Vertical streaks in the cb-negative after development

David · 2016-05-19T11:49:46+00:00

Hallo Ich entwickle fomapan 400er mit dem entwickler-Set aus dem Shop hier. Filme drei und vier, die ich gestern entwickelt habe, weisen deutliche Querstrei...

David

Hello I’m developing Fomapan 400 using the developer kit from this shop. Films three and four, which I developed yesterday, show distinct horizontal stripes on the negative, starting at the perforations at the edge. I developed for 5.5 minutes (tilting the tank for about 5 seconds every 30 seconds), then stopped the development (water bath with 6–10 tilts, repeated four times), then fixed (about 4 minutes, without agitation), rinsed again (3 tilts, 6 times, 12 times, 24 times) and a 1-minute wetting bath. Then I stripped it and hung it up. The fixer and the wetting agent weren’t fresh. Overall, the inverted photos look pale, as if they have a fog over them, plus this streaking phenomenon. Does anyone have a tip or two? Many thanks.

MirkoBoeddecker

It would be best if you could post some photos of the problem. Other questions: ? - Which developer are you using (Rodinal)? - Did you prepare enough developer to fully submerge the whole roll of film? - How do you measure the temperature? ? Foma films are grey – they have no extra antihalation and use a grey-tinted base. ? Best regards, ? Mirko

David

First of all, I need to figure out how to insert images here ;) € The developer is Adox Rodinal. I prepare 300ml; that’s what it says on the bottle and in the Foto Impex instructions. I measure the temperature with a thermometer that I place in the liquid. I fill a large bucket with water at 20 degrees and use this to prepare the solution.€ € What’s all this about ‘antihalation’? What are the consequences of that...?

David

Two negative images and one inverted image. I take the photos with my digital camera and then invert them in Nikon’s ViewNX. The contrast, colour and so on haven’t been edited any further. Best regards, David

Renate

To me, this looks like the film hasn’t been fixed properly. When fixing, the film must be moved constantly (at least every 5 to 10 seconds). It’s best to fix it again and then rinse it for longer. € Expose the Fomapan 400 at a maximum of 200 ISO. According to my tests, the film cannot handle any higher exposure levels. € € Best regards € Renate

David

Thanks. I’ll give that a go straight away. I developed it yesterday... I’m curious to see what happens now. And if I set it to 200 on the camera, will that affect the development time..? Thanks for the quick replies :-) David

Renate

As the negatives seem rather pale to you, I’d suggest perhaps increasing the development time slightly. What concentration of Rodinal did you use? At a concentration of 1:50, I’ve generally found development times of around 10 minutes for Fomapam 400. € If the shadows on the negative are too thin, you need to increase the exposure. If the highlights on the negative are too thin, you need to develop it for longer. € With these two rules, you can easily adjust your film processing. € € Best regards € Renate

HGR

It is noticeable that the streaks are related to the perforations. Windisch, Die neue Fotoschule, 1960, p. 234: "Development in the can is uneven. Mostly streaky development at the edges of the perforations ... Cause: film not moved enough; also swivel the can sideways." € Above all, keep moving the film constantly during the first minute of development! Or my suggestion: rotary development, rolling it on the table or using a device... € Best regards € Hans-Gerd

fototiger

That looks like insufficient agitation and inadequate fixing. You can see it particularly clearly in the third photo, where there’s still a blue fringe around and below the perforations; this is film that hasn’t been fixed properly because it wasn’t agitated enough by the developer. ? However: The first two photos also suggest insufficient agitation during development. ? Try the following: 1. Fomapan 400 is actually more like a 200, perhaps even a touch less with Rodinal. 2. At a dilution of 1:50, I use about 11 minutes with Rodinal and Foma 400; what dilution did you use? 3. When developing, I usually agitate for the first 30–60 seconds (turning the can upside down and then back again), then do the same for 10 seconds every minute. I also rotate the can in my hand. 4. Agitation is important during fixing; if you agitate it for half the total fixing time, that should easily be enough. ? Regarding your questions: You don’t need to worry about antihalation; that’s the turquoise-green colour (Fomapan 400 with Rodinal) that comes out with the developer. It gets washed out automatically. Other film and developer combinations produce different colours. A TriX in Rodinal, for example, is deep violet, whilst a TriX in D76 is more of a pale pink. I’d be surprised if the Foma had absolutely no antihalation protection at all. For me, the stop bath and fixer for a Fomapan are also slightly green, but that disappears again and has no effect on the development or further use. ? Since you mentioned that you use a large bucket, this is how I do it with Rodinal: I fiddle about with the tap and the measuring jug until I’ve got just over 19.5 degrees, pour out the water I no longer need, and then add the small amount of Rodinal. As I only use the 1:50 dilution, the temperature doesn’t change significantly.

David

Hello So: refixing did the trick!!! The streaks have gone. Great! Thank you very much. I must have been misled, or perhaps I overlooked something and fixed the film upright. I use a dilution of 1 in 25 and perform the development for 5 and a half minutes. So the next one will be set to 200 ISO on the camera and developed at 1:50 for eleven and a half minutes, during which I’ll be moving it for the whole first minute!? (Or?) Will the camera then automatically overexpose? Since it treats the 400 as if it were a 200...?

TR

Hello, €

Doesn’t the camera then automatically expose too much? Since it treats the 400 as if it were a 200...?

Here’s an example: you’re aiming at a black cat sitting on a light-coloured carpet. Your camera won’t provide any exposure at all like ‘ISO 200’ (but rather like ISO 800, so it’ll experience severe underexposure despite being set to ISO 200). It’s not that simple. Don’t worry too much about the camera’s rather primitive built-in light meter; instead, stick to the following rule: give the black-and-white film plenty of light, and if in doubt, err on the side of too much rather than too little. But don’t develop it for too long. I myself calibrate the camera’s built-in light meter to the film’s standard value, but I always measure a mid-tone point on my subject and save that reading. Under no circumstances do I simply ‘point and shoot’. Only more modern cameras have more intelligent metering methods such as ‘matrix metering’. With all others, it’s better to proceed as I describe above, provided you value accurate shadow detail. If not, you can of course measure much more roughly, e.g. when you need to work quickly.

Renate

It’s quite simple. Foma claims the film has a sensitivity of 400 ISO. But when I test the film, I actually only measure 200 to 250 ISO. So the manufacturer has exaggerated. Even with developers that make full use of the film’s speed (e.g. XTOL), I only get a maximum of 250 ISO. That’s why the camera provides excellent exposure when set to 200 ISO. Depending on the subject, you may still need to make some adjustments, but you learn that with experience. Best regards, Renate

jonny

? Regarding your questions: You don’t need to worry about antihalation; that’s the turquoise-green tint (Fomapan 400 with Rodinal) that appears in the developer. It’s automatically washed out during development. Different film and developer combinations produce different colours. A TriX in Rodinal, for example, is deep violet, whereas a TriX in D76 is more of a pale pink. I’d be surprised if the Foma had absolutely no antihalation control at all. In my experience, the stop bath and fixer for a Fomapan are also slightly green, but that disappears again and has no effect on the development or subsequent use.

? Mirko did not write that Foma has no antihalation at all. He wrote that antihalation is achieved through the grey tinting of the base and that there is no additional light protection beyond that. If that is the case, the washed-out colorant probably serves to sensitise the film.