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trink5.0 · Joined: 03 May 2004 Posts: 21 Location: Wisconsin

I need help ASAP. I'm leaving for vacation in 2 days, and just ran into a little problem. I'm new at this so be kind.
I took some shots this weekend and just developed them tonight. On half of the negatives I have a light area that runs along the bottom of the negative. It looks way to straight to be a shadow, and I thought maybe it was from my developing tank. It kind of runs along where the film sits in the holder. Any thoughts, ideas, or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I'm leaving for Wyoming Wednesday, and would like to have something figured out for this.

Thanks for all the help

_________________
"Shoot pictures, Not People"

t.r.sanford · Posted: Tue May 18, 2004 3:07 am Post subject:

Does the thin area extend all the way to the long edge of the negative?

Was the camera focused quite differently when you made the exposures that do not exhibit that area from its setting when you made the ones with the fault?

t.r.sanford · Posted: Tue May 18, 2004 3:51 am Post subject:

...here's a wild guess, an example of the sort of thing you might look for:

If you are using a "Speed Graphic," it has a focal plane shutter. If it is like my "Speed Graphic," the spring in the lower roller lacks sufficient tension to pull the curtain closed after a time exposure.

It is conceivable that someone working with the front shutter, and assuming that the FP shutter is Open, might accidentally trip it, and it then might start to close -- but only make it a fraction of an inch down. This would leave it hanging, with a thin metal stiffener and strip of fabric just visible at the top of the filmgate.

If that happened, the result would be an area of very low density along the upper edge of the negative, the "bottom" with respect to the image.

I have never known this to happen, but I can't think of a reason why it couldn't...

trink5.0 · Joined: 03 May 2004 Posts: 21 Location: Wisconsin

I'm actually using a Crown Graphic, so I don't have the focal shutter.

The light area runs along the entire bottom of the negative, from one edge to the other edge.
When loading film into a daylight developing tank do you need to face the emulsion side of the negative a certain way in the film holder?

Also, I just put a new lens on the camera. I use the ground glass for fucusing, and I did not notice any strange areas when focusing. Could the new lens be causing that. I just changed from my 140mm Ilex to a 150mm nikkor.

Thanks

t.r.sanford · Posted: Tue May 18, 2004 4:53 pm Post subject:

I've used a daylight 4X5 sheetfilm tank for four decades, and never found that it needs the film oriented in a particular way. If you usually get good results, but now sometimes are finding this fault on your negatives, it probably isn't the tank. And if it were, you'd expect the low-density area to appear at the top and the bottom of the negative.

I don't see how changing to a slightly longer focal length lens could cause the effect you describe, unless you're also using some sort of new front-lens accessory that might be vignetting the image.

I'd expect something opaque to be intermittently sticking down into the path of the light, probably nearer the back of the camer than the front. Could it be a bellows pleat?

Other than taking the lens off and looking through the front at the upper edge of the filmgate while racking the bellows in and out, to see whether anything unusual happens sometimes, I can't think of anything else to try.

Nick · Joined: 16 Oct 2002 Posts: 494

RichS · Posted: Tue May 18, 2004 5:37 pm Post subject:

As TR mentioned, look through the camera itself first and remember you're looking at the _top_ of the box for the bottom of the negative! Is at all possible that your bellows sagged enough to get in the light path?

To test your tank & developing method, quickly shoot 4 or more negative, all the same. Put them in the tank at the same time, but oriented in the many different possible positions. Emulsion to the fron/back. Notches down/up. See how they come out.

It's almost impossible to diagnose such a problem without being able to see the neg. Any chance of your scanning it and making it available to us?

Ohh, and I had a similar problem with a daylight tank. I don't think it's a Yankee, but the cheap one currently available. It has a bar at the top that puts pressure on the negatives when developing. If the emulsion is to the outside of the curve, it presses against the plastic dividers. If offset all to one side, there is a larger section that won't be properly developed. This was obvious to me however because of the partial development and fixing. The neg remains a certain color and obviously undeveloped. Doesn't sound like your problem though...

Good luck...

[ This Message was edited by: RichS on 2004-05-18 10:41 ]

trink5.0 · Joined: 03 May 2004 Posts: 21 Location: Wisconsin

I'm wondering about the bellows pleat. I did notice today that when I opened the camera one of the pleats in the front was sticking in towards the lens, but it was on the left side of the camera. Would that affect the bottom of the negative?? I did notice the same light area along the right side of the image when I shot the camera in vertical position. So that would still be the bottom of the negative. I'm pretty confused. It was on images focused at infinity and on images only 8-10 feet away.

Any more ideas would be great.

Thanks Kevin

RichS · Posted: Tue May 18, 2004 5:50 pm Post subject:

trink5.0 · Joined: 03 May 2004 Posts: 21 Location: Wisconsin

I'm thinking it was just a pleat in the way. I went out tonight and took several shots, then developed them. No light area along the bottom of the negative. I went and composed the exact same pictures, and have no problems now.

One other question, I noticed some clear spots on a couple of the negatives. What would cause that? I did not see them when I got done developing, only after they dried a little while. Any thoughts would be helpful.

Thanks again

[ This Message was edited by: trink5.0 on 2004-05-18 20:53 ]

RichS · Posted: Wed May 19, 2004 4:00 am Post subject:

Well I hope your "bellows problem" is solved then

I honestly can't say about the clear spots? For me, and possibly anyone else, more info would be needed. What type of film and developer? How big are the spots? Round or irregular in shape?

Are you sure they're not just dust spots?

If they're round and very small, they could be "pinholes", reputed to be caused by everything from hard water to too much/too little agitation, bad developer, etc... I've encountered them on a couple of negs and my processing is identical every time, so I rule out all the above reasons and have not found one for myself.

If they're big, then ya got me?

t.r.sanford · Posted: Wed May 19, 2004 3:44 pm Post subject:

Traditionally, clear spots on negatives are attributed to little bubbles (our ancestors called them "air bells") that form on the emulsion when the film is immersed in developer. The recommended remedy is to bang the tank vigorously on the tabletop two or three times just after it's filled, and before you start agitating. If you use hangers, you bang them with similar vigor on on the edges of the tank.

glennfromwy · Joined: 29 Nov 2001 Posts: 903 Location: S.W. Wyoming

Sheet film is so attractive to dust it will suck it in from the next county. Be sure your holders are absolutely clean, especially the felt light traps where the slides go in. Blow these out with compressed air. I can't stress the light traps enough. They are the worst offenders and will dump a load on your film every time you insert a slide. Have fun on your trip ---

_________________
Glenn

"Wyoming - Where everybody is somebody else's weirdo"

disemjg · Joined: 10 Jan 2002 Posts: 474 Location: Washington, DC

T.R.:

I call 'em air bells, and I have not yet (?) achieved ancestor status.

Nick · Joined: 16 Oct 2002 Posts: 494

About blowing out dust. Am I the only person scared it'll end up someplace else? I take a damp paper towel and wipe everything down. Just barely damp. By the time I've wiped all the holders down the first one is dry and I can turn off the lights to load.