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Water-logged Camera, Film Ok?


Ryq Peden

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Rains came through today, a prism arc in the wake. I grabbed the trusty s8 and ran out to get the best footage possible. Unfortunately, the roads were flooded. I was on the sidewalk of a four-lane highway, the cars were driving in the middle lanes to avoid the water. A truck swerved to splash me. It completely soaked me and the camera. So much so that water got into the film.

 

Never had this issue, so just wondering, would a lab touch this film?

 

What type of damage should I expect?

 

I'll let the lab know ahead of time and already marked it on the label. Hopefully it's salvageable,

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I plan on developing it, so long as the lab has no issue with that. Any known damage that I might expect though?

 

Let me put it another way, any known effects achieved by exposing film to water?

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Did the water get into the film before or after exposure?

 

Correct me if I'm wrong, but water is heavily used in the development process (particularly as a stop bath), so it shouldn't be damaging anything. The longer it sits in the water, though, the more you risk the water dissolving the emulsion.

 

I agree with Bill, get it developed ASAP.

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If water lands on the film before exposure, it's a problem. If it lands on the film after exposure, it's LESS of a problem.

 

When processing, the film is wet for the entire process until the drying rack. When film gets wet and then is allowed to dry, that's when you get spotting on the film. If it's just a few frames, it's no big deal. I doubt water got into the super 8 cartridge enough to make it a problem.

 

I've always been told, if a magazine goes for a bath, to keep it in water until it's at the lab.

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Yeah, I definitely understand water is part of processing. This water got in during filming (so some wet before and some wet after exposure) and I can't exactly dry it out effectively. Dropping it in a bag of rice seemed like a bad idea since rice has lots of powdery residue on it. I also know that one should keep exposed film away from moisture during storage, so that is why I thought there might be issues.

 

I had wanted to wait until I had a large batch of film to send in for processing and scanning, but I suppose I'll send this one in right away due to the water.

 

Thanks for your responses!

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