What are these annoying blemishes?

[ChristopherMarv]

What causes these black spots? Look at the bottom of the image in particular. I'm noticing these when developing Tri-x in Rodinal.

They're visible throughout the image, but tend to appear toward the end furthest from the notches. (?)

Super-annoying having to correct it in photoshop. I think this example is beyond salvaging.

210624

[ChristopherMarv]

Here's a crop so that you can see in higher res:

210628

[jp]

Could be dust in the film holders blocking light from getting to the film.
If you look at the negative with a microscope or something, is the emulsion damaged (blistered, chipped, etc..)?

[ChristopherMarv]

I don't have a microscope, but I tried looking with the same 4X loupe I use when composing. It looks like there might be small chips in the emulsion, but I can't really tell.

I've seen small black dots on my images before, but nothing that looks quite like this.

[Barry Kirsten]

To my eyes it looks like areas of silver dissolved out of the emulsion. Maybe something in the developer, like precipitated sulfite, that's become stuck to the emulsion?

[otto.f]

What causes these black spots? Look at the bottom of the image in particular. I'm noticing these when developing Tri-x in Rodinal.

They're visible throughout the image, but tend to appear toward the end furthest from the notches. (?)

Super-annoying having to correct it in photoshop. I think this example is beyond salvaging.

210624

I’m sorry for Kodak, but I had exactly these spots too with my TriX in brand new holders from Chamonix. Not developed in Rodinal but HC110 B. Could not find the cause in my workflow. Didn’t have that with any other film brand. So TriX is nostalgia for me now, period. I stopped with Kodak altogether. Pancro400 for 400ASA and ADOX CHS 100 ii for 100. Especially the Adox film is extremely clean and bright, marvellous.

[Barrister]

I love that picture . . . just beautiful. Marvelous. Fix the technical problem but don't change anything else! Anyway, the spots don't ruin the picture. Only a deadened sensibility does that. Ja?

I mix chemicals well away from any film loading - minimize any chance of stray crystals settling on film. And I vacuum the table and the holders before I load them. Foma 400 sheet film (or Arista EDU Ultra 400) and Clayton F76 work well for me, never have a problem.

My office is about 1/4 mile from where Tri-X used to be made, but I don't trust Kodak anymore, for anything . . .

Lovely picture . . .

[ChristopherMarv]

I’m sorry for Kodak, but I had exactly these spots too with my TriX in brand new holders from Chamonix. Not developed in Rodinal but HC110 B. Could not find the cause in my workflow. Didn’t have that with any other film brand. So TriX is nostalgia for me now, period. I stopped with Kodak altogether. Pancro400 for 400ASA and ADOX CHS 100 ii for 100. Especially the Adox film is extremely clean and bright, marvellous.

Now you've got me wondering...

I've had problems with Kodak lately: sheets of film without notches, brown D-76 and so on. There does seem to be some sort of a quality control issue over there. I have some HP5 on deck. I'll try something with that and see if the problem continues.

[Chuck Pere]

Have you checked that the emulsion looks OK on a unprocessed sheet of film direct from the box?

[John Layton]

Was going to say excess iron in your water supply...but those "spots" appear to have an angular...almost crystalline structure. Like silver from dense areas migrating and re-crystallizing. Are all of your solutions well mixed (no gunk or sediment floating around?) and fresh?

[otto.f]

Now you've got me wondering...

I've had problems with Kodak lately: sheets of film without notches, brown D-76 and so on. There does seem to be some sort of a quality control issue over there. I have some HP5 on deck. I'll try something with that and see if the problem continues.
It won’t

[ChristopherMarv]

Have you checked that the emulsion looks OK on a unprocessed sheet of film direct from the box?

Good thinking! At your suggestion, I sacrificed a sheet for the cause of science. At first I didn't notice anything, but when looking carefully under direct light, specks of dirt (or something) are noticeable, and they're concentrated at the edge of the negative furthest from the notches, which is consistent with the problems I'm having.

[ChristopherMarv]

Was going to say excess iron in your water supply...but those "spots" appear to have an angular...almost crystalline structure. Like silver from dense areas migrating and re-crystallizing. Are all of your solutions well mixed (no gunk or sediment floating around?) and fresh?

Freshly mixed Rodinal. I will look *very* carefully next time!

[ChristopherMarv]

I love that picture . . . just beautiful. Marvelous. Fix the technical problem but don't change anything else! Anyway, the spots don't ruin the picture. Only a deadened sensibility does that. Ja?

I mix chemicals well away from any film loading - minimize any chance of stray crystals settling on film. And I vacuum the table and the holders before I load them. Foma 400 sheet film (or Arista EDU Ultra 400) and Clayton F76 work well for me, never have a problem.

My office is about 1/4 mile from where Tri-X used to be made, but I don't trust Kodak anymore, for anything . . .

Lovely picture . . .

Thank you. I laboriously clone stamped out the specks. If no-one looks too hard, maybe I'll get away with it!

https://www.flickr.com/photos/35702178@N00/50727372308/

[ChristopherMarv]

It won’t

See my response to Chuck Pere. Looking at an unprocessed sheet doesn't inspire confidence in the product that Kodak is putting out!

[MultiFormat Shooter]

Looking at an unprocessed sheet doesn't inspire confidence in the product that Kodak is putting out!

I would contact Kodak. I know it won't fix your image, but may be it'll help them prevent future issues. When I contacted them, in the past, they were always helpful.

[Joe O'Hara]

I was plagued by spots like this at one time. The cause was dust on the unexposed film, whether from the factory or my film holders, I cannot say. If one makes darkroom prints where the PS clone stamp is not available, the picture is generally ruined.

Now, after I load new piece of film in the holder, I open the slide all the way, and give it a good blast with canned air (aerosol duster), then quickly shut the dark slide. Problem now 100% solved.

Of course, all this assumes that the film holders are scrupulously clean in the first place and that the developer doesn't have floating crystals of developing agent or alkali in it, which will cause black spots (on the negative, white on the print) by local overdevelopment (those sometimes come with a tell-tale "halo" of extra density around them). I mop the mouth of the developer bottle with a wet cloth before pouring it into the measuring graduate to prevent this, just in case.

[Rod Klukas]

As some have mentioned above. Water can be an issue. First tap water can have particulates in it. It is just there. You might try a 3 micron filter set up.

Second if City water or well water or other is your water supply, the water chemistry can cause development variations. If the city adds acid to balance a high alkali contact, this lowers developers activity(like weak stop bath), or if they add alkali to balance acidity, this increases developer activity. I had people here who get water from the River, the city processed water and well water at different times. They were all over the place with their negatives.

We solved this by using distilled water for presoak, and developer, and stop at least. The stop bath has a slight hardening effect so after that, the film is very much less likely to take on particulants and distilled water should have none.

Many also used distilled for the fixer, wash aid, and PhotoFlo, steps. We did use tap for the wash.

So these are some possibilities to try.

Also pink anti-static 6x8" ziplock bags for each holder will also help keep dust out and off your holders, as well.

Hope this helps,

Rod

[John Layton]

Gotta chime in again...thinking about the location of the spots (close to dark slide entry point) and lower relative humidity at this time of year, and the possibility that yes, there is dust present in the holders light traps - perhaps an enough of an electrostatic charge is being generated as you re-insert a dark slide after loading, which, along with an existing charge on the film (from handling/insertion into holder) - that this might cause the dust to "jump" onto the film at the earliest opportunity? Conversely, perhaps as you withdraw a dark slide just prior to making an exposure...a bit of dust may get wiped from the dark slide at the light trap entry...and jump onto the film? Hmmm...