narsuitus
Well-known
I rarely receive exposed film with used cameras I obtain. I voted “yes” because my normal policy has been to develop the film myself if it is black & white and I don’t know or cannot find the owner. If it is color film, I will trash the film if I don’t know or cannot find the owner. If I know the owner or can find the owner, I will return the film undeveloped.
However, earlier this year, one of my wedding customers gave me her late husband’s camera outfit. One of the cameras had a partially exposed roll of color film in it. I have not yet returned the film to her because I have been toying with the idea of developing the film and giving her prints. The only thing stopping me is that she will re-marry this fall and I will be photographing her wedding. I do not want to do anything to offend her or her new husband.
However, earlier this year, one of my wedding customers gave me her late husband’s camera outfit. One of the cameras had a partially exposed roll of color film in it. I have not yet returned the film to her because I have been toying with the idea of developing the film and giving her prints. The only thing stopping me is that she will re-marry this fall and I will be photographing her wedding. I do not want to do anything to offend her or her new husband.
Morca007
Matt
There was an exposed roll of ilford in the tlr I just bought. I threw it out.
KameraKev
Established
Developing film from "new" camera.
Developing film from "new" camera.
I once developed a roll of bw that was in an Agfa zone focus camera that I bought at a thrift store. The images I got were of a bunch of creapy looking hillbillies with lots of guns standing in front of a school bus in the woods somewhere. I would never send a found roll into a lab.
Developing film from "new" camera.
I once developed a roll of bw that was in an Agfa zone focus camera that I bought at a thrift store. The images I got were of a bunch of creapy looking hillbillies with lots of guns standing in front of a school bus in the woods somewhere. I would never send a found roll into a lab.
AshenLight
Established
I voted no. I'm not paranoid about what might be on the film, I just tend to be a very private person and extend the right of privacy to others. Please don't think that this is a dig against anyone who voted yes or said they would develop a roll found in a purchased camera though.
Concrete Island
Newbie
I was in this situation two weeks ago. I had bought an Olympus XA2 from Ebay which had a roll of generic colour negative in it which I didn't know about until I opened the back, the roll must have been only a small way through. I was really curious to see what was on the roll but to cover myself I just used to rest of the roll of film in a double exposure roll with redscale pinhole over the photos, thankfully it came back innocent enough with bits here and there of streets or objects, I'd covered up most of the subject matter with redscale.
I would definatly do it again though, soon enough I'll be able to do my own colour development as well as black and white so I have the security of judging what is or isn't bad without any repercussions from anybody else.
There's something a bit magical about discovering old photographs that nobody, not even the photographer themselves have seen!
I would definatly do it again though, soon enough I'll be able to do my own colour development as well as black and white so I have the security of judging what is or isn't bad without any repercussions from anybody else.
There's something a bit magical about discovering old photographs that nobody, not even the photographer themselves have seen!
Gumby
Veteran
Possibly Tehachapi CA.
Chaser
Well-known
Best find ever. A friend of mine agreed to help one of his friends develop a roll of photos that had been sitting in a brownie that she bought at a junk store. In the end, he got some pretty amazing civilian images of the bombing of pearl harbor. So I don't always think the risks out weigh the potential finds.
jan normandale
Film is the other way
Keith the second image is a wind farm. Where I'm not sure, however there wouldn't have been power generation windfarms in the US prior to the 1960's This should help in a search on the internet. The first image is a mine with hoppers and a train. I'd bet the mine wouldn't be more than a day's drive from the wind farm. So not more than 350 mile radius and probably less when I see the topography which looks similar to the wind farm.
A fun problem to solve 'Mr Internet Detective'! ;D
blw
Well-known
I'm on the East Coast of the USA, but I'd go along with Gumby on this one. Those look very much like the brown hills I saw east of San Francisco I drove through once on my way to Ripon CA to skateboard. And yes, there was a wind farm along that route too.
blw
Well-known
And yes Chaser...I'd have to say that is one of the best finds ever. I'd love to see some of those photos, as I'm sure a lot of other people would as well.
squirrel$$$bandit
Veteran
Holy crap!!!
Krosya
Konicaze
I'd develop it - imagine if it turns out some A-list celeb's private pics? 
You could buy all Leicas you want and than some . hehe.
You could buy all Leicas you want and than some . hehe. 
eli griggs
Well-known
I voted yes but there are times I won't process other peoples forgotten film. Just in the last month or so, I've taken film from two old cameras. One was from a Kodak Tourist 12.5 taken from a passed relatives' home during clean up. Early 1960's Plus-X was in it, most likely when my Uncle left both his family and camera behind for greened pastures. Knowing the pain it would cause other family I did not process it.
The second roll was from a Yashica M42 mount SLR that a nurse from the Salisbury, NC V.A. mailed me, with some lenses, after she saw me carrying my Leica IIIC during a recent V.A. visit. When she found out I liked old film kit, she insisted I should have this camera. It arrived with old film in it and I didn't process it because I saw it as a possible intrusion against someone who did me a favor.
I have processed the film from several cameras that i bought online or at flee markets, including an eBay Iskra from Ukraine and a Minolta 16. The Minolta had Tri-X in it and was mostly too dark office stuff and blown out street shots of a business district, nothing too interesting by someone who didn't know how to take a picture.
The Iskra film was of a bunch of old guys in big suits, including one that looked like for all the world like Khrushchev, looking bored as some other guys in uniforms showed them the insides of what looked like a rocket factory. The soldiers looked pretty happy and a few even posed for the camera while holding up various missile parts. All and all, pretty prosaic stuff, at least for the Soviet Union.
I sell 8x10 prints from this roll to anyone whom asks, along with new title deeds to vintage bridges in Brooklyn for the low, low price of a new M8.2 with lens.
Seriously, all that was on the Iskra roll was a few snaps of some guys' wife or girlfriend sitting around in the kitchen. The film was badly fogged and I was surprised I got anything off it at all after processing it like Plus-X in HC-110.
True Story; the most interesting roll of a strangers film I ever processed did not come from a camera but was handed to me.
In 1977, I was 18-19 and stationed at Ft. Lewis, WA. where I was really getting into darkroom work. The base had a pretty good set-up and I liked that it was open fairly late into the evenings. One night I was working alone on some prints when a older, uniformed Special Forces Sgt. came in and started to make some prints of his own. I didn't pay any attention to what he was printing on the other side of the room and while we talked it was mostly about his being in transit to somewhere else. I was use to Rangers on base, they billeted up the hill from my unit, but Green Berets were a rare item and I was more curious about his recent travels in Central America, at least the little he'd share, than his photography.
After about 45 minutes we were joined by a young woman I knew from around the darkroom, who happened to be an officers wife. She started to set-up on the enlarger next to the Sergeant but suddenly tensed up and left the room. It turned out the Sergeant was printing some rude nude pics and she had caught a glimpse.
Gathering his stuff up, he was out of there in about two minutes flat, however before he left, he pressed an undeveloped roll of 120 film on me, a 'gift' and quietly told me to soup it when I had a chance to do it alone. I never saw him again. As I was doing my film processing in my spacious NCO room with its own bathroom, a room I shared with no one, I developed it the next day.
It turns out that Sarge had a real talent for racy photography. The roll was all of a good looking, semi-nude woman, black hair, black leather, high boots and a whip, in various poses on and beside a bed that was hung from the celling by chains.
It looked like a scene out of a magazine or movie and I got the impression that room was a set for customers that paid to make photos like this. If this was a good example of what he was printing, I can see why he hit the road when that officers wife fled the darkroom, if she summoned the MPs or her husband, it would have taken a lot of explaining, even for tough old warrior like him.
Sarge, if you're out there on the forum somewhere, Thanks, those pics really were a kick.
I know that some people are frightened of sending film to the lab that might have something bad on it, but if something like kid porn was found, IMO that would be worth the serious bother with the police on the off chance that the people doing it might get caught and the kids are helped.
Cheers
The second roll was from a Yashica M42 mount SLR that a nurse from the Salisbury, NC V.A. mailed me, with some lenses, after she saw me carrying my Leica IIIC during a recent V.A. visit. When she found out I liked old film kit, she insisted I should have this camera. It arrived with old film in it and I didn't process it because I saw it as a possible intrusion against someone who did me a favor.
I have processed the film from several cameras that i bought online or at flee markets, including an eBay Iskra from Ukraine and a Minolta 16. The Minolta had Tri-X in it and was mostly too dark office stuff and blown out street shots of a business district, nothing too interesting by someone who didn't know how to take a picture.
The Iskra film was of a bunch of old guys in big suits, including one that looked like for all the world like Khrushchev, looking bored as some other guys in uniforms showed them the insides of what looked like a rocket factory. The soldiers looked pretty happy and a few even posed for the camera while holding up various missile parts. All and all, pretty prosaic stuff, at least for the Soviet Union.
I sell 8x10 prints from this roll to anyone whom asks, along with new title deeds to vintage bridges in Brooklyn for the low, low price of a new M8.2 with lens.
Seriously, all that was on the Iskra roll was a few snaps of some guys' wife or girlfriend sitting around in the kitchen. The film was badly fogged and I was surprised I got anything off it at all after processing it like Plus-X in HC-110.
True Story; the most interesting roll of a strangers film I ever processed did not come from a camera but was handed to me.
In 1977, I was 18-19 and stationed at Ft. Lewis, WA. where I was really getting into darkroom work. The base had a pretty good set-up and I liked that it was open fairly late into the evenings. One night I was working alone on some prints when a older, uniformed Special Forces Sgt. came in and started to make some prints of his own. I didn't pay any attention to what he was printing on the other side of the room and while we talked it was mostly about his being in transit to somewhere else. I was use to Rangers on base, they billeted up the hill from my unit, but Green Berets were a rare item and I was more curious about his recent travels in Central America, at least the little he'd share, than his photography.
After about 45 minutes we were joined by a young woman I knew from around the darkroom, who happened to be an officers wife. She started to set-up on the enlarger next to the Sergeant but suddenly tensed up and left the room. It turned out the Sergeant was printing some rude nude pics and she had caught a glimpse.
Gathering his stuff up, he was out of there in about two minutes flat, however before he left, he pressed an undeveloped roll of 120 film on me, a 'gift' and quietly told me to soup it when I had a chance to do it alone. I never saw him again. As I was doing my film processing in my spacious NCO room with its own bathroom, a room I shared with no one, I developed it the next day.
It turns out that Sarge had a real talent for racy photography. The roll was all of a good looking, semi-nude woman, black hair, black leather, high boots and a whip, in various poses on and beside a bed that was hung from the celling by chains.
It looked like a scene out of a magazine or movie and I got the impression that room was a set for customers that paid to make photos like this. If this was a good example of what he was printing, I can see why he hit the road when that officers wife fled the darkroom, if she summoned the MPs or her husband, it would have taken a lot of explaining, even for tough old warrior like him.
Sarge, if you're out there on the forum somewhere, Thanks, those pics really were a kick.
I know that some people are frightened of sending film to the lab that might have something bad on it, but if something like kid porn was found, IMO that would be worth the serious bother with the police on the off chance that the people doing it might get caught and the kids are helped.
Cheers
ben_m
Member
I bought a Robot II (F serial, German military) from a woman in the US, who had been given in by a family friend who was in the USAF in the early 1940s. The film in the camera was very, very fogged, but had 50 or so photos on it. Some of them appear to be in post-war Japan. I only have a couple scanned so far:
Attachments
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tvagi
Established
I managed today to open the back of a PENTONA II,with the help of a RFF member,ZeissFan,and inside i found an ORWO Color NC21 waiting for me!
i really would give a try proceeding the film.i think that this kind of film is much earlier than the camera.so it is interesting seeing until when this camera was used and by whom!
i really would give a try proceeding the film.i think that this kind of film is much earlier than the camera.so it is interesting seeing until when this camera was used and by whom!
kbg32
neo-romanticist
No. I would throw it out.