White Spots on Arista EDU 100

John Wiegerink said:

Dan,
TF4 is a great fixer and I've heard no complaints about its performance. Are you thinking of going with a rapid fixer with hardener to prevent the slight scratches in the corner of that shot? I don't think it makes any difference much as to what fixer if you accidentally scratch a negative. A harder will only go just so far. Nothing wrong with TF4 and I'd stick with it.

Click to expand...

koraks said:

I see something that looks like held-back development due to foaming/bubbles, possibly associated with the sheet not being submerged well during part of development. There's also some scratching near the corner.


I might have missed it, but what kind of tank and adapter are you using specifically?

Click to expand...

The small scratch in the corner is from the hanging clip. I'm not too concerned with it, but the possibility of foaming/bubbles is more worrying. I'm using a Mod54 adapter with a 3 reel/1 liter Paterson tank. I've tested to make sure 1 liter actually covers all the film. The sheet in question was not dislodged or shifted out of position. It was the only sheet showing this issue.

FotoD said:

Do you invert the tank during the first minute?
Only using the twiddle stick never gave me clean negs with a Paterson tank. I would first use the stick for a few seconds, then attach the lid and invert for the rest of the first minute, and then whack the tank against the table several times. (Actually against som EVA foam after cracking one of my tanks)

Could it be that your agitation scheme is a bit too gentle to dislodge the air bubbles?
Was this neg developed with a drop of Photo Flo in the pre-rinse?

Click to expand...

I started using the twizzle stick in response to air bells with 120. I typically use it for the full first minute before a few solid taps on the base. If this mottling is bubble/foam related, it's much much different than the first round. The markings are less distinct and only seem to effect a single sheet. As for inversion, I was trying to find a middle ground between solid agitation and being gentle to avoid dislodging the sheets. They're just held in with tension and sometimes shift if the inversions are too intense.

I intentionally avoided using PF this time in an attempt to troubleshoot one element at a time. Now that I can tell that the presoak is indeed very helpful, I'll add PF on my next round. If that doesn't work, I'll try varying my agitation scheme as you suggest.

ic-racer said:

Looks like bad film. Not sure how one could reproduce that on good film.

Click to expand...

I have had very faulty Arista 100 before, but I thought the issues were limited to 120. I'll try shooting some Ilford with a similar processing method and compare the results.

Dan,
Yes, I was looking at the scratches and couldn't really see the defects. I later looked again at a larger version than my screen first pulled up and now see what you were talking about. Sorry!

John Wiegerink said:

Dan,
Yes, I was looking at the scratches and couldn't really see the defects. I later looked again at a larger version than my screen first pulled up and now see what you were talking about. Sorry!

Click to expand...

No worries. I scanned the image and uploaded a close up of the unevenness. I also noticed fine green dots all over the negative. They're on at least one of the other sheets as well. I'm wondering if this is just a Foma/Arista QC issue. I'm looking back at Ilford 4x5 negatives from a few months ago and I have none of these issues.

I would empty the Xtol bottle into a clear container and let it settle to see if there are undissolved particles.

In fact, it wouldn't be a bad idea to filter all your current chemistry through coffee filters and rinse out the bottles before refilling.

Post in thread 'Fomapan 100 4x5 sheet black/magenta spots on the negative'
Post in thread 'Has anyone solved the Foma purple spots problem?'

Kino said:

I would empty the Xtol bottle into a clear container and let it settle to see if there are undissolved particles.

In fact, it wouldn't be a bad idea to filter all your current chemistry through coffee filters and rinse out the bottles before refilling.

Click to expand...

I don't see how particles would cause this. Then again, it's difficult to figure out what might be the cause.

Btw, I used the MOD54 holder for a while, but gave up on it at some point because it's just prone to uneven development issues.

ca. 1/2 of a 4x5" sheet; note the streaking that correlates with 'fingers' on the MOD54.
It worked OK much of the time - just not always.

PS: do not rely on the twizzle stick esp. when using the MOD54 holder. Agitate once every minute or once every 30 seconds with inversions; don't be too gentle so as to avoid problems with unevenness and bubbles that stick around, but also don't be too wild so as to dislodge sheets from the holder.

PPS: give tray development a try if you can bear darkness for a few minutes.

Kino said:

I would empty the Xtol bottle into a clear container and let it settle to see if there are undissolved particles.

In fact, it wouldn't be a bad idea to filter all your current chemistry through coffee filters and rinse out the bottles before refilling.

Click to expand...

I doubt this is a particulate issue. Fresh developer used as a one-shot from a clean bottle. No issues on any other films across hundreds of cycles and a variety of formats.

FotoD said:

Post in thread 'Fomapan 100 4x5 sheet black/magenta spots on the negative'

Click to expand...

Thanks @FotoD. It's reassuring to learn that this is a known issue. I'll try Foma's recommended wash to try and salvage my effected negatives.

RLeal said:

I contacted Foma about this issue and they reply with the following,

"(...)our Quality dept. has found out that the described magenta spots are residues of not decolorized anti-halo layer used by our sheet film FOMAPAN 100. Considering your mentioned LOT/emulsion number (021754-02) we have to admit that in this formula we used more hardened anti-halo layer and that´s why decolorizing is not so easy."

Foma will replace my 4x5 negatives box.

They also described a way to try clean the negatives,

In case of your already exposed & processed negatives we recommend to you the following procedure to remove the residues of remaining anti-halo layer:

1. Prepare a working solution with at least 40% ethanol (optimally 70%).
2. Carefully insert the sheet film foils into a tray or cylinder container with a sufficient amount of ethanol solution using the anti-halogen layer up (emulsion side down) into the tray or into the cylinder.
3. Keep the negatives in this solution for about 45 minutes and make a slight movement every 4-5 minutes.
4. Wash the negative sheets under running tap water for 2-3 minutes.
5. Perform standard drying, including previous application of wetting agent solution (FOTONAL).

Click to expand...

koraks said:

I don't see how particles would cause this. Then again, it's difficult to figure out what might be the cause.

Btw, I used the MOD54 holder for a while, but gave up on it at some point because it's just prone to uneven development issues.
View attachment 418744
ca. 1/2 of a 4x5" sheet; note the streaking that correlates with 'fingers' on the MOD54.
It worked OK much of the time - just not always.

PS: do not rely on the twizzle stick esp. when using the MOD54 holder. Agitate once every minute or once every 30 seconds with inversions; don't be too gentle so as to avoid problems with unevenness and bubbles that stick around, but also don't be too wild so as to dislodge sheets from the holder.

PPS: give tray development a try if you can bear darkness for a few minutes.

Click to expand...

I've had similar issues with the Mod54, but I thought the uneven development was caused by over-vigorous agitation causing the films to shift out of their grooves. I figured I had solved the problem by shifting to a combination twizzle stick/gentle inversion method. But looking closely at my most recent batch I still see some uneven development.

I'm going to probably cut my losses on this box of Arista 100, and use the remainding sheets to practice my tray development technique (previous attempts have led to scratched negatives). I also have a Yankee 1.5 liter "slosher" style tank which has yielded good results in the past.

Back to Ilford for me.

See how the tray development goes. I bet this isn't caused by the film. I've shot a lot of Fomapan sheet film and it just doesn't do this. It's fine. This problem is not the film.