Issue with Fomapan 100, anyone experiencing the same?

mauro35 · Jun 12, 2014

Hi all,

a while ago I bought a few rolls of Fomapan 100 35mm. I have now used it for a few weeks, not yet managed to deliver the best results, but even though exposure and development can be challenging to nail I have taken some nice photos with it. Except once in a while a few frames in a roll that look like in the image I have attached.
I mean that wierd line going across the frame. It is not a scratch or mark on the shiny side, it looks like it's in the emulsion. Has anybody seen something similar? The pattern actually is repetitive, the shape of the line appears to be more or less the same in all the affected frames. I am wondering if I'm doing something wrong or could it be a quality issue?

Rick A · Jun 12, 2014

It almost looks like a drying issue. What do you do for final rinse, how do you dry film, do you shake excess water or squeegee(never do that), hang lengthwise, ???? I don't think it's a loading issue, and I've never seen an emulsion issue like this.

Xmas · Jun 12, 2014

Sorry not had any problems with Forma film in 120 or 35mm.

You could email them?

mauro35 · Jun 12, 2014

Rick A said:
It almost looks like a drying issue. What do you do for final rinse, how do you dry film, do you shake excess water or squeegee(never do that), hang lengthwise, ???? I don't think it's a loading issue, and I've never seen an emulsion issue like this.

The final rinse is distilled water and a bit of isopropyl alcohol, the then film is left to hang and dry. I do not touch it at all. I cannot see any marks on the non-emulsion side, but what is wierd is that the lines stop in the spaces between the frames, so they look to me as embedded in the emulsion so to speak. I'm not sure how to describe it better.

Rick A · Jun 12, 2014

Then, lets discuss how you develope. Possibly a developer issue, how it's poured into the tank, maybe not enough time in developer/uneven developing, or not enough agitation(which usually shows up in sky areas). Do you presoak?

darkosaric · Jun 12, 2014

I use a lot of Fomapan films (35mm and 120, iso 100 and 400) - all developed in Rodinal 1+100 semi stand, no presoak. No problems with Fomapan.

Xmas · Jun 12, 2014

mauro35 said:
The final rinse is distilled water and a bit of isopropyl alcohol, the then film is left to hang and dry. I do not touch it at all. I cannot see any marks on the non-emulsion side, but what is wierd is that the lines stop in the spaces between the frames, so they look to me as embedded in the emulsion so to speak. I'm not sure how to describe it better.

What camera are you using?

mauro35 · Jun 12, 2014

Rick A said:
Then, lets discuss how you develope. Possibly a developer issue, how it's poured into the tank, maybe not enough time in developer/uneven developing, or not enough agitation(which usually shows up in sky areas). Do you presoak?

I did not presoak before developer. I poured 300mL of developer in my tank with only one roll. It was D-76 stock for 6 min. and 3 inversions of the tank per min. (10 s total agitation per min.). I tried to clean the frame I posted with some distilled water. It now appears to me that the line is IN the image, so agitation could be one reason, but why just some random frames and not all? Could it be some effect of halation?

mauro35 · Jun 12, 2014

Xmas said:
What camera are you using?

Canon EOS Elan 7. Just few days before processing the Fomapan I developed one roll of Agfa APX 100, which was exposed in the same camera and the result was free from the issue.

Rick A · Jun 12, 2014

When you state you used 300ml and only dev'ed one roll, do you mean you have a larger capacity tank, and only placed one reel in it. If so, did you place an empty reel on top to keep the reel from floating up?

mauro35 · Jun 12, 2014

Rick A said:
When you state you used 300ml and only dev'ed one roll, do you mean you have a larger capacity tank, and only placed one reel in it. If so, did you place an empty reel on top to keep the reel from floating up?

Exactly, I have a two-reel tank and I did place the top empty reel on top of the one loaded with the film.

Xmas · Jun 12, 2014

Id try another cassette of APX100.

Rick A · Jun 12, 2014

Possibly a foaming problem with the developer.

Urmonas · Jun 14, 2014

You mention the shape is similar across the affected frames. That to me does not suggest a development problem (which I would expect to produce different shapes). Could it be a pressure effect? I have not seen such an extensive one, but it may be possible.

pdeeh · Jun 14, 2014

mauro35 said:
The final rinse is distilled water and a bit of isopropyl alcohol, .

have you rinsed films other than the Fomapan in this mxture?

I tried isopropanol in my final rinse only to find I ended up with a milky mess in the emulsion ... all alcohols are not alike, and it turned out for me that methyl alcohol or methylated spirits (ethanol) produced the fast dry without the mess.

I just use 1:200 Ilfotol in deionised water now, and never have other than perfectly clean negatives.

Rick A · Jun 14, 2014

Thats a good thought pdeeh, some isopropyl alcohols have oil other things in with them and could leave residue.

mauro35 · Jun 15, 2014

Thank you for the answers. I will follow your advice and try a final rinse without isopropyl alcohol. Actually Fomapan is the only film I use this rinsing with, cause I previously experienced nasty drying marks with it. Alcohol did seem to help for that, but now I'm confronted with this wierd shapes in the images.

Xmas · Jun 15, 2014

If you have drying marks or spots on some film types you could try one of either

boiling a kettle ful of water and filtering it when cold and adding a drip of surfant, using that as a final bath for five minutes

or using deionized water with a drip of surfant as above

or using a store bought film squeegee

Note I do the last with formapan 100 & 400 never had scratches

And the problem could be shutter not capping properly Try opening back and checking for leaks as the shutter is wound on.

mauro35 · Jun 16, 2014

Seems like pdeeh is right. I tried another roll of Fomapan, final rinse just distilled water. Everything good this time! Finally I managed to have my first completely spotless result. Feeling good about making some progress. Thank you all!

pdeeh · Jun 16, 2014

Pat Erson · Jun 16, 2014

Maybe Mods could change the title of the thread and remove "Foma" from it.

It gives the brand a bad name...

mauro35 · Jun 16, 2014

I will add that it was absolutely not in my intention to give a bad image to the film. I like it very much and will keep using it, especially now that I have tested it properly and found the correct way to process it, from developing to final rinse.

Rick A · Jun 16, 2014

Yippee!

Issue with Fomapan 100, anyone experiencing the same?

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