Film Photography Problem!

[Chainsaw_Willie]

I know, I know, I should come out of the dark ages and just get a nice digi SLR, but I just can't afford one right now. I just spent $380 on a new 28-75mm f2.8 lens for my existing film camera and with that expenditure I still have less in this whole outfit than I would in a quality Nikon or Canon, so I'm committed to sticking with it for a couple more years. Besides, I need to save my money for a seasons pass and some BC planks and binders for this winter.

So, to the problem: dust scratches on my negatives! This is driving me absolutely bonkers. I cleaned the camera very thoroughly before leaving on my last backpacking trip and took along a small horsehair brush and can of compressed air and cleaned the camera of any visible dust between just about every roll of film and as I look at the great pics I took with my new lens I find that some of the best pics in the whole bunch have scratches in them. I was really hoping to get some enlargement quality photos to hang in my house, and I got some shots I feel are worthy, but they're flawed with these stinking scratches which will stick out like sore thumbs in an enlargement. God, I can't wait 'til I can afford a good digi SLR and be done with film.

I don't get it. I've shot literally hundreds of rolls of film over the last 18 years or so with three different cameras and only in the last few years has this become a problem. When I look back through the pictures I took years ago, none of them have these scratches in them.


How do you prevent this? Why don't camera makers put decent dust seals on their camera bodies? Is there some reason why a camera that never used to have this problem suddenly does, and why a new camera that replaces it has the same problem? What can I do to avoid this in the future? Is there a better way to clean out the inside of my camera? Maybe some denatured alcohol and a cotton swab followed by the compressed air? Should I keep the camera inside a plastic bag all the time? Could the dust somehow be getting into the little fuzzy strips on the film canisters?

Any helpful suggestions would be much appreciated.

[Jumper Bones]

I suggest you stop being such a faggot. You're in the back seat!!!

GO DIGI!!!

love,

jumper.

ps - what's up, doode?

[bklyn]

Are you sure the negs are being scratched in camera?
Maybe it's happening where you get the film developed?
If there's a consistent area on the negatives where the scratching is happening then maybe it is your camera.

If you have your own darkroom, take a good look at your equipment and process.

[Chainsaw_Willie]

Hey Jumper, what's happening? How are you passing the summer? Just working my ass off 10hrs/4 days a week, spending Fridays in school, doing homework every night and spending my free time in the outdoors as much as possible and waiting for the seasons to change. And trying to document the fun with this old school camera... Look for a TR from my most recent trip in the next couple of days, once I get my homework done and have the time to write it up.

bklyntrayc, don't have my own darkroom. Have been taking the film to a one hour photo counter at a drug store near my house for processing for obvious reasons of convenience and price, but your idea that the scratching is occurring during processing makes me wonder. Maybe I'll go to a real photo lab next time and see what happens. The scratches are not consistent, some rolls have them, some don't, and the positioning isn't the same. Pretty sure it's dust contamination, but you've raised a good question as to whether it's in my camera or in the processing. hmmmmm..... That would explain why it's only been in the last couple of years I've been having this problem.

[summit]

Please describe the nature and appearance of the dust and scratches.

If you are having a lab do it for you, consider the quality of the lab. Some places do not know the meaning of "dust control" or proper maintainence.

The camera is probably not the source unless the scratches are identical between rolls (although an autodeveloper coudl do this too). When you clean your camera take the utmost care not to touch the shutter.

If you are hand developing or using reels/cannisters with an autoagitator, f, consider where you are drying the film (static, dust control etc), how you are drying your film (ESPECIALLY IF YOU SQUEEGEE either with your fingers or a film squeegee), how you are loading your reels, etc.

Do you have a scanner to show us some of these problems?

[pechelman]

sounds like its the labs fault and not the camera

switch labs

[mtbakerskier]

Those scraches most likely are not dust.

The probable culrpits are a dirty or damaged pressure plates / pressure roller in the cameras film chamber. OR a very dirty air knife at the processing lab.

If it was just dust in the camera, the scratches would be very inconsistant in there location and aperance on the negs.

[Chainsaw_Willie]

Thanks all for the replies.

Perhaps I've been too wordy (a failing of mine, obviously). The scratches *are* inconsistent. Not present on every frame in every roll, nor in the exact same place on each negative.

I scanned a couple prints at fairly high resolution and used the drawing and marque tools in photoshop to indicate the worst problems with each image. Unfortunately I had to compress them pretty good to keep photobucket from automatically downsizing them. The second image most clearly shows the problems.


http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n...Untitled-1.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n...Untitled-2.jpg

The drug store where I've been taking them is usually staffed by young women with thousand-yard stares. My guess is they don't give a hoot about anything but what time their shift ends. I will try a quality photo lab for my next batch and see what happens.

I'll also inspect the pressure plate in the camera.

Any other suggestions, hints? Thanks!!!

[mtbakerskier]

Thanks all for the replies.

Perhaps I've been too wordy (a failing of mine, obviously). The scratches *are* inconsistent. Not present on every frame in every roll, nor in the exact same place on each negative.

I scanned a couple prints at fairly high resolution and used the drawing and marque tools in photoshop to indicate the worst problems with each image. Unfortunately I had to compress them pretty good to keep photobucket from automatically downsizing them. The second image most clearly shows the problems.


http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n...Untitled-1.jpg
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n...Untitled-2.jpg

The drug store where I've been taking them is usually staffed by young women with thousand-yard stares. My guess is they don't give a hoot about anything but what time their shift ends. I will try a quality photo lab for my next batch and see what happens.

I'll also inspect the pressure plate in the camera.

Any other suggestions, hints? Thanks!!!

Those are definatly NOT from your camera. As dust / scratches on your negs will always show up black on the prints. White scratches on the prints are ALWAYS paper scratches, meaning that the lab is doing a piss poor job of handeling there paper.

[summit]

I love the expression on that goat's face.

[RShea]

If the actual negatives come back with the scratch marks on them then I would go shoot a new roll of film and try another lab for the processing. If there are digital options available (photo CD or download of the pictures) then you may be able to take and digitally edit the scratches on the 1 or 2 good photos you want to enlarge. It may take some practice in the digital editing of the existing photos.

If the new roll comes back with the same problem (make a comment in the notes for a good lab to investigate the negs for scratches), then you will be looking at the camera body or your handling of the film (rewinding back into the canister, etc.) as the issue. Again the issue could be dirt or a problem inside the camera that is causing the scratches. But you need to eliminate the lab first.

[Chainsaw_Willie]

mtbakerskier, I think I'm an idiot. What you're saying makes perfect sense yet I hadn't thought of it before now. A light area on the negative from a scratch in the emulsion should produce a dark streak in the picture. Duh.

BUT, here's what's wierd. You can see some of the scratches on the negative with the naked eye under a strong light. They look just like you'd expect, a light streak where the emulsion has been scratched on the negative, yet they exactly correspond to the light streaks in the photos.

I have a negative scanner attachment for my scanner. I'll see if I can find the setting in the software that automatically reverses the negative to a positive and turn it off so you can see what an actual negative looks like scanned at high res.

And yes, I'm going to thoroughly clean the camera again, go shoot another roll, and take it somewhere else and see what happens.

Thanks!

[ak_powder_monkey]

I have that exact same problem with some of my prints I figure its that I have my film developed at wally world (problem goes away when I have the pros do it). If you have pictures on a roll that you know are money shots (like that goat) take it to a pro place.

peace
AKPM

P.S. Did I mention that goat pic is MONEY!

P.P.S. When I have a pic I want enlarged I get it drum scanned super high resolution then put it on a cd or SD card and bring it in for the enlargement after running it through the digital dark room (photoshop)

[icanseeformiles(andmiles)]

if you're wanting to use any of them for $$$, find a photo-retoucher in your area. The scratches can be fixed, but be prepared to spend cash to get it done.

[Chainsaw_Willie]

Thanks again, guys. The suggestion of getting it drummed scanned is a good one. I used to be a tier 3 Photoshop support tech for Adobe Systems so removing the scratches from a high res scan wouldn't be a problem.

I guess y'all like that shot of the goat. I got another pretty good shot of him on that roll, but it's not as good as that one. I was up there three years ago and got a really fantastic shot of a mother goat and her kid.

Other shots from that trip are in the backpacking TR I posted in the Ski & Snowboard forum. I think I front loaded the TR with too much typing and unintersting pics (the good stuff is at the end of it) though.

[The AD]

Have you considered shooting transparencies rather than negatives? I think you'll like the results. There are still a few places around who do slide processing!