any problems w/ velvia on long expeditions?

[benjamin broad imported]

I'll be going on a bike trip in asia later this year using mostly velvia quicklo ad 4x5 film. More than likely it will be two to three months before i can get m y first round of film developed. Has any one left exposed sheet film this long and encountered any problems? I've just returned from 4 months of bicycling in asia shooting 220 film through just about every possible temperature and i did n ot experience any problems that I can notice with color shifts, streaks or leaks even with film that had been in my bike bags for three months+....Although i ha te to risk it and punish my film so much, there is no possible way to get the fi lm developed any earlier that i can envision. So any advice...

[Pete Caluori]

Hi Benjamin,

I don't think you'll experience any real problems. If one were doing accurate color tests or something a difference would probably surface, but for general landscape use it should be OK. I've left exposed Velvia, both roll and sheet film, sitting for several months before processing and haven't been able to detect a difference. Good luck! Regards,

[fw]

Where are you intending to go in Asia? There are very good pro processing facilities available in Japan, Hong Kong and Singapore that can handle 4x5, and probably also Taiwan and Korea. Other countries may be more of a gamble. In certain countries, your exposed film can be stolen for resale to an unsuspecting customer.

However, one aspect of your question intrigues me. If I assume you take an average of 5 pictures each day, over three months, that equals 450 pictures, or 23 boxes of Quickload. That will take up a lot of space, especially on the back of a bike - how are you intending to deal with this?

In my own travels through Asia I have found Velvia to remain very stable for several weeks after exposure.

[benjamin broad imported]

thanks for the answers so far...

I4ll be heading out to western mongolia, western china and western tibet some time this spring till the early fall. As far as i know there4s no labs in this area what so ever.

In regards to carrying this much quickload... One of the wonderful things about bicycling is how much i can carry with relatively little effort. With a bicycle and five or six well balanced bags it suddenly becomes possible to carry as much camping gear, food and camera equipment as i need for extended periods. I4m not sure if i4d like to convince 23 boxes of quickload into my bags but i will do my best and lessen the load a bit with roll film capabilities.