Grid lines? Exposure issues

[Michael Lloyd]

I spotted the 8 bit mode when I put the post up and tried it again. It helped a little but not much

It was cloudy, about 10 minutes before sunset. Sun was about 90 degrees to the right of camera. I'm having a blast

Nigel- I use a Jobo and the MassiveDev site developing time. I checked the notes but there's nothing about tray vs drum. But if the time was for trays and I used the rotary processor that would be a problem wouldn't it?

Here's my old barn from 2 days ago (day before the image above). Same film. I took a few notes for the two shots that I made
a few minutes before sunset. Sun at my back. Facing NE

Sheet 1 at 1/2s@f22 and Sheet 2 at 1s@f22

Negative



After ColorPerfect



Crappy edit that I deleted. This one has grid lines too???

[Michael Lloyd]

If nothing else I'm consistent... incorrect exposure every time

Over exposure plus over developing seems likely

I consistently over expose... and I have been consistently metering the sky, setting it on Zone 8, checking that the shadows fall into Zone 3 (or 4), and using that for exposure settings. I'll switch to meter shadows and see how that does.

I'd cut the developing time back but I don't know how much

[Christopher Barrett]

Heh, I was joking about the radioactivity.

[ic-racer]

I metered the sky and put it in Zone 8 on the scale.

Meter the shadows.
The sky is the worst thing to meter. Your eye, the meter sensor and film all have different responses to its brightness.

Your negative in the first post actually looks fine.

[Michael Lloyd]

Heh, I was joking about the radioactivity.

LOL... I'd say I knew that but I'd be lying LOL
I was just about to email Hugo at Chamonix but... the grid lines seem to match what's on the ground glass.

There are 6 negs and all of them have grid lines. Maybe the film is messed up? I bought it from B&H this time last year and it's been in the freezer for whole time

[Michael Lloyd]

Meter the shadows.
The sky is the worst thing to meter. Your eye, the meter sensor and film all have different responses to its brightness.

Will do. Thank you. If we get some decent weather soon I'll reshoot everything. Now if I can just figure out where the grid lines are coming from

[Will Frostmill]

If nothing else I'm consistent... incorrect exposure every time

Over exposure plus over developing seems likely

I consistently over expose... and I have been consistently metering the sky, setting it on Zone 8, checking that the shadows fall into Zone 3 (or 4), and using that for exposure settings. I'll switch to meter shadows and see how that does.

I'd cut the developing time back but I don't know how much

6 min is already pretty short. Maybe dilute 1:1, and keep the same time? Consider stand development?
It might be better to pick one thing to change and just do that. One metering tip is when it's overcast to meter off your hand or a gray card, since the light is going to be uniform anyway. Then add however many additional stops you want to see in the shadows. (Usually two, but it gets tricky in the evening.) Metering off the sky is excellent for digital - I do it myself all the time, but it looks more like a source of light than a reflective surface for calculating exposure.

[Michael Lloyd]

DD-X is diluted 1:4 as is but I could try cutting it back. Other than the Jobo all I have is trays but no darkroom.

I meter the sky and shadows with digital all of the time too. I think that's where I got off track. Old habits and all that stuff. Naturally the weather stinks right now so I'll have to wait it out. Or I could rig up a pocket wizard and a strobe and shoot something inside I took the same scene with a digital camera 4 or 5 days ago and it took one exposure to get it right (enough) but shooting film helped me to get to that point.

[Michael Lloyd]

Grid lines... I just remembered something important. The film in the freezer is new but I loaded the holders and hauled them around in my rolling camera case (2000 Toyota Landcruiser) for weeks. The loaded holders were in the back of the TLC and I drove all over Texas, southern Utah, Northern NM, and SW Colorado (over 12,000'). I can't think if what would put the image of a grid on the negs but all six of them have a grid on them.

[Daniel Stone]

Try exposing a sheet or two of a bland, textureless wall. Do this when the lighting is diffused, not hard, direct sun.
Develop the negatives, and see if the grid pattern remains.

One tip: don't put the wall/surface into focus. Rack it slightly OUT of focus(so it's simply a fuzzy blur).