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itsskin
28-Apr-2011, 10:22
Hi All!
First of all, thank you for a great community you created here. It's a superb source of info, and drove into LF with Toyo 45G + Nikkor 90/8. The first problem I ran into and have no idea what happened is heavily scratched negatives. Below you will find the pic and the crop. I also shoot MF with 120 film and never got such a problem. The film is Lucky (cheap chinese). Packed in individual wrapping paper and the pack of 50. Development is done in Jobo dayllight processing drum. I touch film not more then the 120 one. And pretty sure it was loaded properly into the holders inside light-tight tent (not hard one). I did 10 shots and 9 of them are scratched like this. Any ideas why?
Thank a lot!
http://i382.photobucket.com/albums/oo265/itsskin/IMG_8129-Edit.jpg
http://i382.photobucket.com/albums/oo265/itsskin/IMG_8129-Edit-2.jpg

vinny
28-Apr-2011, 10:48
(cheap chinese), your words. Unless this film has a special look you must have, get some kodak or ilford. Time is money and you've got some wasted time on what look to be nice shots.

itsskin
28-Apr-2011, 10:56
I did use this film in MF, and never faced that problem.... But in 120 rolls film is protected much better than in 4x5 sheet. Are you saying that it can be very-very-VERY easily scratched? Even being touched slightly by light tent fabric?
Just trying to find a source of the problem...

Brad Rippe
28-Apr-2011, 11:10
I agree with what Vinny said. For all the commitment in using 4by5 film, to use "cheap" film is potentially wasting a lot of your time. I can't possibly see how you could have done this to this film, unless you dropped it on the floor and walked on it.
Try some other film brands, as Vinny mentioned, and see if you get better results. If you don't see better results, you need to learn from an experienced individual how to properly use sheet film.
Good Luck.

Vaughn
28-Apr-2011, 11:16
... Are you saying that it can be very-very-VERY easily scratched? Even being touched slightly by light tent fabric?
Just trying to find a source of the problem...

Might be damage during the manufacturing of the film.

Your might want to take a sheet straight from the package and develop it in order to see if that is the source of the problem.

Brian C. Miller
28-Apr-2011, 11:27
There have been other forum members who have used Lucky film without complaint. What other brands of sheet film have you used? Are the scratches unique to Lucky?

Perhaps what you need is a larger changing bag, or one with internal support.

itsskin
28-Apr-2011, 12:01
Today I loaded the film in total dark room without the tent. Let's see, how it will work out. In 4x5 I didn't use any other brands. But considering I didn't walk over the film, and highly unlikely it being scratched in the production... Seems like a tent problem to me. Next development will show ;)
Thx for help! Keep you posted.

sully75
28-Apr-2011, 12:50
someone advised me to waste a sheet, pull it out of the box and examine it for scratches and defects, then run it through your process (load and unload the holder - process it normally) and see where your scratches develop.

Haven't done it yet but it sure makes sense!

Professional
28-Apr-2011, 13:23
Hey, i thank you posting this thread.
I loaded 5 sheets in the tent, 2 color slides came out amazing, and the rest are B&W negs, 1 was lost as i didn't expose it by mistake, but the other 2 one i saw one big scratch and few very timy that i can heal, but another sheet i had full of scratches, that one of scratches i did develop it at home by tray, so i don't know if it was my processing in trays or all the sheets have that scratch problem while loading/unloading, because of that i didn't shoot any sheet since my last 5 sheets until i know the best way for home development [i can't get Jobo], without many issues including scratches.

Here is the sheet i did home processing with scratches:
http://img199.imageshack.us/img199/2962/pic7ir.jpg

Crop:
http://img716.imageshack.us/img716/3488/crop3a.jpg

Jack Dahlgren
28-Apr-2011, 23:54
Hey, i thank you posting this thread.
I loaded 5 sheets in the tent, 2 color slides came out amazing, and the rest are B&W negs, 1 was lost as i didn't expose it by mistake, but the other 2 one i saw one big scratch and few very timy that i can heal, but another sheet i had full of scratches, that one of scratches i did develop it at home by tray, so i don't know if it was my processing in trays or all the sheets have that scratch problem while loading/unloading, because of that i didn't shoot any sheet since my last 5 sheets until i know the best way for home development [i can't get Jobo], without many issues including scratches.


It is odd that the scratches are white on your shots. With negative film, shouldn't the scratch be black?

Professional
29-Apr-2011, 08:41
It is odd that the scratches are white on your shots. With negative film, shouldn't the scratch be black?

I really don't know why?!! :confused:

Brian C. Miller
29-Apr-2011, 09:07
Are the scratches actually on the negative, or are they on the print?

Professional
29-Apr-2011, 13:38
Are the scratches actually on the negative, or are they on the print?

The scratches are on the negative.

bob carnie
29-Apr-2011, 14:16
Most of the marks look like dust to me on the film due to unclean film loading, some look like they could be scratches, but boy are they big and I would not be able to see how you could physically do the scratches, unless of course each one of your fingers weigh ten lbs each.
I would revisit your loading proceedure.


Hi All!
First of all, thank you for a great community you created here. It's a superb source of info, and drove into LF with Toyo 45G + Nikkor 90/8. The first problem I ran into and have no idea what happened is heavily scratched negatives. Below you will find the pic and the crop. I also shoot MF with 120 film and never got such a problem. The film is Lucky (cheap chinese). Packed in individual wrapping paper and the pack of 50. Development is done in Jobo dayllight processing drum. I touch film not more then the 120 one. And pretty sure it was loaded properly into the holders inside light-tight tent (not hard one). I did 10 shots and 9 of them are scratched like this. Any ideas why?
Thank a lot!
http://i382.photobucket.com/albums/oo265/itsskin/IMG_8129-Edit.jpg
http://i382.photobucket.com/albums/oo265/itsskin/IMG_8129-Edit-2.jpg

Vaughn
29-Apr-2011, 15:05
I really don't know why?!! :confused:

Scratching done in the developer can sensitize the emulsion -- just as if you had exposed the film to light -- thus the scratches are black on the neg -- and white on the print.

At least I have seen this many times with paper in the developer...

Vaughn

Bob McCarthy
29-Apr-2011, 15:28
I think I would start with a good cleaning of your changing bag, super clean your holders, and thoroughly blow out the inside of your camera.

A tack cloth, vacuuming and canned air would be what I would do before anything else.

My experience is scratches are straight lines, curly Q's are almost always debris, either on the film from poor loading technique, poor cleaning maintenance. I even see this with dusty darkroom equipment.

Not trying to be critical, but good LF dust control is important with what we do.

I suppose the film could have come to you this contaminated, but that's the last time I would even concider using it. Use a well proven film company with good QC.

Bob

Professional
29-Apr-2011, 20:29
I don't have this problem with the 4 sheets i've done before that sheet, maybe one sheet of B&W has a small scratch white as well, so i thought that B&W is very easy to be scratched over the color, because the 2 color slide sheets were free of scratches, even i didn't see many dust as i saw with B&W sheets.
I just will try to use another developing method than tray and see if i will have same issue, try processing is a painful way for me anyway even if i have free-scratch sheets.