Identifying film by notches - again

[Peter Galuszewski]

I found the thread by this name, but unfortunately, I can't find the notch in my film holders... does anyone know what


---------\______/-------

that notch may be?

I don't even know if its colour or b&w, I have no idea, but when I went to load (for the first time ever) my newly bought film holders, that i what I found. Thanks for any help - I am sure this is one of those annoyig newb questions and I apologize in advance :)


Peter.

PS That's what Ithink it looks like as I only went by feel - white sideout (or bumps out) means unexposed in the universal language of LF,right?

[Amund BLix Aaeng]

Here (http://photondetector.com/tools_ref/filmdata/) is a compilation of notch codes that might help.

[Louie Powell]

Peter -

Unfortunately, the notch may not have any more significance than to identify the emulsion side of the film.

In the past, Kodak, Ilford, Agfa and Fuji did have their own notch codes. However, there was no industry agreement standardizing on those codes. Today, some of those proprietary standards remain, but there is a lot of film that has been repackaged by J&C, Freestyle, or whoever, for which the notch code serves only to identify the emulsion side.

[Wilbur Wong]

I can't find the notch in my film holders...

Peter are you looking for a notch on the "film holder"?

There are notches on the photographic film not on the film holder. And yes I use the white side out on darkslides to note unexposed film. I switch to the black side to note that it has been exposed.

Wilbur

[Ralph Barker]

Peter - you can't really rely on the dark slide color, as there are proponents of both alternatives. I use the opposite: black = "kept in the dark"; white = "has seen the light".

[Jim Jones]

Kodak Tech Pan has a single fairly wide notch.

[jnantz]

this might help too:

http://web.archive.org/web/200503060...vail/notch.htm

[Donald Qualls]

One possible aid -- if you clip a corner off one sheet and examine that clip in the light, you can narrow down most B&W films against most C-41 films by color of the emulsion and base sides (almost all C-41 films have a tan emulsion and black/green base; most B&W films have a milky or light gray emulsion and black, blue, or brighter green base, while T-Max has a very distinctive reddish emulsion side, but would be easily distinguished by its notch code anyway). Failing even that, Infrared DBI in B&W chemistry will virtually always produce an image (at least on any film that might be of use in a camera), whether the original film was silver-image, C-41, E-6, or older color processes; even Kodachrome will produce an image, though it may be difficult to pull out of the density of the filter layer. If the film is in fact Tech Pan, however, it might develop to unrecoverable contrast levels even before you start to look for image formation; if there's a possibility it might be Tech Pan or Gigabit, I'd suggest starting the IRDBI process with a low contrast developer like Technidol, TD-3, POTA, etc., then transfer the film to a conventional developer if no or only very faint image is present after a normal Tech Pan time in the low contrast soup.

Or, you could just give them ten minutes in D-76 1:1, which will produce a scannable image on almost any camera film ever made other than Tech Pan and Gigabit (which will produce excessive contrast in this process).

[Peter Galuszewski]

Thanks for the responses guys,I really appreciate the input.
I think my grammar leaves as much to be desired as my knowledge of sheet film:)

What I meant is that in my newly bought film holders, in those holers there is film, and I found it in the dark while trying to load the holders, so I didn't expose it to light. The film in the holders has that type of single wide notch. I will examine the links and see if anything looks the way the notch in my film (inside the holders) feels.

I just didn't want to waste the film in the holders, but its only a few sheets, and I am beginning to think that perhaps Ishould just call it a loss as I may never find out what the film is, and even if I do, I can't be sure what shape its in, etc. Perhaps I will snap a few shots off just for giggles and see what happens.

[Herb Cunningham]

Guess what: Efke uses the same notch, one semi circle for BOTH their IR film and their

PL 100 offering. WTH is going on there?

[Donald Qualls]

Herb, several manufacturers have either no code, or use the same notching for all their films. And then there are the rebranded films, which are notched according to whatever the machinery was set to do at the factory that cut the master rolls, which is *not* the one that coated and rolled them (generally). The only thing you can be really sure of is that if the notch is at the right end of the upper edge of the film, the emulsion is facing you...

[C. D. Keth]

Ah, expose it at 200, process B&W and see what happens!

[Peter Galuszewski]

I have to admit something... and I don't feel particularily smart doing so (not the first, won't be the last time I am sure). In my fumbly first time film loading exercise, I missed the two little nothces to the right of the big one...
What can I say - it was dark in there, people! :D

According to what I have read in the kindly provided references, I have two sheets of Ektachrome 100...

Mystery solved, I am sure the film is old as time, but I may shoot it off just to see what happens - I am still at that stage with LF that every little mundane process, every routine operation is still a learning experience, so I figure I might as well.

Thanks again for all the input and info, and sorry about sending the kind folks here on a wild goose chase caused by my own ignorance.

Peter.