Canon EOS 1-V

CristiaanC · Nov 29, 2010

Hello everyone, I'm new to film and new to this forum. This is my first post. I just want to say hello to everyone and that I'm very excited to get started in developing film and taking pictures with film, as it has always been an interest to me, but money was always the factor that held me back.

Aside from that, I'd like to express a concern. I just recently purchased a Canon EOS 1-V, and I was using Kodak 400 TX B&W film. I had the camera set at 400 ISO, and I was using the Av setting, which just adjusts the shutter speed according to the light available, ensuring a properly exposed photo. I went to develop the film, and apparently the woman who was developing the film told me that no images were on the film! I was in shock; the camera works beautifully. So I checked the film and there were slight images, just barely visible on some of the frames, but most of the film strip was blank.

Did I do something wrong or did the woman ruin my roll of film? This film was developed at a cheap pharmacy photo department, I told them it was B$W film, but maybe they didn't hear me? I'm not sure. Anyway, I plan on developing my own film and building my own dark room, but I was just curious as to what could have happened. I hope there is nothing wrong with my camera. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Like I said, I'm completely new to all of this, and I don't plan on bringing my film to any cheap photo department ever again. I'll try a professional place while I save money to build my own darkroom. Thanks again everyone and I look forward to meeting all of you.

mudman · Nov 29, 2010

10-1 they can't develop B&W film. Shoot a roll of color print film or C-41 B&W, and all will be well I'm betting.

CristiaanC · Nov 29, 2010

I'm thinking you're right. And I feel terrible because I took very nice pictures with it. Oh well, live and learn. Thanks for the response. I greatly appreciate it.

131802 · Nov 29, 2010

I wouldn't bet against mudman on this: the drugstores around here do color print film on site. Slides and B&W get sent out.

Sonicmook56 · Nov 29, 2010

Are there edge markings on the film? If not they probably ran it threw their minilab.

Poisson Du Jour · Nov 29, 2010

B&W film processed in E6 chems will destroy the image, leaving a faint rendition of the exposure. Do they actually process slide films too there?

It is extremely unlikely to be a fault with the 1V.

Jeff Kubach · Nov 30, 2010

Sounds like they process the B&W film in C-41. You can process another roll of B&W yourself and scan the negatives. For C-41 film you can have them load the images on CD. BTW welcome to APUG!

Jeff

mesh · Nov 30, 2010

Sorry to hear what happened. At least you'll be in control when you dev yourself. In the meantime, perhaps try 400CN for B&W? EOS1V and Tri-X - a very nice combination though! Welcome to APUG.

ozphoto · Nov 30, 2010

If it doesn't have edge markings 10-1 they ran it through their C41 - the bleach step removes the lot!

Had a customer roll his own film into a Kodak 400CN cannister and neglect to tell one of my staff it was regular B&W, who then inadvertently ran it through our C41 believing it *was* 400CN (after all, that's what the cannister said).

Film came out totally blank, just as if you fixed first. Ooops!

If it has normal edge markings and the images are really faint, perhaps the exposure meter isn't working correctly and the roll is drastically underexposed.

2F/2F · Nov 30, 2010

Nothing is there because you (and they) sent the b/w film through a color negative process. Part of the color negative process is the total removal of the silver, leaving only the color dyes. What you got was removal (though not total) of the silver, but with no color dyes left in its place, as the dyes are used only in color film.

Probably 95% of minilabs process only color negative film. Some pro camera shop minilabs process color transparencies, but not a lot. Very few places aside from pro labs will do black and white or color transparencis. If you are going to keep shooting black and white, I would just process the film yourself. It is easy and cheap (and fun...unless you get backlogged hundreds of rolls, like I am). If you are going to shoot high quality pix, I would find a pro lab for your color processing, if you ever go the color route. Minilabs are not to be trusted with your high quality pix.

That's a really nice camera for an AF camera. Good luck on learning how to use it, and welcome to APUG.

Poisson Du Jour · Nov 30, 2010

Be it noted that very recently the Manager of a pro lab, trying to clear a backlog of jobs on a Friday afternoon, put my B&W NEOPAN ACROS 100 in the E6 tank with 4 rolls of Provia and a precious roll of 35mm Velvia (!). Period. When one of the staff pointed out what he did when packing the finished job, there was a lot of earnest explaining to do from his receptionist, who took the time to write a very succinct precis of the shemozzle! And the boss? He was nowhere to be found when I turned up. This is what you and I got: nothing on the 120 B&W roll but very faint images virtually clear film, from cross-processing. It is the first time ever I have experienced a pro-level lab botching a roll like this (a high street mini lab botched a Velvia roll last year), so maybe don't think it is restricted to just minilabs. I was not charged for any processing or courier. These things have to be treated in hindsight: without the lab and its 99% flawless work, there is no E6... Always an element of risk that needs to be accepted gracefully.

PS: Maybe the title of this thread should not be "Canon EOS 1-V", but "Botching film process" because there's nothing to point the finger at about Canon's finest.

OldBikerPete · Nov 30, 2010

Not good enough to suit me! I had a similar botch-up of 5x4 color neg. after spending several thousand dollars visiting Cairns. Since then I have processed my own color neg. with marked improvement in quality.

Poisson Du Jour said:
Be it noted that very recently the Manager of a pro lab, trying to clear a backlog of jobs on a Friday afternoon, put my B&W NEOPAN ACROS 100 in the E6 tank with 4 rolls of Provia and a precious roll of 35mm Velvia (!). Period. When one of the staff pointed out what he did when packing the finished job, there was a lot of earnest explaining to do from his receptionist, who took the time to write a very succinct precis of the shemozzle! And the boss? He was nowhere to be found when I turned up. This is what you and I got: nothing on the 120 B&W roll but very faint images virtually clear film, from cross-processing. It is the first time ever I have experienced a pro-level lab botching a roll like this (a high street mini lab botched a Velvia roll last year), so maybe don't think it is restricted to just minilabs. I was not charged for any processing or courier. These things have to be treated in hindsight: without the lab and its 99% flawless work, there is no E6... Always an element of risk that needs to be accepted gracefully.

PS: Maybe the title of this thread should not be "Canon EOS 1-V", but "Botching film process" because there's nothing to point the finger at about Canon's finest.

CristiaanC · Nov 30, 2010

Thank you so much guys for all the responses, I know now what the problem was, and it was all because of your responses. I'm truly happy to see so many real photographers out there, and I look forward to getting to your level. Thanks again, and I look forward to getting to know all of you.

hpulley · Nov 30, 2010

Welcome to APUG!

Sorry about your luck. B&W is not that hard to do yourself. I'm told even color isn't that hard so I may need to try it though if you have both color and B&W chems and films at home I suppose you can even do this screw-up yourself if you aren't careful! It has been reported by others here, blank film which is a shame. Once the film is in the tank you can't check it until its too late.

Nice camera you have. I am a Canon fan myself and the 1-series is wonderful to use. I'm just about to tank a roll of Ilford Delta 400 that I shot in my EOS-1N RS.

CristiaanC · Dec 1, 2010

I'm looking at the Patterson kit with Ilford Solutions. I heard it's a good choice for Tri-x film.

hpulley · Dec 1, 2010

I have a smattering of Patterson in my eclectic darkroom but I mostly use Ilford chems and films and papers.

Canon EOS 1-V

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