Spots on film. What is it?

[toyoboyo]

This whole roll has a bunch of these spots. They're quite small and barely noticeable on the negative as well.
It's an expired roll of 120 - TMax 400 from 11/2000 - that I've had in my freezer for a few months. The seller said it was freezer kept as well.

I'm going to shoot and develop another roll just to check. It was a really humid day out, but I wouldn't expect that to affect the emulsion/backing paper.

 

[AgX]

They are remarkable, as nearly all have a "comet" look, moreover with similar orientation of the "tail".

 

[Nicholas Lindan]

Looks like dirt on the film. See if you can see it on the film. Also check your scanner glass.

 

[toyoboyo]

@AgX Not all of them are like that. I think most of them approximate a circle

@Nicholas Lindan definitely not dirt on the negatives or scanner glass. They show up as small specks on the film that I can't get off.

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

Are you able to determine if the black specs are on the base side or the emulsion side of the film? A strong loupe will aide in this.

 

[toyoboyo]

It looks like it's on the base side (shiny side), but I can't be sure. My strongest loupe is 4x, and I don't have the best vision.

 

[mshchem]

My wife is a New Yorker, she would call it schmutz. I would change everything, film, water, chemicals. Film that old is tricky, although I am shooting up a twenty year old box of TMax 400 4x5 . The darn backing paper thing?
I don't know but I would take the worst frame and try washing it out.
It isn't dirt in the camera is it?

 

[mshchem]

If it's dirt that is on the "shiny side" it should wash off.

 

[toyoboyo]

I'll give it a try. I'm also going to shoot another roll of the same batch to see if it was a handling error.
I'm pretty sure it didn't have to do with any of the other equipment. I developed a roll of 35mm in the same tank without any of the same issues, and I had some rolls come back from the lab from the same camera that were fine.

 

[mshchem]

I'll give it a try. I'm also going to shoot another roll of the same batch to see if it was a handling error.
I'm pretty sure it didn't have to do with any of the other equipment. I developed a roll of 35mm in the same tank without any of the same issues, and I had some rolls come back from the lab from the same camera that were fine.

That's good info. Shouldn't be chemistry if you have clean 35mm from the same development batch.

 

[AgX]

Being "dirt" hardly can explain that comet-look.