Fogged film

[supersix]

I had 2 rolls of Fuji 400 developed from the same photo finisher, from 2 different cameras I just got and was testing out and both sets of negatives were fogged. The film had an expiration date of 2018. The film was fogged in the same areas of the frame and in a similar pattern in the frame. The image shown was the more severe of the two. What are your thoughts? Cameras (I would think highly unlikely), film (not really that old), or photo finisher? Thanks.

 

[compur]

What camera and why is it highly unlikely to be the cause?

 

[480sparky]

Since they're all in the same place in reference to the frames, I'd say there's a leak in the camera. As you're holding the camera up for use, it would be in the bottom left.

 

[supersix]

What camera and why is it highly unlikely to be the cause?

I would think 2 cameras having a light leak in the same area would be unlikely. I guess it could be. A Mamiya Sekor 500 TL and a Yashica TL Electro X.

 

[Derrel]

The two cameras are plenty old enough to have developed light leaks;they are, if I am not mistaken, from the same general era.

 

[compur]

What camera and why is it highly unlikely to be the cause?

I would think 2 cameras having a light leak in the same area would be unlikely. I guess it could be. A Mamiya Sekor 500 TL and a Yashica TL Electro X.

Both those cameras have foam light seals in the same places and that foam degrades over time and is surely in need of replacement due to the age of the cameras which is about the same for both.

But, you can test this by applying opaque tape completely across the top and bottom of the film door and shooting another roll to see the results.

 

[webestang64]

The image shown was the more severe of the two.

If that is the case I say both cameras have a light leak. I see this all the time at my work. Still to this day we process hundreds of rolls of color print and BW film and many have light leaks from using old cameras.

 

[Soocom1]

From my perspective, the fogging is the same shape and not on every frame.

That to me says that someone possibly opened the canister or there is a light leak if the film is being canister developed.

If its machine developed, there could be another issue.


Otherwise each frame would show very similar fogging.

 

[480sparky]

........That to me says that someone possibly opened the canister or there is a light leak if the film is being canister developed.........

How on earth would the light leak register in the same place on every frame if the leak is in the canister? The exposed film is spooled up in the canister with no regard to the placement of the latent images.

 

[Soocom1]

........That to me says that someone possibly opened the canister or there is a light leak if the film is being canister developed.........

How on earth would the light leak register in the same place on every frame if the leak is in the canister? The exposed film is spooled up in the canister with no regard to the placement of the latent images.

No no no…
If it was on each frame then I would say camera.

but look.. Its not.

 

[480sparky]

........That to me says that someone possibly opened the canister or there is a light leak if the film is being canister developed.........

How on earth would the light leak register in the same place on every frame if the leak is in the canister? The exposed film is spooled up in the canister with no regard to the placement of the latent images.

No no no…
If it was on each frame then I would say camera.

but look.. Its not.

The only way they would be the same on every frame is if the camera was always in the same lighting setup and every frame was taken the same length of time apart. Sometimes the camera may set for 20 minutes in the sun between frames, and two weeks in a closed camera bag before the next frame.

When you take a shot, you advance the film and drag the next frame onto the film plate. The severity of the light leak on the film depends on how bright the light is coming in and how long before the next frame is advanced to take it's place. A specific frame of film doesn't necessarily mean it's advanced right after the image is taken.... it may sit there for a while before the film is advanced.

Bright light.... low light..... short intervals between shots........ long intervals between shots. All affect how much the film gets fogged on each frame.

 

[Soocom1]

........That to me says that someone possibly opened the canister or there is a light leak if the film is being canister developed.........

How on earth would the light leak register in the same place on every frame if the leak is in the canister? The exposed film is spooled up in the canister with no regard to the placement of the latent images.

No no no…
If it was on each frame then I would say camera.

but look.. Its not.

The only way they would be the same on every frame is if the camera was always in the same lighting setup and every frame was taken the same length of time apart. Sometimes the camera may set for 20 minutes in the sun between frames, and two weeks in a closed camera bag before the next frame.

When you take a shot, you advance the film and drag the next frame onto the film plate. The severity of the light leak on the film depends on how bright the light is coming in and how long before the next frame is advanced to take it's place. A specific frame of film doesn't necessarily mean it's advanced right after the image is taken.... it may sit there for a while before the film is advanced.

Bright light.... low light..... short intervals between shots........ long intervals between shots. All affect how much the film gets fogged on each frame.

The original op:

"I had 2 rolls of Fuji 400 developed from the same photo finisher, from 2 different cameras"

I have seem fogging on different cameras that look similar when photo processing.
But they didn't look nearly exactly the same as this one does.

If they are showing the rolls of film from 2 diff. cameras fogged in the near exact same way, then unless the camera gremlins are going nuts, the fogging in my opinion was not the cameras..

 

[480sparky]

........That to me says that someone possibly opened the canister or there is a light leak if the film is being canister developed.........

How on earth would the light leak register in the same place on every frame if the leak is in the canister? The exposed film is spooled up in the canister with no regard to the placement of the latent images.

No no no…
If it was on each frame then I would say camera.

but look.. Its not.

The only way they would be the same on every frame is if the camera was always in the same lighting setup and every frame was taken the same length of time apart. Sometimes the camera may set for 20 minutes in the sun between frames, and two weeks in a closed camera bag before the next frame.

When you take a shot, you advance the film and drag the next frame onto the film plate. The severity of the light leak on the film depends on how bright the light is coming in and how long before the next frame is advanced to take it's place. A specific frame of film doesn't necessarily mean it's advanced right after the image is taken.... it may sit there for a while before the film is advanced.

Bright light.... low light..... short intervals between shots........ long intervals between shots. All affect how much the film gets fogged on each frame.

The original op:

"I had 2 rolls of Fuji 400 developed from the same photo finisher, from 2 different cameras"

I have seem fogging on different cameras that look similar when photo processing.
But they didn't look nearly exactly the same as this one does.

If they are showing the rolls of film from 2 diff. cameras fogged in the near exact same way, then unless the camera gremlins are going nuts, the fogging in my opinion was not the cameras..

Then where, in the entire process of a roll of film's life, from manufacturing to it coming out of the machine as negatives, are all the frames stopped in the same place of each frame (latent or not) in relation to a light leak?

 

[Original katomi]

Ok silly idea
Shoot another roll of film, between set number of shoots expose camera to flash several times or just once
Keep record of which shots were exposed and by how much and number of times
Then get the film developed by a DIFFERENT lab
Same problems in same place.... camera
No problems..... well you know it’s not the camera, the rest then is up to you
To solve a problem, first limit the variables, test, review results, change variables, test again and so on
You want to know if it’s your cameras or the lab.
Whilst it’s been a long time since I have done film, and I am a fossil
The methodology of process of elimination is older than I am

 

[dxqcanada]

The image shown was the more severe of the two.

If that is the case I say both cameras have a light leak. I see this all the time at my work. Still to this day we process hundreds of rolls of color print and BW film and many have light leaks from using old cameras.

I agree .
The manner in which film is machine processed would not cause light exposure on each frame like that.
I have accidentally opened the loading door while film was being pulled out to the cannister into the processor ... so that would just expose an entire length of film to be exposed ... and with the continuous feed within the processor it would be impossible to produce that if the machine had a light leak.