Damaged film

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Vonder

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Hey, what could ,have happened to this film to cause this sort of damage? I't old film, exp 2008, but not antique...

Roll12342-L.jpg
 

tkamiya

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I think a dog walked into your scene....
 

Worker 11811

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Mold or water spots. Can't tell for sure.

How valuable is this image?

Are you willing to take the risk of experimenting on it?
I assume your scan is for preservation purposes. Right? While it won't be an easy job, the image can be digitally restored if you are willing to work. I have restored images that are almost as bad.

What does the surface of the emulsion look like? Is it bubbled or does it show evidence of fungus, etc., on the surface?

Do you have another part of that film that can be used for experiments? (e.g. Another frame of the same strip that is similarly damaged?)
Try soaking that (hypothetical) part of the film in tepid water and Photo-Flo. Also try alcohol.

If those things don't remove or mitigate the problem it is a sure thing that the damage is permanent and the only way to restore the image will be with digital methods.

Unfortunately, even with digital, this will be quite a task to restore and you are unlikely to get perfect results. You can get "good" results if you are willing to work at it but the amount of work you do will be directly proportional to the importance of the image.

If it's a valuable image, you will, of course, be more willing to work. If it's an "everyday" image, you're probably better off cutting your losses, falling back on your digital copy, tossing out the film (to prevent it from contaminating other film) then taking that as a lesson on how to keep your film safe in the future.
 

Old-N-Feeble

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Did it look like that immediately after processing? Reticulation?
 
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Vonder

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Well, the emulsion looks smooth. There are no water spots. This is a straight scan. The emulsion itself is distinctly dark purple, not orange. I've seen that to some degree with this film but never this bad. The spotting pattern is most sever near the beginning of the roll but extends throughout. My first thought was some kind of freezer burn as the seller claimed it was cold-stored.
 

Photo Engineer

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it resembles film that was humid and rolled onto itself. This might come from opening the film pack while cold and then leaving in a warm humid spot. Or, it might have taken place after exposure. It does not resemble a processing problem such as reticulation, but then that depends on the magnification of the image. At high magnification, some forms of reticulation can resemble this.

PE
 

bvy

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Yes, Fred, film that has become damp through high humidity and then frozen. Sounds good to me.

PE

That brings up something I've been curious about. I keep my film in the kitchen freezer. Wild fluctuations in humidity here in Western Pennsylvania. Is this a concern as long as the film stays frozen? Sometimes the paper packages feel damp when I take them out of the freezer. But I've never noticed any bad results.
 

Photo Engineer

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The 120 film is sealed against any fluctuations. The 35mm is nominally sealed in the plastic container, but some exchange is possible. I recognize the problem and most freezers in refrigerators are at about 30F or -1 C. A "real" dedicated freezer is at about -20 F (or C, the two scales are close when you get that low and identical at -40 :D ). In any event, that is how I keep my film. I would worry more about the defrost cycle.

PE
 
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Vonder

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Well, I've got 17 rolls of this stuff, so if anyone out there likes that look and wants it, send me a PM.

Me? I just ordered 40 36exp rolls of Kodak's 100 speed Gold film. That's good stuff.
 
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