Originally Posted by AutoClub

Hi Gob332 - since I've used digital exclusively for the last 4.5 years, the only recommendations I could suggest would be what I've heard and read from others who have used film for astrophotography. The suggestions I've seen are these: First of all, be sure you are using a good, reliable print/slide laboratory - not a one-hour corner drugstore type of place. Many years ago, I had taken a bunch of vacation pictures (35mm print film) in to be developed by one of these, and their chemicals were way off or out of calibration. All of my prints turned out with a horrible greenish cast (another good reason I'm glad I switched to digital). I don't know if you've used this particular film before for night photography, but some films suffer from what is called reciprocity failure. Others may show odd color casts; at least the film I had used years ago gave me some problems. Secondly, it is a good idea to take at least one or two "daylight" images - normal scenes taken of your car, boat, girlfriend, etc. during the daytime. This will give the film technician at least what he considers a "normal" image to process and a way to "register" where one image starts and stops on a strip of film. If you don't have some type of daylight-exposed image for him to go by, there could be a good chance you may get you negatives back with a comment like, "Sorry, nothing's on these - better luck next time!" And finally, one of the best things I've heard is to be sure to tell the film technician NOT to cut the negatives. If he can't find an accurate start or end of an image, they may cut the negatives - right through the only good shot you took of your favorite nebula. There are probably a bunch of other good suggestions, and I'm sure there are some film-experienced astrophotographers in this forum who could give you some good advice.

Hope this helps. Thanks for your comments and your question.