinal 1:25, 9 minutes and had 3 photos, well exposed, the rest of the film unexposed. maybe 1:.50 20 minutes would have been less grain. anyway, the photos seemed to be around 1955, that is more than 60 years ago. the sellers confirmed that it was most probably their relatives in the 50s.

i'ts always worth a try...

 

[etn]

There are guys out there who collect and develop forgotten film rolls. One example:
https://www.rescuedfilm.com/
(there might be others)

I find this fascinating!

 

[BAC1967]

An interesting discussion about developing old film is in this thread: https://www.photrio.com/forum/threads/50-year-old-latent-images.162329/

with some few pictures posted as well.

I posted some photos that I developed 70 years after they were shot, they came out pretty good considering the age. I'm not sure why the OP is asking about medium format, not sure there would be much difference in format. I have developed film that wasn't very old with bad results. How it was stored is the most important thing. If it was frozen in a lead lined container it would come out much better than a roll you left on the dash of your car over the summer.

 

[Arcadia4]

A friend was given an old kodak folding camera that had belonged to an aunt. It contained an exposed roll of 620 Kodak Verichrome Pan. I developed it in XTOL last year. It turned out it had been in the camera 50 years, as there were 3 pictures dating from c1968 of her parents and older brother as a toddler in the lake district. (also a pram possibly containing his little sister )

 

[Arklatexian]

I posted some photos that I developed 70 years after they were shot, they came out pretty good considering the age. I'm not sure why the OP is asking about medium format, not sure there would be much difference in format. I have developed film that wasn't very old with bad results. How it was stored is the most important thing. If it was frozen in a lead lined container it would come out much better than a roll you left on the dash of your car over the summer.

I thought about that but that film was "blue sensitive" film and after it was developed it was found to "predate" Leica 35mm still film cameras which in 1917 were still in the "experimental stage" if in existence at all. As far as I know, any "blue sensitive" 35mm film before and during WW1 were "cine" films. How the Leica Camera came about makes some interesting reading. A fellow named Oscar Barnack is mentioned as well as a Dr. Leitz. By the way it is also my understanding that films sensitive to blue were not sensitive to heat as are modern films....Regards! By the way, some of the oldest exposed roll films were found with a British Antarctic expedition whose members had died before they were found, The films had been frozen for generations. When developed and printed, the prints were all perfect. As if they had been shot the day before they were developed.