help identifying development/camera issues on negs

lynnb

lynnb

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I've just developed some 120 Delta 400 in Adonal (Rodinal) 1:50, 18mins @20C as recommended by Agfa and can't identify a few problems with the negs:

1. vertical light leaks, which don't appear on every frame, but once or twice on some
2. dark-ish, blotchy marks

The camera is an old Isolette 1, but if any of the issues in these negs are due to my development or film handling technique, I'd appreciate some advice.

thanks,
Lynn
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Lynn - tough one!

The severe vertical lines at the side - they're dark in the positive image, so not a light leak (which would cause it to go white). Are they along the film - ie parallel with the movement of the film through the camera? I've seen similar marks in film through Hasselblad (albeit much less severe), from a mechanical buckling of the film right at the edge, caused by the tapered end of the film rollers.
 
I agree, tough one, but only because you have so many problems at the same time. Try another camera and scan, develop, dry the same as before. This will tell you what is camera and what is not. Then write back what is a film and development problem. If we know what we are trying to solve then we can help. The camera problems are for a different RFF forum.
 
thanks - the severe white lines are perpendicular to the film transport direction (across the strip of negs, not along). So for some strange reason, light is being held back from those parts. On this roll the problem was severe - on another developed yesterday, only one frame out of 12 had a faint white vertical stripe through the neg. This makes me think I've handled the film incorrectly, but I can't think of how..

The dark blotches look to me like something that might have happened during development, although I can't think of what. The roll I developed yesterday doesn't have any blotches, same developer/stop bath/fixer/method/tank etc. I am perplexed!

The camera isn't worth anything - I bought it to try out MF - but this looks to me like I'm doing something stupid with either handling the film or during development.
 
I can't remember how the Isolette looks in the back, so it is difficult. Looks like the dark strips did not get any exposure or there is some form of residue on the film, maybe from some dirt on the guides, the blodges looks like dust or dirt again on the film (no light got through). What type of tank did you use did the film stick to something in the Tank (no development) very hard this one. You have to try to isolate the various issues. I once had a similar thing which was caused by somebody over lubricating the guides and rollers, which left some residue on the film and that was it.
 
I had similar undeveloped white streaks on negatives when I first used stainless steel reels and the film was stuck together. This was only on the edges of the film on one side and not so regular as on yours.
 
mk, picture of the Isolette below, the rollers seem clean - I wiped the rollers and guides (what little there is of them, as you can see) with a micro fibre cloth which looked clean afterwards.

Good thought about the film sticking in the reel somehow. It seemed to load OK, no heavy or sudden resistance I could feel while loading the roll. The tank, reel etc were used yesterday and just left to dry overnight. I didn't notice any dirt, or feel any roughness on the negs when I was loading the reel.

I've just had a look at the last neg above under a loupe. The marks are areas of low density, they didn't get the same development as the rest of the neg. The film was exposed 2 years ago and has been kept in a fridge (not freezer) until yesterday, I had 2 rolls of 120 and developed one yesterday, and this one this morning. Yesterday's roll of HP5+ didn't show the blotches.

Other negs with this camera have consistently shown the vertical bands to a lesser or similar extent, and occasionally not at all. But the blotch marks are peculiar to this roll. I'm tending to think there was uneven development due to something - what, I have no idea.
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skibeer thanks, I have a Paterson plastic reel, but the bands are consistent with your theory.. maybe that explains them.
 
My first guess on the blotchy areas within the image was moisture...now having read Post #7 I believe this to be true...
As far as the lines go...have you checked the film path with the bellows collapsed...???
Could something be hitting/rubbing the film when the camera is closed...???
Maybe cut one of the negs and fit it in the camera back where it would line up when the picture was taken...see what lines up with it...
 
Lynn, just a wild guess, but how do you stored the film? Without wrapping?
Maybe the fridge-moisture creeps into the roll and let the emulsion sticking to the backing paper?
Do you have noticed a slight resistance when rolling off the spool?
 
I keep thinking it is from the 2 rollers, the distance looks pretty correct, just check if the first frame has the stripes in the front as well, could it be that you have to much pressure on the film, maybe the emulsion gets compressed and would be less sensitive. When you advance the film you only get small marks but when not moving it gets squashed. Get a little Blue Tack and put it on the roller and close the back if it cuts the blue tack you have a problem. I don't think it is the Bellows because the stripes go all the way from top to bottom. Just look at the rollers.
 
thanks for the ideas, the exposed film was in the opened foil wrapping inside the film box inside a ziploc bag in the fridge, and it's possible there was condensation inside it, the foil would have prevented evaporation of any moisture. Sounds likely to me. I didn't feel any sticking or resistance between the film and the backing paper while I was loading the film onto the reel.

As to the large vertical streaks, I've cut the negs into 3 frame strips for scanning, but it might be an idea to try to roll the negs around a spool to see if the vertical lines line up. I'll try Nikon_Sam's idea as well.

Taylan, thanks, that also might be the case, considering the film is a few years old - although I've had far older film that was not affected this way, with strange blotches.
 
OK I've tried that, no problem with the rollers, but the pressure plate certainly squashed the blu-tack against the twin vertical ridges on either side of the film gate.

Here's a picture of the neg with two vertical lines, held up in the film gate. Doesn't look like a roller problem - look at the spacing compared to the spacing of the rollers and film gate surrounds:

Edit: ...and when the bellows is compressed, there's nothing intruding from the bellows side through the film gate onto the film plane. This leads me to be pretty sure the vertical lines aren't something to do with the camera.

The thought occurred to me: I wonder if the blotchy marks are mould, from long storage in the moist environment of the fridge?

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