Light streaks on HP5+

[Kimberly Anderson]

This is an anomaly that I'm trying to track down. Film is HP5+, 4x10, processed in PMK. This is the second type of mark like this I have had on my film recently. I mark my holders and thought it might have been a pinhole on the darkslide. I do not see one when I inspect it with a backlight. Have you guy seen this before? The streak is on the film, and is not on the duplicate exposure on the other side of the holder, so I know it's either with the darkslide or the holder.

This is the second time I've had this recently. Not an artifact from the scanner...it's not on the duplicate image on the other side of the holder.

EDIT: Some additional information-

These two negatives were shot within a week of each other and came from the same box of Ilford cut 4x10 film. Both negatives were processed in a JOBO 3005 drum with PMK that I mix myself. They were not processed together in the same run, but were processed with the same batch of PMK. These are the only two negatives out of hundreds of sheets of 4x10 that I've shot and processed lately. I continue to have total faith and confidence in Ilford products.

Thoughts?

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[Gem Singer]

Pinhole in the bellows?

[Jim Noel]

Since it does not appear on the film in the other side of the holder, I would discount a pinhole in the bellows.
Have you tried swapping the dark slides? This would either say it is the dark slide, or it is not and you can go from there.

[Daniel Stone]

The first one looks like the density is originating from the middle point, see how the streaking goes both ways? You mentioned rotary development, hence my consideration of this since it originates from a "point".

Question:
Do you filter your PMK prior to processing, like through a coffee or lab-paper filter? Looks like something got "lodged" on the film, like a chunk of developing agent(like a flake/particulate if any was floating in the developer, not completely in solution)?


...

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-Dan

[JeRuFo]

The streaks aren't in the same place, so I think you can rule out dark slides and the holder.

I second the developer theory, but I'm not experienced in the darkroom by any means.

[Andrew O'Neill]

Static?

[Kimberly Anderson]

Hmmm., I hadn't thought of the static before. I do live in Utah where the humidity is LOOOOWWWWW, but the ironic thing is that nothing in my developing process has changed at all. I pre-soak the film, so I don't think that there would be undissolved pieces of developer sticking to the film. I do not run my developer through a coffee filter, but I certainly could for the next little while to see if there's anything getting caught. I don't know if there's anything not in solution, the developer has sat for at least three weeks now since I mixed it. I ruled out the darkslide and holder idea when I saw that the flaw was in different spots relative to the film.

I'm very befuddled...

[Kimberly Anderson]

Found another negative I had forgotten about. This one is from about six months ago. Different batch of PMK, way different batch of film. Interesting that it is running exactly 90-degrees opposite from the first two examples I showed in the original post.

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[Daniel Stone]

To me that last posted image(full negative) looks TO ME, like a light leak in your bellows. See the 'shadow' on the left side of the frame? Like a line of something was keeping light from a portion, like a shadow.

Run a bellows test in a DARK dark room, like wait 5mins after turning out the lights, then stick an absurdly bright led flashlight in the bellows(at all extensions, wide to full extension), just to be sure.

Also double check that none of your film holders have tape(hinge) extending onto the area where its supposed to rest against the camera frame under the g/g frame. I've had a few instances where just the minor thickness of the tape on that portion was enough to cause a minor light leak, and thusly, some nasty fogging when shooting outside in full sun with the back of the camera uncovered.

-Dan

[Doremus Scudder]

While your at it, check for light leaks in your lensboard(s) and front standard where the lensboard mounts. Check the seating of the filmholders in the back; look for missing baffling, felt, etc. If these are from different holders, you can pretty well rule them out. I would also doubt that PMK would have a lot of particulates (unless, of course, you didn't mix solution B in distilled water and got a lot of precipitate). If it were developer, the effect would be random. The light strike you have is roughly in the same area. Since the streaks in the second example you posted are 90° to the first, I ask whether there is anything on your camera that you mount in both orientations? (I'm thinking lensboards, bellows, back...).

Whatever this is, it is a very small hole, otherwise you would get a rather largish streak. Good luck finding the culprit.

Best,

Doremus

[Jim Fitzgerald]

Hard to pin point what may be the cause but I would check the camera first. Seems like that may be where the problem is. Also check how THAT holder on the bad side seats when you insert it. May be something ever so thin catching on the back and not allowing it to seat completely.

[Dan Dozer]

I had things just like this happen once that I traced back to pinholes in a film changing bag.

[Nasser]

In my opinion, I do not think bellow leaks would generate sharp light rays. I had the 2 problem happens to me in efferent type of cameras, the one is the film holder: leaking from the filmholder dark slide slot. and the other is from bellows.. and non of them generate sharp ray or sharp dot like this.

[Cor]

I second that, I had a problem with a ever so small light leak of my bellows frame just not fitting tight enough to the camera, very hard to see, even with a strong flash light in the darkroom, but sure enough I had a fog over the whole length at that side of the bellows, but it depended on the light hitting that side of the camera, and the time I had the dark slide out, so it took quite some time to track that down. The fog was a slight but distinct raise of density about 1-2 cm wide.

I too thought of some gunk in the developer, but that last 2 examples you showed the streaks were horizontal, so that can not be..so pin hole hunting time I guess..

good luck,

Cor


In my opinion, I do not think bellow leaks would generate sharp light rays. I had the 2 problem happens to me in efferent type of cameras, the one is the film holder: leaking from the filmholder dark slide slot. and the other is from bellows.. and non of them generate sharp ray or sharp dot like this.