So why are all my slides blue?!

I just got a roll of Velvia 100 back from the mail off fuji lab

(Arizona), and all my slides are blue. Every single one of them.

What's that? Is this bad film, bad processing, heat during travel?

Any idea. I'd post a sample, but you'd just see that it's blue. Any

thoughts would be helpful. To whom should I be complaining? By the

way, this is the third time I've used the lab, and the other two

rolls were fine. Seriously, though, if a sample post would help I'll

get on that.

 

Thanks.

I don't know about Velvia 100, but Velvia 50 will turn quite blue if you're underexposed or have a lot of shadows.

Do you mean that they seem sorta shifted to blue tones, or are they just completely blue? Any of the Fuji slide films (but especially Provia and Velvia) seem to shift toward blue under overcast conditions, in shade, or when underexposed, as mentioned. Barring those things being different than previous tries, it could theoretically be the lab.

<< Is this bad film,>>

 

Naw, just sounds depressed.

"Naw, just sounds depressed."

 

Oh dear. I actually laughed! Does that make me a photodork or am I still a wannabe? ;)

It's not the film that's depressed!

 

I don't think it's just a blue cast. Some of the shots were during the afternoon in sun, and they're still very blue. I'll try to scan something tomorrow and post it.

If the slides are noticeably blue, I would suspect a processing error or less likely a bad roll of film. A problem with the color developer or reversal bath can cause a noticeable blue cast.

You didn't accidentally leave the 80A filter on for the whole roll?

 

Come to think of it, I once had a roll come out bluish, which just happened to have been shot in a snowstorm, always figured the cold did it in. This was color negative film, 20 years ago.

Were the images shot in open shade conditions? Open shade is lit by sky light, which is blue and is ussually corrected by an 81 series filter (I ussually use an 81b or 81c). Overcast light is slightly blue as well, though not nearly as blue as open shade, and often looks good with an 81a.

 

Peter

Check the markings on the film's edge. Are these blue, too? In that case it's a development error.

Here's a sample (hopefully). Notice the main barn is in full sun and still screwy.<div></div>

By the way, when you say to check the markings on the film edges, do you mean the "black" area where the slide mount attaches? It's hard to tell, even when compared to a normal slide, because the picture itself is so blue I'm not sure if that's influencing the way it looks. I think it's black like normal, but there could be an ever slo slight blue tinge to it. But black is definitely the dominant cast, if there's even a blue one at all. Would a development error be noticeable there? Thanks again.

Oh, yeah....that is bluuuue. Looks like a development problem but I do not know E-6 well enough to know at which stage of the process this would have occured. Anyone else?

Are you sure it wasn't cross processed by mistake? (C-41) It doesn't look like expired film or a bad roll. You said it was the entire roll, so I would suspect it was a processing error. The Fuji lab most likely develops negative film as well and could have mixed the roll with them.

 

Regards,

 

Gary

With "markings" I mean the numbers and letters pre-exposed on the film when it's made. These are printed in yellow/orange. Obviously any filters or lighting can't affect these, so when they're blue on your film, it's a development problem.

Anyone by chance no how to get ahold of the lab to complain? There's no phone number on any of hte info/mailers I have, only a PO box address. I guess I'll just send them a letter with a slide and see what happens. Thanks for help.

Wow, that's blue alright. Yeah, pretty much looks like a development error. As I indicated, a blue cast can be a result of a development error, most likely in the color developer stage or the reversal stage of the process, or both. I develop my own E6 and although I've never yet screwed up a roll (knocks on wood), I'm certainly aware of the consequences. According to Kodak's visual troubleshooting guide, the following could be the cause (to name just a few):

 

color developer pH to low, color developer temp to high, to much color developer starter used, color developer mixed wrong, under-replenished color developer, over-concentrated reversal bath, first wash temp too low (cyan cast)

 

Regardless of the specific cause, you may wish to contact the lab to make them aware of this.

Check those film edges to make sure you didn't get hold of some tungsten film by mistake.

Looks like cross processed in C-41 by mistake.

You have a positive image, so it is not cross processed.

 

You have a blue positive image, so it is one of several things.

 

1. Bad film, either through keeping or manufacturing.

 

2. Bad processing.

 

4. Fogged somehow.

 

5. Tungsten film shot outdoors.

 

If the process or film are bad, then the edges around the frames will also be blue, not black, and the frame marking will differ in color from your normal films of the same general type.

 

Hope that helps.

 

Ron Mowrey

Exactly what Ron said above, but in addition:

 

I see absolutely no yellow dye in that image. Blues are blue, and the barn is almost magenta. As somebody who knows E-6 processing, I find it hard to believe that the magenta and cyan layers (middle & bottom layers) could develop completely, and reverse properly, and still have this be a developing problem. Also, it is really hard to fog a reversal film blue by accident, and still get this kind of image, so I rule out fog.

 

What's left is bad film, either due to a manufacturing error (missing yellow layer) or due to keeping (desensitized yellow layer). Either way, Fuji owes you an explanation. You should be able to work through your dealer of Fujichrome professional film and file your complaint. If you have other rolls of the same film purchased at the sme time, they might be interested in taking them back, testing them, and giving you credit plus some gift of "good will."

Not to complicate things, but while you're right that there's no yellow in this slide, there were some exposures of flowers near a log that clearly had yellow. They were yellow Choreopsis (sp?) and the yellow was clearly visible. It had the same deep blue cast to it. So does that change anything? I've mailed a letter and a sample slide to the Fuji processing lab just to see what they say. The film was purchased from B$H grey market. I've purchased lots of film grey before and never had any trouble, but could it be possible this film was damaged on the long voyage from over seas? Well, I suppose anything is possible. Is it likely? I store all my film in the freezer and have never had any trouble so I don't think it was storage issues on my part. Ah well, we'll see what the lab says. Any other ideas would be welcome too.

ill bet that it's the developing. my friend has told me all about E6 and ilfachrome processing, he did it in school. he said that to process E6 it's a lot more sensitive than B&W, and that if you are a degree in or out with development temperature, then your whole film will come out blue.

 

There's a thought!

 

regards pj

Aaron;

 

Open up a slide that is blue and look at the edge markings. Compare them to a 'good' slide of the same type and see if they differ. If they do, it is as Dan and I said, the film or process is bad. The film being bad could be keeping or manufacturing.

 

If the edges are similar or the same, then you exposed Tungsten film to Daylight conditions.

 

Ron Mowrey

I'm probably missing something, but i don't see any edge markings at all. I unmounted one of the slides from the cardboard mount and all I see is border--no numbers or anything, which I'm used to seeing on negative film. Am I looking for something different? Woudl it be unusual for a lab not to put any edge markings on the film?