Kodak Ektar 120 Exp. 09/2026 Estar Base CURLS MISERABLY

[mshchem]

I've been developing film for over 50 years. I've never seen Kodak film curl like this. Reminds me of some old Ansco negatives of my Dad's. Apparently robot printing machines have no trouble digesting this stuff, and I'm sure when I slap these in a negative carrier I can get by. I processed myself and these hung to dry no heat.

Kodak must have received permission to relax the standards for curl. I'm sure it's all part of getting away from acetate base.

Trying to make contact sheets will require leaving in a Print File. Annoying as hell and impossible to load into my silly Canon scanner holder. I ended up taping the negative to the scanner glass.

 

[halfaman]

I tried recently new ESTAR versions of Portra and they have a similar curl than old acetate. It is strange that Kodak have done something different with Ektar.

 

[mshchem]

I am not giving up on EK. I have some Ektar in the fridge I'm going to be shooting up. It appears to me that everything has shifted to Estar, not sure what to think. I'm going to try and remember to drop a note to Kodak. Probably not normal. I like to make the occasional proof sheet, Print Files work well but still not as nicely as direct contact. Trying to cope with the curl in TD would seem impossible.

 

[gbroadbridge]

I've been developing film for over 50 years. I've never seen Kodak film curl like this. Reminds me of some old Ansco negatives of my Dad's. Apparently robot printing machines have no trouble digesting this stuff, and I'm sure when I slap these in a negative carrier I can get by. I processed myself and these hung to dry no heat.

Kodak must have received permission to relax the standards for curl. I'm sure it's all part of getting away from acetate base.

Trying to make contact sheets will require leaving in a Print File. Annoying as hell and impossible to load into my silly Canon scanner holder. I ended up taping the negative to the scanner glass.

I've shot a lot of Kodak 120 (at least 20 rolls in the last month) home processed and no curl.
Flat as a pancake. Humidity problem? I do dry in a heated tube.

 

[ChrisArslain]

Can you explain your heated tube process @gbroadbridge ? Thanks!

 

[DREW WILEY]

I shoot a fair amount of Ektar 120 (including fresh stock) and haven't noticed anything of the kind. Stubborn curl is generally related to low humidity during storage or travel, regardless of the film type.

You can always roll it up into a reverse curve for a week or so, than press it flat under a weight prior to scanning or enlarging. I use glass carriers in my enlarger - tight glass sandwich both sides. I have more problems combing my hair flat.

 

[gbroadbridge]

Can you explain your heated tube process @gbroadbridge ? Thanks!

Sure, I have a 3 foot long piece of 6 inch diameter PVC conduit with a temp controlled fan heater at one end set to 35 celcius.

The film is hung onto a rod inside the conduit and the fan dries the film in a few minutes.

 

[mshchem]

I shoot a fair amount of Ektar 120 (including fresh stock) and haven't noticed anything of the kind. Stubborn curl is generally related to low humidity during storage or travel, regardless of the film type.

You can always roll it up into a reverse curve for a week or so, than press it flat under a weight prior to scanning or enlarging. I use glass carriers in my enlarger - tight glass sandwich both sides. I have more problems combing my hair flat.

Like I've said, I've been developing film for decades and even though the curl is manageable it's still annoying. This is the latest stuff from B&H, FedEx to my door a couple weeks back, never been refrigerated, I opened the package, loaded up my Fuji 6x9 shot it, developed a couple days later.
The polyester film is super easy to load onto Jobo reels. I noticed the feel.
I'm chalking this up to either an outlier, or just a change.

It's not a big deal, unless you are trying to make contact prints in the dark or load a flimsy scanner carrier. I dug out at least 40 rolls of Ektar out of my dedicated film fridge, going to be shooting some more.

If using a proper negative carrier for an enlarger this would not be a factor.

 

[F4U]

Does anybody remember the 35mm HIE? Talk about curly... I doubt anything could be as curly as that. And NOTHING could be done to tame it.

 

[mshchem]

Does anybody remember the 35mm HIE? Talk about curly... I doubt anything could be as curly as that. And NOTHING could be done to tame it.

Polyester base. Not sure if that's got anything to do with the curling. All the critical info on the planet is stored on PET base film, stored in some sort of secret subterranean salt mine.

 

[F4U]

I found an instruction sheet on it. The called it an Estar AH base, whatever that is. But I do remember it having a different feel about it.. It was clear and had no anti-light piping dye in it.,like regular Kodak film. Seems like it might have been a bit thinner too, but I can't be sure of that. Not sure if it pertains to the OP's question, other than he said 120 film, which is thinner than 35mm, as far as I ever knew. All film is made in rolls. The people whose film came from the outer layers of the master roll naturally go flatter film than the ones who got the inner layers. Maybe he was just unlucky and got a roll cut from the first layer.

 

[DREW WILEY]

Yes, they switched over to polyester base rather than acetate. PET (Estar) base is more dimensionally stable; and they make it themselves. Those master rolls have pretty big core diameters. But the change per se would not likely have anything to do with the alleged issue. And since all the cut lengths are spooled in the same manner afterwards, that would pretty much determine any set curl in the film rather than the master roll. But one could always ask Kodak. "AH" refers to anti-halation, which does prevent light piping.

 

[mshchem]

I remember the mid-1970's Kodak Infrared films that warned on the box to only load and unload the camera in a darkroom to prevent light piping. I really didn't quite understand why at the time, but it impressed me, must be some serious sh*t!

 

[F4U]

I remember the mid-1970's Kodak Infrared films that warned on the box to only load and unload the camera in a darkroom to prevent light piping. I really didn't quite understand why at the time, but it impressed me, must be some serious sh*t!

Yes it was some serious stuff. Kodak had it going on, for sure. What we have now called infrared film can't touch what Kodak had 70 years ago, or even get close.

 

[DREW WILEY]

Konica 750 could be loaded in the field, which was nice. And a 29 red filter was adequate for an infrared effect. No sheets available.

A late great roll film which one really had to be careful to unwrap and load in the shade was Efke R25. It could easily edge fog.

 

[LomoSnap]

I think PET bases their shape better at higher temperatures. I hang them in a drying cabinet at 60°C for 10-15 minutes with heavy clips in film end.
The amount of curling after drying doesn't bother me.

 

[mshchem]

I think PET bases their shape better at higher temperatures. I hang them in a drying cabinet at 60°C for 10-15 minutes with heavy clips in film end.
The amount of curling after drying doesn't bother me.

I've only noticed the curl on this one date code. No other Kodak (or Harman) films have curled like these.

Maybe time to nip this in the bud. The PET base is not the issue.

 

[F4U]

Bad curling just happens from time to time. Part of this craft.

 

[mshchem]

Bad curling just happens from time to time. Part of this craft.