Quality problems with my negatives?

I spent the summer shooting 120 Efke IR film and have had some repeated problems. I don't know if they are caused by me or manufacturing defects.

Scan no. 1 shows a lot of scratches running across the film in straight lines.
Scan no. 2 has a curved scratch which runs through the first two frames.
Scan no. 3 is full of light spots/marks which you will see in the sky.
Scan no. 4 is full of dark spots in the clouds but I can't see them too easily on the scan now.
Scan no. 5 has a lightish line running down the left side about a quarter way in from the edge but again its hard to see on the scan.
Also, all the scans here have a dark line just inside each edge of the film and this usually runs for the whole roll.

I thought Efke was to blame but just noticed that no. 3 is Maco and no. 4 is Rollei.

I wash my films in unfiltered water and then the final rinse is in filtered water with Agfa Sistan. I then just hang the film to dry. I am very careful in how I handle my film and have never had these problems with ordinary B&W films.

These scans are all positives. Please help if you have come across these problems before.

Peter

Forgot to say I use a Mamiya RZ67.

Fizz,

It's shame I like the IR effects on those shots.
For my 2 cents, check the film holder first about the stratches, consistent straight lines like that usually get caused by grit/dust in the film transport somewhere. I had some funny white spot patterns like those in #3 in the top right, it turned out the film was damaged as I was using it, looked like condensation from fridgeration.

#5 sounds like #1&2, probably film transport.

whats odd is that it isn't happening with regular film, perhaps IR film is softer?

Hope this helps

Marcus

Thanks Marcus, someone else suggested the scratches on the first scan may be caused by my film back so I'll give it a clean as best I can. The rest are still a mystery to me.

Train tracks on 120 film, which usually has paper backing, seldom come from the pressure plate. One thing could be that the pressure plate is in the 220 position, if your back has that setting, that is.

This would decrease the slit available to the film and may have caused the film gate to scratch the emulsion side. Do you know which side of the film the train tracks are on?

Mick.

Mick Fagan said:

Train tracks on 120 film, which usually has paper backing, seldom come from the pressure plate. One thing could be that the pressure plate is in the 220 position, if your back has that setting, that is.

This would decrease the slit available to the film and may have caused the film gate to scratch the emulsion side. Do you know which side of the film the train tracks are on?

Mick.

Click to expand...

Hi Mick, I only have 120 film backs. I can't remember which side the scratches are on but will check that tonight.

Curious. How the clipped corners? Dan

dancqu said:

Curious. How the clipped corners? Dan

Click to expand...

Thats vignetting from the filters on my wide angle lens.

Mick Fagan said:

Train tracks on 120 film, which usually has paper backing, seldom come from the pressure plate. One thing could be that the pressure plate is in the 220 position, if your back has that setting, that is.

This would decrease the slit available to the film and may have caused the film gate to scratch the emulsion side. Do you know which side of the film the train tracks are on?

Mick.

Click to expand...

I checked the film (scan no. 1) and cannot see or feel which side the scratches are on. Its hard to tell as they are so fine.

Peter

Interesting that you have tracks, but cannot see them.

Perhaps if you hold the film at an acute angle to a shaft of light, then have your focus, using either a loupe or your eyes, defocused, you then may be able to ascertain which side they are on by the refraction of light through the hard line they surely have?

Mick.

Sorry Mick, I wasn't very clear. I can see the scratches from both sides but can't figure out which side they are on as I can't feel them.

I have the same problem with 120 Rollei Pan 25. These are base scratches straight from head to tail. I know its not my camera the paper back protects the base. I took an unexposed roll took it apart and sure enough the same scratches on the base. It’s from the manufacture.

So, are Rollei, Maco, and Efke off the same
production line? Dan

Hi Fizz - I've been flirting with IR for the last year, using Maco and Rollei 120 film - I've had pretty much the same problems as you including the fact that my normal B & W film doesn't have the same problems - I've got 3 backs and have used each one for IR thinking it was the back's problem. Just used the same 3 backs on Delta 400 and 100 this week and all are pristine!
I'm just wondering if there are problems in the manufacturing stage of IR, regardless of brand name, with the emulsion itself - I'm not a technical person and don't like to blame the tools or materials for all my shortcomings but its very frustrating - I know all this is no consolation but sometimes it helps to know "its not just me". End result for me is that at $17 a roll here in Oz the Gremlin wins this one. good luck, Patricia

Hi Patricia,

Yes its good to know that its not just me. I have recently stocked up on Efke and Rollei IR films and will persevere for another while. I'm hoping the new batch of film will be better, time will tell.

Peter

Hi Peter,
I've experienced exactly the same problem with Rollei IR that you see on no.4. I've posted in my gallery a picture where it's visible in the sky. (there was a url link here which no longer exists)

In my case it was only one film; others from the same processing batch did not show this problem. I had put it down to condensation from using the film too soon after it had been refrigerated. In my case I had left about 4 hours but suspect that the very thick base of the film may have remained cold longer than other films I normally use. I now give the film a day to warm up.

Scan #2 looks exactly like a bird flew into the frame.

I've shot a fairly large amount of 4x5, 8x10, 7x17, and 12x20 Efke film over the last few years. It will scratch if looked at wrong. So alot of care is needed.

thefizz said:

Forgot to say I use a Mamiya RZ67.

Click to expand...

I use an RZ67 Pro II and have never had a problem with film scratches yet. It might be a QC issue with the film.
What`s causing the vignetting of those images?

Matt, you could be on to something.

Definitely no bird scooterman.

Keith, vignetting caused by filters on wide angle lens.