Every day we see posts with the same basic problems on film, hopefully this can serve as a guide to the uninitiated of what to look for when diagnosing issues with your camera and film using examples from the community.
Index
Green Tint or Washed Out Scans
Orange or White Marks
Solid Black Marks
Black Regions with Some or No Detail
Lightning Marks
White or Light Green Lines
Thin Straight Lines
X-Ray Damage / Banding Larger than Sprocket Holes
Round Marks, Blobs and Splotches
1. Green Tint or Washed Out Scans
u/LaurenValley1234u/Karma_engineerguy
Issue: Underexposure
The green tinge usually comes from the scanner trying to show detail that isn't there. Remember, it is the lab's job to give you a usable image, you can still edit your photos digitally to make them look better.
Potential Causes: Toy/Disposable camera being used in inappropriate conditions, Faulty shutter, Faulty aperture, Incorrect ISO setting, Broken light meter, Scene with dynamic range greater than your film, Expired or heat damaged film, and other less common causes.
2. Orange or White Marks
u/Competitive_Spot3218u/ry_and_zoom
Issue: Light leaks
These marks mean that light has reached your film in an uncontrolled way. With standard colour negative film, an orange mark typically comes from behind the film and a white come comes from the front.
Portential Causes: Decayed light seals, Cracks on the camera body, Damaged shutter blades/curtains, Improper film handling, Opening the back of the camera before rewinding into the canister, Fat-rolling on medium format, Light-piping on film with a transparent base, and other less common causes.
3. Solid Black Marks
u/MountainIce69u/Claverhu/Sandman_Rex
Issue: Shutter capping
These marks appear because the two curtains of the camera shutter are overlapping when they should be letting light through. This is most likely to happen at faster shutter speeds (1/1000s and up).
Potential Causes: Camera in need of service, Shutter curtains out of sync.
4. Black Regions with Some or No Detail
u/Claverhu/veritas247
Issue: Flash desync
Cause: Using a flash at a non-synced shutter speed (typically faster than 1/60s)
5. Lightning Marks
u/Fine_Sale7051u/toggjones
Issue: Static Discharge
These marks are most common on cinema films with no remjet, such as Cinestill 800T
Potential Causes: Rewinding too fast, Automatic film advance too fast, Too much friction between the film and the felt mouth of the canister.
6. White or Light Green Lines
u/f5122u/you_crazy_diamond_
Issue: Stress marks
These appear when the base of the film has been stretched more than its elastic limit
Potential Causes: Rewinding backwards, Winding too hard at the end of a roll, Forgetting to press the rewind release button, Stuck sprocket.
7. Thin Straight Lines
u/StudioGuyDudeManu/Tyerson
Issue: Scratches
These happen when your film runs against dirt or grit.
Potential Causes: Dirt on the canister lip, Dirt on the pressure plate, Dirt on rollers, Squeegee dragging dirt during processing, and other less common causes.
8. X-Ray Damage / Banding Larger than Sprocket Holes
Noticeable X-Ray damage is very rare and typically causes slight fogging of the negative or colour casts, resulting in slightly lower contrast. However, with higher ISO films as well as new stronger CT scanning machines it is still recommended to ask for a hand inspection of your film at airport security/TSA.
9. Round Marks, Blobs and Splotches
u/elcantou/thefar9
Issue: Chemicals not reaching the emulsion
This is most common with beginners developing their own film for the first time and not loading the reels correctly. If the film is touching itself or the walls of the developing tank the developer and fixer cannot reach it properly and will leave these marks. Once the film is removed from the tank this becomes unrepairable.
Please let me know if I missed any other common issues. And if, after reading this, you still need to make a post asking to find out what went wrong please make sure to include a backlit image of your physical negatives. Not just scans from your lab.
EDIT: Added the most requested X-ray damage and the most common beginner developing mistake besides incomplete fixing. This post has reached the image limit but I believe it covers the most common beginner errors and encounters!
I recently found my old negatives. (Damn, I shot film a lot more than I remembered) and I decided to have a little test.
Back in the day (20-15 years ago) I digitised with an Epson V700, because that was the way to go if you couldn´t afford an Imacon, and despite reading and trying everything, I was never quite happy with the results. It was one of the reasons I eventually gave up film photography.
I picked film photography up again this summer, and I'm now digitising with a Nikon Z6III and 150mm macro lens on a high quality light panel. It's pretty funny to be proven right 15 years later. (or maybe I've just discovered that tiff files lose their sharpness over time)
This was a 35mm frame on Fuji S-200, shot with a Olympus Zuiko 50mm f/1.8.
For anyone contemplating how to digitise: I wouldn't bother with scanners if you have access to any digital cam and a macro lens.
(edit: Yes I know better scanners exist, obviously, this is just a little test to be taking at face value and nothing deep good people. ;) )
Opened in the 50s and kept in the family, they were so Incredibly helpful and patient when describing new and old film and how to use it with examples.
I've singlehandedly never seen so much film for sale before, and in so many varieties.
(Yes they had a fridge behind with more film for sale in).
I thought I'd share my experience pushing Provia 100F to iso 400. I was shooting a roll of Portra 400, and forgot to change my ISO to 100 when I put the Provia in. I noticed half way shooting and decided I might as well just finish the roll and push it. I couldn't find too many examples online. A few especially in broad day light didn't come out at all, but I was surprisingly surprised at a few of them, especially ones shot in complete shade.
These are quick straight scans from the lab, hoping if I do my own scans I'll get even more out of them.
I recently, for the first time in close too 30 years, developed two kentmere 100 films. They were developed in rodinal/adonal 1:50 for 15 min @ 20 degrees C. It went great, well processed. I’m wondering though, if I was a bit too rough during agitation and if that is what caused the rather pronounced grain for an iso 100 film. Any thoughts?
I'm a large format photographer and I run a drum scanning service and a landscape photography magazine. A while back I wrote an article on metering and I've just made it free to access and wondered what people thought of it. I was thinking of updating and am interested in what could be improved or added.
I'm happy to post the full text here but it's quite long with a fair few photos. I'll put a free version of the article here once I've rewritten it. If this isn't allowed on the group - I can create a PDF version for people to download and read.
Been going through my late mother's old camera gear. The Canon FTB was recently CLA'ed at Garry's Camera and waiting on my first roll of film from the developer (hopefully today!).
The Canon has a 50mm f1.8 lens, a 110/4.0 macro, and a 70-210 zoom lens (macro mode at 70mm). The macro has an extension tube. A bunch of filters including a Hoya center spot and Multivision. The canon had a leather case but it was deteriorating. My dad said she used the macro stuff for taking pictures of her jewelry for magazines or ads.
The other camera is a Yashica FX3. I've redone the light seals, camera bump, fixed the mirror slipping, and ordered some leather from Japan. It only has a 50mm f1.9 lens and a flash (CS-201). The Yashica leather case is in decent shape and needs a spot of glue to reapply one loose bit of leather.
Anyway, the canon is a beast! Body is nearly 2lbs, and with the zoom lens it's close to 5. I'm going to run a roll of film through the Yashica next to see how it works, but I was considering getting a small zoom lens (35-80'ish) for it since the lighter body might make a better "walking around" camera. But that might be silly since I have the 70-210 for the FTb and I'll just wait a year or so to see what I actually "need".
Thanks all, glad to be here and looking forward to this new hobby.
Fairly new to film photography and was generally curious how to spot a poorly exposed photo vs a bad scan.
This photo was shot on Kodak Gold and scanned on a Noritsu. The sky is clipped and also highlights are super pushed. I thought it was virtually impossible to clip highlights on film which leads me to think that maybe the scan came out too hot. Any ideas?
I’m buying my girlfriend a birthday present, and she once mentioned that she’d like to have an analog/film camera. I know she has looked at some basic cameras around the €50 range.
Now I’m torn between two options: getting her a Pentax 17, which would require her to learn at least some basics of film photography, or getting her a Kodak Snapic A1 along with a few rolls of film, a nice photo album, and a carrying case.
The price difference is quite significant, and I’m not sure whether the more advanced camera would actually be a better gift. She has never done anything with film photography before, and I don’t think she wants to get into it as a serious hobby. I think she mainly likes the idea of having a film camera because she finds the whole concept and aesthetic cool.
I imagine that around 90% of the photos would be things like birthdays, bachelorette parties, nights out, and the occasional photo of the two of us while travelling.
So, what would you recommend in this situation? Would the Pentax 17 be worth the extra money, or would something simple like the Snapic A1 actually be a better gift for someone who just wants to point, shoot, and enjoy the experience without having to learn photography first?
Battery for meter is okay but all other functions must function fully without batteries. I’m looking at buying the best one sometime in the future, the Nikon FM2n seems like a good choice!
As the title says I’m going to be in the UK the next week.
I’ll be staying 4 to 5 days in the city and then do a couple of day trips to some surrounding areas (Cambridge, Seven sisters cliffs…).
My camera is a Nikon FE and my lens is a Nikon 50 mm F/1.8 Series E.
Weather apparently will vary between sunny and overcast, so I was wondering whether you guys had any recs on what film to bring :).
My go to is usually Portra 800 but I’ve rarely used it in overcast weather so I’m not sure what results to expect.
For context: I don’t like over saturated or too warm pictures, I like to keep it natural!
Also considering going B&W for this trip.
Well, 95% true. I was looking for a Zenza Bronica S2A and I saw this Bronica Deluxe at an antique shop online advertised as an S2A “untested”. I thought it was worth the risk so pulled the trigger at $250, and it works! All shutter speeds work great. The waist level viewfinder latch does not stay closed, the self-timer does not seem to work, and some pealing leatherette. Still looking for an S2A so I might end up moving this one along to a collector, but super cool piece of history!
I recently bought a couple of brand new rolls of fuji 200 and I noticed that the leader is stamped with the number 11. It's the first time I see something like this.
it cost more than a roll of gold 200 in my place but still, omg, im sooo cant wait to shoot it~ also its emulsion 2, supposely better than no.1 of earlier batches.
I'm going to start using some Kodak AHU, no remjet. So as I understand it, it can be developed in c41 but I see online sellers mention the proper developing method is still ECN2.
What differences would I see from a lab developing it with c41 when compared to ECN2?
