Colour slide processing disaster

[Jeff L]

Took some slide in the the lab and five of the rolls came back ruined. Most are completely black but you can see the numbers on one slide of the roll (35 mm). Some the numbers are on the top and some the bottom and some no frame numbers at all, just black film. On one of the rolls you can see portions of the picture in the middle of the roll on a very few frames. The guy was extremely apologetic and said there was a power outage. What would make properly exposed slide film turn black in the processor but leave most of the frame numbers? Rolls before and after from the same camera are perfect.
Thanks for any thoughts and input.
Jeff

 

[DanielStone]

personally, I would find a new lab If I were you.

a proper pro lab should have a battery backup for their film processors. All the pro labs I've found here in LA do that(if they care about their customers film that is ). I don't know about the frame numbers not coming out though, that's strange.

i hope you didn't have to pay for anything?

-Dan

 

[Jeff L]

All then rest of the 15 rolls were comped. Of anyone know what might cause everything to go black I appciate it.
Jeff

 

[nickandre]

A power outage would cause the film to stay in a bath too long, right? I can't see that happening. Unless they skipped a bath. Numbers indicates development. If there are numbers and no picture, it's a camera issue.

 

[domaz]

Maybe the bleach step was skipped?

 

[Jeff L]

Some of the numbers were on the top of the film and some on the bottom. Some of the film had no numbers and no images and some of the film barely had an image. Not the camera as rolls shot imedately before and after are fine. Is there a chemical in E6 processing that would make the film opaque?
Jeff

 

[mts]

If first developer fails, i.e. no development occurs, then after reversal and color developer you will end up with black or very dark film. If you leave film in first developer for way too long, then it is a super-push process and the images will generally be too light or the film might be fogged which upon reversal will give you some intermediate density. Who knows what happened. It's probably impossible to tell after the fact. Sorry about that. Your experience demonstrates why lots of folks in this group process their own film.

 

[Jeff L]

Thanks everybody.