PDA

View Full Version : what happened to this this film?



EH21
12-Dec-2012, 00:29
85297


Hi,
This is some ADOX 100 4x5 sheet film that I got when I purchased a camera. I developed some T-Max on the same day with the same chemistry (D76) and process and didn't get the spots. Assuming the ADOX film is the issue, or something that has happened to the film. It was sent overseas from Germany to me with the camera about 5 months ago. I have stored the film in my office filing cabinet not the refrigerator. I think I read that X-rays leave images in the film so that might not be it, but what could have caused this? Any ideas?
Thanks,
Eric

Jody_S
12-Dec-2012, 06:01
I've seen those before on expired Konica color neg film that wasn't stored very well. No other brand, I've had very badly expired and color-shifted neg film from other manufacturers but the only one that ever came out spotty was the Konica.

Sevo
12-Dec-2012, 06:17
Looks like emulsion damage. Which can have quite a variety of reasons, ranging from moisture exposition/condensation damage prior to exposure, over chemical damage (partial dissolution) due to too strong developer/stop/fixer concentrations, to heat damage in processing, washing or during drying. But chemical fogging can have similar effects - how old is the film, for how long was it left in the holder?

It certainly is not baggage check X-rays - these leave scan line patterns looking much like a defective tube TV.

Fred L
12-Dec-2012, 07:11
fungal growth would be my best guess

vinny
12-Dec-2012, 07:30
Moisture.

EH21
12-Dec-2012, 22:36
Hmm, I'm not sure about moisture or fungus as the box was always dry and didn't smell of mildew. Would leaving it in the fixer for too long do this?

Fred L
13-Dec-2012, 07:40
coulda started in Germany ;) how are the other sheets ?

vinny
13-Dec-2012, 07:45
Hmm, I'm not sure about moisture or fungus as the box was always dry and didn't smell of mildew. Would leaving it in the fixer for too long do this?
did you put the opened box back in the fridge/freezer?
I've seen damage very similar caused by unsealed boxes. I've seen lots of sheets stuck together from storage like that as well.

lenser
13-Dec-2012, 10:17
I had almost identical patterns on a roll of Ilford film that had been out of the sealed foil wrapper for months and which was long out of date besides. Between the experts at my favorite lab and I, we came to the conclusion that this must have been a cause and effect situation of the paper wrapper absorbing humidity and that somehow imprinting itself in just certain areas of the film emulsion, perhaps due to the paper not being perfectly smooth. This was film I had processed at home, so the lab had no self interest in this other than helping me figure out the source so that I could avoid it in the future. If your film came with interleafed paper sheets, I suspect that something similar may have happened, especially if you had the box in a humid storage without being sealed against the environment.

ic-racer
13-Dec-2012, 18:31
I'm seeing more and more negatives posted with those patterns. I suspect it is related to more people using non-fresh film or poorly stored film. I can make negatives like that with frozen and thawed film that is not in a sealed package.

David Lobato
13-Dec-2012, 19:20
I had the same kind of problem from an opened box of 8x10 sheet film a friend gave to me this year. He had stored it in his garage for the last 8 or 10 years in Colorado. What's interesting is only some of the film shows the effect. A few other sheets from that box were okay after developing. I can use the film for non-critical subjects, but can't trust it for anything serious.

Gary L. Quay
16-Dec-2012, 19:35
I had a similar problem with Efke Ort 25 4x5 a couple years ago. The spots were concentrated in the center, and gradually got sparcer toward the edges. The film was fresh, and stored in the freezer in air-tight bags. The entire box had the same defect, so I can only assume that it was a manufacturing defect. I used it only sparingly in certain high contrast situations, and always used good film to shoot the scene as well. I have one picture of the St. Johns Bridge here in Portland where the white spots are like light twinkling away from the setting sun, which is shining through the leaves of a tree. It looks awesome, but one good picture out of 50 sheets, I suppose, while not a total loss, was still disappointing. If I remember, I'll scan a print of it and post it here and on my Flickr page.

--Gary

Gary L. Quay
18-Dec-2012, 17:46
The promised pictures:

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8498/8286189986_250d299568_z.jpg

A section enlarged to show the white spots:

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8207/8286190196_a1e475d52f_z.jpg

Camera: Sinar Alpina 4x5
Lens: 90mm Nikkor
Film: Adox (Efke) 25 ORT developed in PMK Pyro