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Yellow lint from film in India


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Greetings from India (Jodhpur). I'd appreciate your thoughts on a

strange dust problem that I've been seeing on film purchased in India.

 

Using a Rebel 2000 (I've already gone thru one body so decided to

stay with something light and cheap) and each time after shooting a

roll, there is a small amount of yellow dust/lint left behind -- on a

corner of the pressure plate and also a few bits on the area above

the shutter window. Not a huge amount, but enough to make me

concerned.

 

I am fastidious when it comes to keeping my camera clean (it's

spotless before loading a new roll), and what's more this problem

started happening only with film purchased in India. I should add

that I haven't been in the desert or any overly dusty areas, and I've

also inspected the area between lens and shutter curtain by opening

the shutter via "bulb". No dust in there.

 

I've been using Kodak 100, 400 and Fuji 400 Crystal (no Fuji NPH

here :( All film was in date, bought in legitimate storefronts, and

from different cities. No street film, etc.

 

Has anyone seen/heard of this problem? What could it be?

 

Appreciate your thoughts --

 

Keith

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Yikes! Film from my country getting a bad name :-(

 

Keith, I've never experienced this, I buy all my film in the city of Calcutta though. Am wondering what could be the problem. Did you notice any dust/lint in the canisters when you loaded the film?

 

One remote possibility I can think of: In India a certain fluffy yellow fabric has long been in vogue for covering camera equipment in stores and by street photographers -- being fluffy, it provides a little amount of impact resistance as well. This fabric is notorious for lint. I'm not sure if the film picked this lint up at the store ... again, this is a very remote possibility though.

 

Dust indeed is a major problem here and during dry seasons (such as winter, it is in the middle of winter here) tends to gather in places where static electricity gets accumulated such as film surface, maybe pressure plate etc. So that could be another reason ...

 

I wish I could pin down the problem. Unfortunately the only "best practice" seems to be being very careful during loading film.

 

BTW Fuji 400 Crystal is the same emulsion as Fuji Superia Xtra 400, rebadged and manufactured under license in India by Zindal Photo Films.

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Since you describe the dust being left behind "on a corner of the pressure plate," I suspect that your camera may be abrading the film emulsion, leaving behind the dust you describe. Check if the pressure plate is out of alignment. Also check your negatives for any sign of scratching or abrasion on the emulsion surface. For orientation of the negatives in your camera, remember that lenses turn the image upside-down! This will give you more clues about the location of the (probable) abrasive cause inside your camera. Also examine the perforation holes for damage, as anything misaligned in the winding sprockets can easily generate the dust you describe, especially in a motor wind/rewind camera.
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If this is posted twice, my apologies. I'm not seeing my first response.

 

I was speculating that the problem might be abraded emulsion, but since the byproduct is yellow dust/lint (even a few threads) I had ruled it out. Is yellow dust/lint with a few small yellow fibers what you'd expect to see from abraded emulsion?

 

This theory makes the most sense though since it's happening across brands of film. Unfortunately a fix will have to wait until I get home. Anyone know of any "in the field" fixes I can do for a misaligned pressure plate?

 

Also, glad to hear that Crystal = Superia. The Crystal packaging advertises a 4th color layer so I was hoping it was similar to one of the more familiar Fuji emulsions.

 

Thanks.

 

Keith

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Regarding "a few small threads"...

 

OK, those may be threads of fiber, in which case I don't know the source of the problem.

 

However, what appears as threads might actually be skivings of emulsion or even the acetate film base. That you might have shavings of this nature gives a clue as to the potential source of the problem; the edge of the film may be rubbing against something in your camera, or the film is not unspooling/spooling squarely on the unwind or take-up spools.

 

There is a simple test to see if the lint you are collecting is actually gelatin based emulsion. If it is, it should dissolve quickly in plain bleach (Clorox or sodium hypochlorite). The thread-like skivings may be partly emulsion and partly plastic film base. The plastic would not dissolve. Obviously, you don't put bleach in your camera, but rather collect the lint on a piece of clean clear adhesive tape. Then you can put a drop or two of bleach on the particles on the adhesive to see if they dissolve.

 

If you have a good magnifying glass (loupe?) or even a microscope, that would help you identify the nature of the "lint."

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