Just checked my thermometer against a lab grade one... 2 degrees off for months

I found out my kitchen thermometer was reading 2 degrees too low when I borrowed a friend's certified lab thermometer last weekend. Turns out all my film development times have been off for the last 6 months because I was actually processing at 100F instead of 102F. That explains the weird contrast issues I kept noticing on my HP5 rolls. Has anyone else had a cheap thermometer drift on them without realizing it?

3 comments

3 Comments

lopez.quinn1d ago

A whole 2 degrees? I'd bet the lab thermometer is actually the one that's off unless you just had it calibrated last week. Most cheap thermometers drift plus or minus a degree anyway, that's just how they work. Pretty sure the real issue here is seeing phantom contrast problems that were always there because of HP5's natural grain.

the_lee1d ago

2 degrees is barely anything, are you sure you're not just overthinking this?

milacraig1d ago

exactly, it's not just about the number itself, it's about how tiny shifts in averages can mess with whole systems, like throwing off weather patterns or crop seasons. a couple degrees can totally wreck a delicate balance.