Stripes - scanner or developing problem?

Hi! I did my first film yesterday and noticed a little problem after scanning. There are couple of dark stripes going across the frame and I don't know where they come from.

These were shot in Kodak T-max 400 and developed in Rodinal 1:50 for 10 minutes. I first agiated 30 seconds and the 5 secs every 30 secs. Scanner was CanoScan 4200F flatbelt. The glass of the scanner is pretty dirty, but I didn't see those stripes in the glass. I also checked the negatives with magnifyer and didn't see any stripes. Any idea where's the problem?

Check the negatives against a light source (try different angles) and you might be able to see scratches. Also check the pressure plate of your camera for anything that seems to protrude. It might also be some grit that was there, so better make sure that the camera is clean. It doesn't look like a development fault.

FWIW I have had similar probs...for me it was the scanner. I tried a scan of a blank frame on my neg scanner (Agfa Snapscan w/neg adaptor) and there it was. I've been told that it was indicative of one or two or more LEDs and/or sensors failing (hence the straight lines). I managed a workaround by trying many many different resolutions of the scan and found some that worked but ultimately I junked my scanner and bought a stand alone neg scanner. There are other workarounds using layers in PS CS4 but that is another website! cheers, sam

Those sure don't look like scratches or anything on the negatives to me. It looks like a problem with the scanner's CCD.

Thanks for the help! I guess it's time for a new scanner! Unfortunaltely I cannot afford neg scanner so I have to settle for flat belt. I guess Epson V350 or Canon 5600F would be fine for me.

I had a similar problem with one of my N90s Nikons. Some microscopic junk in the film's path.

If the lines are always the same in every frame I'd clean everything in the film path first.

markbarendt said:

I had a similar problem with one of my N90s Nikons. Some microscopic junk in the film's path.

If the lines are always the same in every frame I'd clean everything in the film path first.

Click to expand...

Thanks..I'll check the camera!

Problem solved! It's definately the scanner! One guy on Finnish forum suggested me to do a normal scan, turn the negative upside down and do another scan. Stripes appeared in different place than in the first one, so it's not my negatives. I also tried Vuescan, but that didn't change a thing.

Thanks again for your help..I head to my nearst scanner shop

Before you go out and spend a bunch of money, check to make sure that there isn't any dust on the scan head. What you're looking at is a small speck of something that's travelling along with the scan head as it passes along the film. If you can, try and clean the scan head and see if it eliminates the problem. If you're using a dedicated film scanner, take out the carrier and shine a light into where the light source and the scan head are and see if you can see anything. Even some of the older flatbed scanners allowed you to remove the scanner glass to get at any dust that may have gotten inside.

On some scanners at least, there is a "calibration" area where the scanner looks through the glass at the backlight. If there is dirt on this area, then it can cause lines like you are seeing. Try cleaning the scanner glass thoroughly (possibly on the inside also) before buying a new one, unless this is a happy excuse to upgrade your scanner

It looks like the same marks appear in both scans.

I assume that, for the street scene, the scanner traveled down the image as it appears on-screen and , for the building facade, the scanner traveled across. Correct?

You can use PS to superimpose both images and you will find almost identical marks.

It could have been caused by dirt in the film path as the film traveled through the camera or by grit on the lips of the film cartridge but I wouldn't expect the marks to be virtually identical if that was true.

I suggest a test. Scan something else which you know doesn't have scratches or damage. Try scanning a piece of white paper on the flatbed or try a piece of film which you have scanned before without problem. If the marks appear in a scan of known-good media then the problem has been confirmed to be in the scanner.

If the problem is confirmed to be in the scanner, I can only guess where the problem lies. It could be "dead pixels" in the scanning element. It could be dirt inside the scanner. (Dust particles on the scanning bar.) According to the specifications, the device has a cold cathode lamp so I doubt that there is a problem with the light source. If that was true I wouldn't expect the marks to be so regular.

If the problem is because of dirt, you might be able to clean the scanner and restore it to full function if you are careful. If the problem is because of dead pixels on the scanning element, I have no suggestions for you. In that case, I would say the scanner is done for.

I took the scanner apart and I was able to clean both sides of the glass. I also carefully tried to clean everything visble, but it didn't help. I did a test (thanks Worker 11811) with yellow flash gel and the same stripes appeared on that too. So I think that settles it.

Any suggestions for a new scanner? I cheked couple of local stores and Canon LiDE 700F, Canon 4400F and Epson V300 would fit budget.