Recurrent black smearing / streaking on last frames of Kodak 35 mm films (since ~2020)

[Joerg Bergs]

Hello everyone,

I would like to report a recurring issue that I have been observing for several years now and would like to know whether others have seen something similar.

Observation:
On virtually all Kodak 35 mm films I have used since approximately 2020 – color negative and black & white alike – I see dark smearing or streak-like marks on the last frames of the roll, typically frames 37–39.
The marks are always located near the end of the film, i.e. the section that sits closest to the spool core when fully wound.

Key characteristics:

• Appears on almost every Kodak 35 mm film, regardless of emulsion (Portra, Tri-X, T-Max, etc.)
• Always limited to the final frames of the roll on the emulsion side
• The pattern looks like black smearing or streaking, not typical light leaks. There is no silver visible on the emulsion
• Consistent position relative to the film end

What can be ruled out:
This issue is independent of development method.
It occurs with hanger development, dip-and-dunk or transport systems, and in JOBO tanks.
It occurs with different developers, chemistries, agitation styles.

Because of this, it does not appear to be a development or processing artifact.

It is also not camera-specific and appears across different cameras and workflows.

Hypothesis and open questions:
Given that the marks only affect the film end, appear regardless of processing, and are consistent across Kodak 35 mm films, I suspect a mechanical or material-related cause.
Possible factors could include film base or backing layer behavior near the spool core, pressure, friction, or adhesion at the film end, or changes in Kodak’s 35 mm film manufacturing, backing, or attachment to the spool core in recent years.

Questions to the community:

• Has anyone else observed similar marks on recent Kodak 35 mm films?
• Are there known changes in Kodak’s 35 mm cassette, film base, or backing since around 2020?

I am deliberately not drawing conclusions and would appreciate any shared observations or technical insights.

Thank you very much.

 

[koraks]

This is a wild guess, but it may be emulsion damage incurred during confectioning / spooling the film into the cassettes. Since it's significantly beyond the part of the film that's typically used, Kodak may simply not care.

 

[runswithsizzers]

You say, "black smearing" but you mean black on the inverted (positive), right? If it is black on the negative film emulsion, then I would expect it to show up as white on the inverted image.

What does the film look like in good light, up close with a loupe? Can you see physical damage to the emusion?

Are you buying the film in factory cassettes or are you loading from bulk?

When you have removed the film from the cassette, and when you get to the end where it attaches to the spool, do you remove the tape from the end of the film? Or do you cut the tape and leave some tape attached to the film?

This is a wild guess, but it may be emulsion damage incurred during confectioning / spooling the film into the cassettes. Since it's significantly beyond the part of the film that's typically used, Kodak may simply not care.

Usually, when someone gets more than 36 frames from a roll of 135 film, don't the extra frames come from the start of the roll, and not the spool end?

 

[snusmumriken]

Are the marks on just a single frame on each roll, or more than one frame?

 

[Nicholas Lindan]

If your camera winds the film emulsion side out on the take-up spool then this may be caused by the emulsion scraping against the body of the camera.

 

[brbo]

Usually, when someone gets more than 36 frames from a roll of 135 film, don't the extra frames come from the start of the roll, and not the spool end?

I've heard of people rewinding film after 36exp. And even cameras that do that automatically. They obviously have reasons. None that make sense to me, but hey...

I take great pleasure squeezing 39 frames (and sometimes 40) out of a 36exp roll, but have never observed this on my films.

 

[pentaxuser]

Photrio is not of course the whole population that uses film but it seems strange that nobody here has observed this problem or commented on it, so I have doubts that this is a manufacturing problem that has affected all Kodak films

pentaxuser

 

[runswithsizzers]

I've heard of people rewinding film after 36exp. And even cameras that do that automatically. They obviously have reasons. None that make sense to me, but hey...

I take great pleasure squeezing 39 frames (and sometimes 40) out of a 36exp roll, but have never observed this on my films.

I get 37 or sometimes 38 by taking the first exposure before the film counter gets to "0" That is, I use the leader at the start of the roll to add one or two frames. Once the film advance lever stops, I am done. I don't know of any way to force extra frames at the end of the roll.

One other minor factor that might get an extra frame with some cameras is how much space there is between the frames. If camera A adds a 3mm space between frames, and camera B adds only 2mm, then camera B is going to have an extra 36mm at the end of a 36 exposure roll.

And cameras which have shorter spacing between the film cartridge and the takeup spool will have shorter leaders, and therfore possibly an extra frame(?)

But if @Joerg Bergs is routinely getting "37–39" frames on different cameras, then that makes me think maybe he is winding his film from bulk, and loading a little long? If so, then his marks may be related to the way he loads the cassettes?

 

[koraks]

Usually, when someone gets more than 36 frames from a roll of 135 film, don't the extra frames come from the start of the roll, and not the spool end?

Depends I guess. I don't know how much excess Kodak spools up at the end.

But if @Joerg Bergs is routinely getting "37–39" frames on different cameras, then that makes me think maybe he is winding his film from bulk

37 frames or more is pretty feasible on normal 36exp rolls depending on how frugally you load the film.