You can find the scans here: http://scans.bernhardwolf.at/APUG/contact/That might help, as the two frames you did post have identical spot patterns. If they differ, the differences might tell us something.
PE
I took them out of my fridge, went to the darkroom, mixed chemicals and prepared stuff which usually takes about 2-3 hours. Is that enough? I checked the temperature of the canister inside with my fingers and temperature seemed OK to me.Was the film allowed to reach room temperature before the film canisters were opened for processing the film?
As far as I can say, the film rins off very smoothly. I don't have any kind of water marks (usually, the scanner shows them very nicely). Now, I use Amaloco wetting agent with distilled water which solved all my previous problems. I've had some dots in the middle of the film too when I was using a squeegee. Also, waiting for half an hour before starting the heating helps the film to let the water rin off and get sort of dry on the surface.Could it be in the drying process? I found a few of those kinds of density spots on my film awhile back. The only thing I could contribute it to was that it was drying unevenly and too slowly. The areas of the emulsion that held a drop of water was for some reason making the density of the emulsion shift or something as it dried. I use one drop of photoflo and distilled water but maybe there was not enough circulation in my drying cabinet ( I don't turn it on.) Now I gently, very gently) swipe my negs with a non lint cloth so that there are no drops and it drys evenly and I have had no problem since. It doesn't make sense to me but it seems to work.
Then we seem to have the same issue. I've checked my negatives and they're pretty much perfectly clean on both sides.my dots are only on the one frame, I just checked them all. I gently rubbed it with my fingers and didnt really feel anything. Ive got a few more rolls of plus X to shoot and one has been through an xray machine, twice. Ill report back after i shoot some if theres more of this.
I know, neither Kodak nor Ilford suggest presoaking (except for sheet film) but it does make sense in my case. I agitate every 30 seconds for 5 seconds - just like the XTOL datasheet suggests. So my development workflow is pretty much the default suggested by Kodak. The only thing I've altered is fixing which I do for 10 mins instead of 5.Good luck...
When I had processing problems a few weeks back, I found that going back to basics really help. I tried all sorts of things, but that made my process more complicated, and that's the last thing I needed. Here's what I did:
1. No presoak. Neither Kodak or Ilford recommends it. (Try finding it in their literature).
2. Lower the film reels into a tank pre-filled with developer (in a darkroom, of course) instead of the other way around.
3. Agitate every minute by inversion, twice. I bang the tank on the counter top hard before I set the tank down to rest.
4. Stop and fix as usual.
5. Follow the directions on the Kodak PhotoFlo container - exactly. Dilute with distilled water at 1:200.
All my film problems are gone...I used to do all sorts of minimal agitation things with Rodinal, Pyrocat, and HC-110. That gave me a lot of head ache, so I quit it all. I may try agitating every second minute some time, if I have danger of blocked up highlights.
Good luck!
- Thomas
Yes. That's what has been worrying me too. But I just recently processed a roll of Tri-X that was in my fridge for 1-2 months and it was fine. I had the same dot problem with 120 roll film too last summer.I suspect condensation. I always store refrigerated film and paper in ziploc bags and then let the bag come to room temp. I've never trusted the plastic cannisters to be airtight once opened. I even put my shooting gear in tied-off plastic garbage bags before coming in from the cold - or going out of the air conditioning. (Rusted a Gossen meter once coming inside from minus 15 shooting and figured it can't be good for any electronics)
It's a thought.
Bob H
******Well, it reminds me of fine water drops such as condensate forming on cold film, but the pattern is too regular in my mind to really be that. I'm not sure what to make of this problem, but it does not appear to be improper development such as airbells or agitation. Sorry.
PE
Well, it reminds me of fine water drops such as condensate forming on cold film, but the pattern is too regular in my mind to really be that. I'm not sure what to make of this problem, but it does not appear to be improper development such as airbells or agitation. Sorry.
PE
I suppose he didn't freeze the film prior development as they were a test roll.Very interesting. Just to see, I shot a quick roll of Plus-X in 135 yesterday. Guess what? I have the dark round stains on some frames. Straightforward processing: D-76 1+1 for 8'30" at 20 C., water stop, fixer (Ilford Rapid Fixer) for 4 minutes-ish, wash under tap 2 min., wash with Hypo 2 min., wash under tap, wetting agent, hang to dry. As I said, I never have these problems with any other film, processed the exact way (developer and times varying, obviously.)
I think in the original post image 2 is an enlarged crop of image 1 - my first reaction was the dots are he same on both images, and I thought "pressure plate" but on looking again 2 is a bigger images 1 & 2 are from the same neg.
I'm still on condensation. I believe the 35mm containers are fine when new and unopened, because they're full of preservative, (that sweet smell). Once opened air replaces the preservative. They do look like condensation marks to me.
Bob H
I've been thinking and your idea that some residue sort of blocking the development process does make a lot of sense. I just hope that presoaking does at least soften that effect somehow for the 5 rolls that are waiting in my fridge. As a result of all of this I'll stop freezing exposed film until I can get hold of some 100% sealed bag.I'm not honestly sure. The droplets will likely have evaporated by the time the film's on the reel and deposited a residue on the film. A pre-soak would probably help if the residue remained on the film surface; but that same water will soften the emulsion at that spot and enable any particulate residue to embed itself in the emulsion. I'd put anything you intend to refrigerate in a sealed polythene bag and open that bag only after everything has come to temperature. I've been very wary of condensation since "The Gossen Incident". I even had a cell phone that was "water damaged" and I know for a fact that it had never even been drizzled on.
What I do could well be overkill, (including "bagging" my equipment) but it makes intuitive sense to me and even if it's BS - I feel better about it. And, as I keep telling my wife - "It's all about me" (Her lawyer's calling now!!)
Bob H
I've had strange fat droplet of water (as you say) when I squeegeed my film (despite of using wetting agent). Ever since I've stopped doing so, they're gone and the film runs off perfectly smooth. I must add that I always use distilled water for wetting agent (I even mix XTOL in distilled water).I want to add that I suddenly started having this problem. With different films, after mixing new chemicals, being ABSOLUTELY sure I was not creating air bubbles.
I am quite sure (although this image I will post looks like uneven dev or air bubbles) it is in fact something to do with drying. I have always used our well water but now wondering if some of the softening chem have been changed/adjusted. It looks as if my negs have been sprayed with Rainex or something as they dry. Many fat droplets of water which don't seem to flow off, they just sit there and as the neg dries this water droplets take forever...Just sitting there.
Frustrated to say the least as I have ruined a few rolls I would have rather not.
Here is the most severe of the first batch.
need to figure how to upload image.
Picture #2 is an enlarged version of #1, but #3 is a different frame but with exactly (as far as I can tell) the same dot pattern. This is confusing to me, but it does rule out airbells or air bubbles.
Zeitgeistler mentioned he allowed his film to warm up whilst mixing up his chemistry, which takes a couple of hours. Question 1) Is that enough time for frozen film to come to room temperature? Question 2) We were taught to let our chemistry "rest" overnight before using it: could freshly-mixed powdered chemistry be the problem--either developer or fixer.Ian;
I think you are right. They don't repeat exactly, but rather undergo a repeating sinusoidal pattern as if something was moving across the frame and depositing drops while moving back and forth very slightly. So a lengthwise trail of back and forth deposition. I looked at nearly every one of the many prints posted here and feel that I may have been wrong in saying that the pattern repeated.
Now, I can't be sure.
In any event, I'm still stumped. That is a lot of "something" that struck the film at some point.
PE
to keep it simple...trying to find variables, or something done different to cause this? I can't find it except my water...since i have been lazy and not used distilled water but rather my well water it is the only variable which in my opinion could have changed (in my situation regarding the same type of spots)
and I will develop another roll tonight and watch those water spots as they dry!
oh, and as far as condensation on the film or anything of the sorts... now I am thinking that although all of these rolls I have had suddenly had issues with are of different film types they all arrived from B&H in the same shipment???
Do you agree? Any other recommendations?Some people prefer to soak their film in water before developing it. Today, it is generally not
recommended. It may be useful however when normal development times would be less than five
minutes -- it helps even out development and enables better control over agitation. If you use the
method pre-soak the film for two minuets, discard the water and pour in the developer. Then
extend the indicated development time by about 50%.
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