orwograph
Hello,
I bought a roll of Rollei Retro 100 online (not from FOTOIMPEX – shame on me, I already regret it, but that’s another matter) – 30.5 metres to wind myself, in its original packaging. I wound the first few cassettes and then noticed in the light that the start of the film on all four (so possibly across the entire roll) has a strangely iridescent streak at the edge above the perforation, which is more visible from the non-emulsion side than from the emulsion side. After I complained, the retailer kindly sent me a new roll – and the same thing happened again. This time, however, not at the edge, but right in the middle of the film strip and – even better – accompanied by a continuous longitudinal wave in the base (or perhaps not in the base, but caused by uneven coating).
So I wrote to Maco, who apparently package the APX as RR100, but they just laughed at me, saying the problem doesn’t even exist, that Maco would never put substandard goods on the market, or they downplayed it in the next email. In any case, they said I’d come to the wrong place at Maco; I should complain about the stuff to the retailer where I bought it.
Is a longitudinal wave in the film (keyword: flatness in the camera) really no cause for complaint, as Maco wrote to me? Isn’t Maco putting its own good name, and Rollei’s too, at risk by putting such material on the market?
Peter.
MirkoBoeddecker
Hello Peter,
We’re actually not aware of this problem. At least not here.
So it would be interesting to have a look at it.
I’m a bit surprised to hear that Stapelfeld didn’t want to take it back.
That’s not normal. We’re always keen to get any faulty material returned to us, as we might need to recall a batch. I don’t think it’s any different at Stapelfeld.
Perhaps you spoke to the wrong member of staff.
Have you tried developing a roll of film to see if anything is visible in the pictures?
You mention an ‘iridescent coating’. Is the streak more of a notch or perhaps a coating as well?
Best regards,
Mirko
orwograph
>Have you ever developed a roll of film to see if anything shows up in the pictures?
Yes, I have. The negative actually comes out quite normally, but the iridescent streak remains.
>You mention an ‘iridescent coating’. Is the streak more of a notch, or perhaps a coating as well?
It looks a bit like mother-of-pearl, hard to describe. I suspect that one of the coating emulations turned out too thin or too thick, but probably not the actual light-sensitive emulsion. It could be the anti-curling emulsion (if the APX even has one?), which would also explain the slight deformation or waviness.
I could send you a sample – undeveloped and developed – by post, then you can see for yourself. I mean, I’m not going to make a big fuss about it – the photos aren’t unusable because of this – but the whole thing is a bit odd. One might at least be concerned about the longevity of the negatives, and about flatness and the plane of focus when taking the shot anyway. Maco is laughing at me in an email; the dealer I bought it from has remained silent on the matter so far, which is why I’m asking here. Perhaps you have better contact with the Maco people, or perhaps they take you more seriously, although I think that for the sake of the company’s image, one should always take such things seriously. Even if I bought the stuff from a more or less anonymous seller on eBay.
Peter.
cfb_de
Hi Peter,
The best way to get in touch with Maco is via Mr Sebastian Junghans. You can easily find his email address on two other forums :-)
Without having seen your films, however, I also suspect there may be a fault in the back coating (with Agfa – may it rest in peace – this wasn’t intended to prevent any curling in substrates less suited to photographic use, but rather to ensure the film runs cleanly and smoothly through the camera. Back coating has been standard practice since at least 1982). This does happen and is completely irrelevant if it doesn’t affect flatness. No enlarger should emit light in the spectral ranges in question (arc lamps have been a thing of the past for eighty years; incandescent bulbs have been the norm ever since) and consequently no exposure error should occur during enlargement.
The last paragraph is pure speculation regarding your films. I haven’t *seen* them. However, emailing Mr Junghans directly is likely to be promising. Although he is the top marketing guru at the company in question, he is certainly capable of acting in the customer’s best interests and will check directly with the responsible technicians :-) And feel free to make a polite, non-binding enquiry. *That’s* still how it’s done these days. A polite enquiry, followed only if necessary by a certified sample assessed by a sworn expert. After all, when it comes to computers, 90% of the fault lies in front of the monitor, and in photography, 85% behind the viewfinder.
And this is coming from me of all people, who has previously questioned the sacred Stapelfelder products quite sharply here (keyword R?, or rather its original).
Meanwhile, Uncle Hartmuth has retired to his managerial and lecturing activities, leaving the rest of the field to a few people who are better equipped to handle today’s market. Not a bad move.
If their part-time ‘indulgence’ editors now have to go back to the drawing board, I see a bright future for this reseller.
He’s unlikely to get in Mirko’s way; their product ranges are sufficiently distinct, and the necessary collaborations—even via third parties—are close enough.
I don’t wish to comment on the origins of these ‘retro’ items at this point. And that was a purely factual remark.
Best regards,
Franz
MirkoBoeddecker
Is the coating on the back or the front?
Best regards,
Mirko
orwograph
Hard to say – I think it’s more on the non-emulsion side. I’ll pop it in the post for you, then you can see for yourself.
MirkoBoeddecker
If it’s on the back, there’s a good chance the fault won’t affect the picture.
I hope this has been helpful, and I’d be happy to take a look at it.
Best regards,
Mirko
orwograph
Mirko,
So, what do you think? Did you get the snippets?
Peter.
MirkoBoeddecker
They should be on my desk, but I won’t be in Berlin until Friday.
Best regards,
Mirko
