Help! Blank tmax 400

Kimmutikainen · Dec 27, 2011

Actually sitting in my bathroom now and looking at a completely transparent film developed in id-11 stock. Tmax 400 120film.

7.5 min in developer
1min in stop bath
5,5 min in fixer
Water wash ilford method.

What the heck. This is my 4 th film developed so i am kinda new,but have not had problems earlier. That was kodak 125.

rince · Dec 27, 2011

Hi Kimmutikainen,

could you specify what you mean by 'blank'? Can you see the frame numbers and the Kodak TMAX 400 print?

1. If you can see the markings for frame numbers, etc, that would mean you processed an unexposed film.
2. If you can not see any markings etc, but the whole strip is blank everywhere, that could mean that you fixed the film before you developed it.

Number 2 would happen if you e.g. switched fixer and developer or if your developer was not active due to incorrect mixing etc ...

Kindest regards
Dennis

hrst · Dec 27, 2011

This might be the traditional one! You use fixer instead of developer. It is the only real danger to lose everything completely in a few seconds. Any other mistake usually produces some kind of images, usually printable.

My tip is to forget the usual instructions: "put all the chemicals in the nice row on the table before you start etc." If you make sure that you have no fixer around and desperately start looking for it when the film is stopping/rinsing, you won't probably make this mistake .

Also, you can dip the cut-off exposed leader of your film to the developer-to-be solution for a minute or two before developing the films. It should get dark grey or almost black in about two minutes. This way, you can see that the developer is at least somewhat alive.

Kimmutikainen · Dec 27, 2011

I can see all the frame numbers and kodak tmax 400 mark, but there are no pictures.its imposible that its blank.i used the film 2 days ago...

hrst · Dec 27, 2011

Ah, if you see the frame numbers, then there is only one explanation: you didn't shoot it. You may have loaded it the wrong way, forgot the lens cap on or have a shutter problem etc.

rince · Dec 27, 2011

So obviously this is a matter of an unexposed film. Processing would have been fine in this case.
Make sure you put in the film correctly. What camera do you use? Also test if your shutter is actually working. Depending on your camera it will allow you a dry run without a film in the camera. Set your shutter to somewhat like a second and shoot a frame looking into the lens or camera to see if the shutter actually works.

pentaxuser · Dec 27, 2011

Kimmutikainen said:
I can see all the frame numbers and kodak tmax 400 mark, but there are no pictures.its imposible that its blank.i used the film 2 days ago...

You used the camera two days ago but didn't use the film. To narrow down the possible causes you can answer a number of questions:

Was it a SLR or rangefinder? If it was a SLR then you couldn't have left the lens cap on as you then can't see anything. A rangefinder viewfinder is separate so you see the scene but if the cap is on the lens the camera does not see the scene.

Did the frame counter move each time you took a picture? It is possible that the film hasn't been caught by the take up spindle but this is unlikely as you would have passed the film over the pressure plate and all the pictures would have been on the same frame so there should be one frame that is almost or completely black as all exposure were made on one frame.

pentaxuser

Kimmutikainen · Dec 27, 2011

I just developed a film shot yesterday, came out fine...

I am using a bronica gs-1 with waist level finder, so the cap was not on so have no idea what may have caused this. It is also impossible to shootmwith the darkslide inserted so it is not that.

I am 100 % sure i did everythibg right during development as well.

Br
Kim

pgomena · Dec 27, 2011

I've used X camera for years and still loaded the darned film backwards recently. It never pays to be in a hurry.

Peter Gomena

mhcfires · Dec 27, 2011

I managed to develop an unexposed roll (35mm) which I thought I had shot, and ran an exposed roll through the camera twice. It DOES happen.

Kimmutikainen · Dec 27, 2011

I will just have to live in uncertainty of what happend I guess

MattKing · Dec 27, 2011

Take a look at the paper leader from the film. If it just has the "exposed" sticker attached to the end, I'm not sure what happened to you. If the yellow T-Max wrapper is there too, I and others here have a pretty good idea what happened .

PS: look carefully through the rest of your film, and in the camera. There may be an exposed roll hiding there.

HollyGettings · Dec 27, 2011

When my cameras develop shutter problems it's usually a gradual onset--a few frames come out partially exposed, and gradually more of them show problems. It's possible that your camera shutter quit all at once and you need the proverbial CLA treatment. It seems less likely to me that you would have missed the START indicator on the wrapper when you went to roll, but heck, I once had a student who rolled the paper and left the film on the floor.
Makes every roll that comes out right all that much sweeter.

Kimmutikainen · Dec 27, 2011

MattKing said:
Take a look at the paper leader from the film. If it just has the "exposed" sticker attached to the end, I'm not sure what happened to you. If the yellow T-Max wrapper is there too, I and others here have a pretty good idea what happened .

PS: look carefully through the rest of your film, and in the camera. There may be an exposed roll hiding there.

Unfortunaly its already in the bin outside with alot of other stuff i do not want to mess around in i am not sure what you are asking here when you talk about thewrapper. I am sure i saw the exposed flip on the paper leader. I cut the film right beneeth the tape which attach the paper to the film.

I developed another film right afterwards which came out fine so the shutter malfuncion fora whole film but not the next seems a bit strange.

Guess it will stay a myster

pentaxuser · Dec 27, 2011

The problem with an unsolved mystery is that it leaves you wondering if it can happen again because you cannot work out what you or the camera did to cause it in the first place.

I could be wrong but I think what is being hinted at is that it is possible to fit the film into the insert with the leader on the outside this covering up the film which never sees any light. Everything will seem to work and indeed everything does work except that the film is hidden from the light allowed in from the the shutter by the backing paper.

I do not have a Bronica but I have a P645N where it is very easy to load the insert with the backing paper covering the film. Doing it the correct way is not as obvious as you might think

pentaxuser

MattKing · Dec 27, 2011

I was hinting at something simpler - is the OP sure he didn't load and develop a film that had been taken out of the foil, but never loaded in the camera?

cmo · Dec 29, 2011

Did you take all frames of that empty film with the same lens? In that case you might also have a shutter problem. The GS-1 and lenses are very reliable but it's better to check this. The GS-1 has a leaf shutter in all lenses. If the shutter in one lens does not open for exposure but only for viewing this might cause the same effect.

BTW, I never had a single problem with my GS-1 equipment. It's a great camera, but a real sleeper.

Help! Blank tmax 400

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