Fogged IR820?

[BetterSense]

Has anyone had this stuff come pre-fogged?

I just developed my first shots with this film and found it fogged in neat bands on 3 sides of the film. At first I thought this could be light leaking into the film holders' felt light trap and going down the sides, but then I saw that it's the notch-end that's fogged...the plain end--the one by the light trap--is fine. So it's not the light trap. If it's leaking into film holders, it must be around the darkslide and flap-end. But the sides are fogged even on the rebate.

I developed an unexposed sheet out of a film holder and saw the same pattern....and this film holder had never been outside my darkroom. When I loaded the film holders, I slipped the film out of the black light-proof Efke bag, directly into the film holder. I then placed the film holders in a black light-proof bag from 5x7 paper.

I developed a sheet straight out of the Efke packaging, and found the same exact fogging pattern...notch end and both long sides, with the un-notched end perfectly fine. And here's the kicker...the sheets are packed in the black light-proof bag with the notched end inward. So if I had accidentally let some IR into my darkroom while I was loading the film holders, it doesn't make sense that the long sides of the film and the side of the film furthest from the opening would be fogged, but the short edge facing the opening of the bag would be unfogged.

Has anyone ever had film that was fogged from the factory?

[rguinter]

I have been shooting a lot of Efke IR 820 and Aura lately.

No I have not noticed any fogging of films from 3 separate boxes.

I use a changing tent and load/unload film sheets into holders only at night, inside the bag, with all the lights out in the room. Not pitch black in the room but almost.

I have also been concerned about film holders possibly leaking light while shooting and have clipped my focusing cloth over the top of the camera to cover the bellows and back standard while shooting. I pull the darkslide with the dark-cloth covering... take the shot quickly and re-insert the slide promptly.

So far for me no problems. And using the procedure with several sheets of my remaining Kodak HSI also no problems.

I hope you identify what's causing your fogging. Cheers. Bob G.

[BetterSense]

I treated my loaded film with all due paranoia, even keeping the film holders in opaque black plastic bags in the darkroom, but my film is fogged straight out of the box, and I don't see how that could have been caused by me. I will call Freestyle later and ask if they have seen this before.

[rguinter]

I surely suppose that is possible. The film is not that sensitive that needs to be in opaque plastic bags while in the film holder. I just make efforts to keep them out of the direct sunlight while handling in the field and have had no problems.

Why don't you process a blank sheet from the middle of the stack and see how it looks. That will be the proof that something is wrong with the whole box.

Bob G.

[BetterSense]

I already have. There is no difference in the fogging pattern between the top, bottom, and middle of the stack. Further evidence, to me, that the film was fogged in packaging or manufacture. I have accidentally exposed sheet film to safelight, and typically the top and bottom sheets get it worse that the middle sheets by a large margin.

[Tim Povlick]

I just purchased a box of 4x5 IR 820 (exp 09/2011 Emu 910646. A sheet straight from and into the developed ended up clear.

_ .. --
Tim

[sidmac]

I bought a box of B&W paper that must have been fogged at the factory.

[BetterSense]

I ordered another box from Freestyle in hopes that this one will be OK. Freestyle invited me to send my fogged batch in for them to "evaluate" but I have low hopes that they will refund me. The fogging pattern being as consistent as it is, the film is usable as long as you crop about 1/2" off the 3 sides. Anyone want some Efke IR820 in 3.25x4.25 size?

[rguinter]

Bettersense: Give them a chance to make good. If top, middle, and bottom of the stack are consistently fogged then something must have happened during manufacture and packaging... or possibly some x-ray damage during shipping. (My thoughts only) as I have not heard anyone complaining of x-ray damage to freshly shipped films to date. Bob G.

[BetterSense]

The saga continues!

I contacted Freestyle about the film, but since I was past the 30-day warantee period, the representative said there wasn't much they could do.

I re-ordered another $40 box of IR film. I would have tried a box of Rollei, but I know Efke works with my homemade IR filter well. Using the new box of film, I took a test shot of my back yard and what do you know, it's fogged in exactly the same pattern as the last film!

I thought this was impossible because I was extra special careful when I loaded this time! I developed some sheets straight from the NEW bag, and yep, fogged, in exactly the same pattern.

I thought, the only explanation is there is a rouge IR source in my darkroom that is capable of tunneling into lightproof plastic bags and selectively fogging IR film in strange patterns, so I took 3 sheets of the stuff out of the black bag, and set it out in different locations in my darkroom, and left it there for over an hour. This is a pretty strong test, because I've never tested my darkroom's light-tightness with film for 1 hour before. When I developed the IR film that I had left out, all 3 sheets were fogged in the same 3-edge pattern, and the center of the film was still crystal-clear on all 3 sheets. Obviously that could not happen if IR from my darkroom was causing it! The edge-fogging is the same whether I slip a sheet out of the black bag and immediately develop it, or if I leave it sit out for a hour and then develop it, or if I load it in a film holder, expose it in a camera, and develop it.

Both my original fogged box and this new fogged box say Emulsion Number 910692.

So, what about everyone else that is buying this film? Am I the only one that has bought film from this emulsion number? I now have $80 worth of defective IR film sitting here.