Fogging of 120 roll film (Velvia)

[jersey_emt]

I just had my third roll of film processed from my Yashica Mat 124G.

In each roll, the film has fogged. Each mark usually occurs near the

edges of film, but sometimes spreads all the way to the center. Each

mark differs in size and shape.

 

This is my first medium format camera, and I am trying to figure out

the problem. Here are my thoughts:

 

(1) Improper handling of the film. I loaded and unloaded the film out

of sunlight, usually shaded by the top of my camera bag. It was

placed in a closed compartment in the bag until development, where it

was carried across the street to the lab. How careful must you be

with 120 film? Is this sufficient, or is this the most likely cause?

 

(2) Light leaks in the camera. I would not think a camera light leak

caused this. Each fogged area differs in size and shape. Wouldn't a

light leak be more consistent in the size/shape of the fogged areas?

 

(3) A lab problem. I highly doubt this. It was processed at a pro

lab, a member of Kodak's Q-LAB monitoring. Plus, the third roll was

exposed and developed over a week later than the first two. If there

were a problem with the lab, it would have already been noticed and

corrected.

 

So which scenario do you think is right? Or do you think something

entirely different happened? I thank you for your thoughts.

 

Justin Franks

franks2@tcnj.edu

[barry schmetter]

Sounds like a light leak. 120 film is not *that* fussy about handling and when I've been sloppy, I only got a tiny bit of edge fogging. A light leak may produce different patterns depending on where and how the camera is handled between shots. A test roll loaded under your normal conditions and advanced and shot in complete darkness would give you your answer. If there is no fogging it's most likely a light leak.

[Spearhead]

I would agree that the light leak is most likely. However, I would change one variable at a time just to make sure. In particular, given how Kodak handles my Kodachrome, I seriously doubt their monitoring system would catch handling problems. I would guess they do a quick check on the chemicals. Try another lab.

[roger_michel]

it certainly could be a lite leak. over the years i have been amzed by the variability of the size shape and position of marks from lite leaks. it also COULD be handling (but i doubt it). all i'll say is that you need to make sure the film is wound tightly on the spool before you seal it AND after sealing, it should be kept in a dark place. but it's not THAT fussy. finally, i agree that there could certainly be a lab prob. as the comment above suggests, you need to change only one variable at a time. start by letting your lab develop a blank roll OR take a roll that has been thru your camera to a new lab. if you can do simple b&w developing at home, you could make the process much shorter and simpler by doing a few rolls yourself. good luck. p.s. if it is a lite leak, start by checking the seal around the door. that's where my yashicamat went first.

[christian deichert]

Sounds like a bad light leak. Unless you took all three rolls at regular intervals with you, the sun, and the camera in the same position, the light can get in a different way and expose less or more film. If you're standing right behind the camera and the sun is in front of you, the leak will not be as bad as it could be if you're standing beside the camera and the sun is right behind you, and you wait 10 minutes before shooting.