What went wrong here? (Fomapan in Rodinal)

Photux · 2014-04-24T23:43:27+00:00

Ich denke, der Fehler ist offensichtlich. Fomapan 200, Rodinal 1+25, Agfa-Kipp, Zeiten von digitaltruth. Bei den dünneren Negativen treten die Streifen umso...

Photux

I think the problem is obvious. Fomapan 200, Rodinal 1+25, Agfa-Kipp, times from digitaltruth. The streaks are all the more noticeable on the thinner negatives. A roll of Fomapan 100 developed shortly before or after (I can’t quite remember) using the same parameters, apart from the development time, doesn’t show these streaks. ? The camera is a Pouva Start, so yes – “that’s just how it is”. ;) The photos aren’t particularly valuable in themselves, but it would still be nice to know the cause of this effect. ? Thanks in advance!

Renate

Hello, It looks to me as though the streaks have been exposed. I can’t say where that might have happened. Best regards, Renate

hambo

Hello, I would guess that, as the streaks are uniform and, as far as I can tell, run at the same height on the negative, this is a case of light leakage. With roll film, for example, this can happen due to dirt on one of the guide rollers in the camera. If this is the cause, the streak should also be visible on the unexposed areas between the negatives. Regards, Jürgen

TR

On positive film, (incorrect) exposures (density) should appear light or white. That isn’t the case here. However, I can’t think of any other explanation either. If push comes to shove, one could perhaps put it down to possible variations in quality during the manufacturing process? Were both films from the same batch?

AchimBauer

Hi Photux, Have you ever looked at the film under a magnifying glass or microscope? To see if the emulsion layer might be damaged? As Jürgen suspects, dirt on the guide rollers is definitely out of the question. But he’s not entirely wrong. I have a Pouva Start in my infamous display cabinet; I’ve just had a look at it and therefore know that the guide rollers are out of the question, because it doesn’t have any! And when I look at the design, it stands to reason that the film has been damaged. But where’s the problem? When you’re taking photos with such old cameras, these kinds of faults are part and parcel of the deal; that’s exactly what you use a camera like this for. If I want perfect medium-format images, I’ll have to use a different camera, but that one doesn’t produce pictures with this particular charm. ? Regards, Achim

grommi

Could it be the film guide or pressure plate getting dirty, if the Pouva has such a thing? Or are film scrapers being used?

Photux

First of all, thanks for your replies! €

Were both films from the same batch?

No, the images above are from a Fomapan 200, the first one I’ve ever processed. The other film was a Fomapan 100; I’ve developed quite a few of those, always with flawless results. €

Have you ever looked at the film under a magnifying glass or microscope to see if the emulsion layer is damaged? Dirt on the guide rollers, as Jürgen suspects, is definitely out of the question. But he’s not entirely wrong. I have a Pouva Start in my infamous display cabinet; I’ve just had a look at it and therefore know that the drive rollers can’t be the cause, as it doesn’t have any! And when I look at the design, it seems likely that the film has been damaged.

I can’t see any damage to the emulsion, but unfortunately I don’t have a microscope to check properly. Nevertheless, it could of course be down to the Pouva’s primitive film feed – it’s at least conceivable that the Foma 200 has a higher mechanical sensitivity than the 100; I can’t judge how similar the emulsions are. Or perhaps I loaded this particular roll of film particularly badly without realising it. €

But what’s the problem? When you’re taking photos with such old cameras, these kinds of flaws are part and parcel of the experience; that’s precisely what you use a camera like this for. If I want perfect medium-format images, I’ll have to use a different camera, but that one doesn’t produce pictures that exude this particular charm.

Of course, I deliberately use the Pouva because of its shortcomings (much like a Holga, only not so commercial) – unfortunately, I don’t (yet) have a really good medium-format camera, though I do have better ones. My question is simply about understanding what might have gone wrong, or how something like this comes about. That’s the beauty of working with simple technology and manual processes: you can really follow every step of the process, rather than just having a black box between pressing the button and the image that does something mysterious. € €

Telegraph wires caused by dirt on the film guide or pressure plate, if the Pouva has such a thing? Or did you use a film scraper?

No, I don’t own anything like that. Telegraph wires would be the most obvious guess, but in my opinion the out-of-focus nature of the lines argues against that. At the very least, it doesn’t match the telegraph wires I’ve sometimes encountered with 35mm film.

hallertauBW

Hello Photux, I suspect the negatives have suffered mechanical damage. Can you see fine streaks on the negative with the naked eye (holding it at an angle to the light)? Do you hang the negatives up to dry whilst they’re still wet, or do you use rubber tweezers to remove the water first? Best regards, Guido

Bonderer

A production fault is certainly a possibility. As we know, film production is a complex process that has to take place in the dark. Mistakes can happen that nobody notices. It’s worth taking the plunge and conducting exposure on a second roll of film to see what happens. I’d rule out a camera fault, because the camera doesn’t care which film it damages if the worst comes to the worst. As a precaution, however, you should still check the film guide and deflection rollers – in other words, everything on a Pouva Start that comes into contact with the film – by running your fingertips over them to check for any damage or dirt.

piu58

Typical production defects are of a different nature: - 'Burst' emulsion bubbles - small black spots on the film - fine, perfectly straight telegraph wires, though these are rather unlikely. ? One can assume that two films from each batch are exposed and developed, one from the start and one from the end. If only to check the gradient and speed. Such gross defects would be noticeable. ? Or in short: I do not believe in production defects. It is possible that the Fomapan 200 has a higher exposure speed, and the old Pouva Start has a problem with the film feed. I would under-expose a 200 film in the darkroom – i.e. not run it through a camera – and then develop it. If these marks are still there, it is more likely to be a matter of production quality.

Photux

I’ll probably take another close look at the ‘film guide’ (if you can call it that on a Pouva) before the next film – good tip, thanks! I’ll probably never find out whether it’s actually an unusual production fault, as I only had that one 200 film. For the Pouva, I’ll probably just stick with the tried-and-tested 100 film or occasionally try the RPX400 (if I do need a bit more speed).