Testing if a black and white film can still be used.

[nikos_k]

<p>Is there a way to test a part of the film if it can be shot and developed prior to exposing the entire roll? I have used one roll of 135 Svema Foto 125 and came out with almost no image at all. I have another one and I am thinking if there is a way to test if it is still useable or send it to the dust bin.</p>

[maesphoto]

<p>In such cases I do the following.<br>

I cut a small ( a few cm) of the film I want to use.<br>

I put the developer I want to use ( exactly at the °C I want to use) also in a small cup or glass and soak the piece of film in it You will see after how much time the piece of film turns black.<br>

Fix it and you will see if your developer produces some blackening (image).<br>

If not try another concentration of developer.<br>

Look also at the website of digital truth and check with the massive development chart</p>

[nikos_k]

<p>Thank you! The previous film I had developed came out dark but not completely black with faint traces of images on it. For sure, additional development time would make it only darker. What could be wrong with that film? Is it excessive fog due to age and bad storage?</p>

[maesphoto]

<p>Do you have any idea how old this film is? Of course the fog can be caused by bad storage and age. If you have several likely films try to shoot the same scene, with 1, 2 and 3 stops under and also overexposure and see what happens after development.<br>

Good luck</p>

[glen_h]

<p>Does "almost no image at all" mean that the negative is very dark, or very light?<br>

For 35mm, it is easy to snip off after exposing a few frames and develop that. <br>

But I have developed film over 50 years old, and had surprisingly good results. But a short time at a high temperature can kill film faster than many years at ordinary temperature. <br>

If the negatives are light, almost clear, it is not likely that the film is bad. Either way under exposed, or wrong development time or temperature.</p>

[dhbebb]

<p>As film gets older, the base fog (density in unexposed parts and edges) slowly gets higher, while the effective film speed gradually falls (less density in exposed parts). Film which has been stored under reasonably cool dry conditions will be usable (but not as good as fresh film) for some time after the "use by" date. In your case, unless raising the price of a fresh roll of film is not possible, I would throw away the old film without a second thought.</p>

[craig_shearman1]

<p>Nikos -- you say it came out "with almost no image at all" then you say it was "dark but not completely black." Which is it?<br /><br />If you develop an unexposed roll of B&W film, the film will come out almost perfectly clear, with the only image being the edge printing (name of the type of film, frame number, etc.). That's what "no image" is. If the film comes out completely black in the image area but clear along the edges except for the edge printing, then it has been extremely overexposed. if they entire film is completely black or close to it, including the edges, then the roll has been exposed to light or so very badly fogged otherwise.<br /><br />Yes, you can do a "clip test' of a short piece of film. But honestly one roll of B&W film isn't valuable enough to make it worth the effort. If in doubt, throw it out.</p>

[nikos_k]

<p>I had exposed two of the three rolls. The first came out with faint images and a not completely black leader. I hard thought to give more light and development. Then the second came out dark, but not black. You could make out again slight notions of shapes, but one could not say they were images.<br>

Re-thinking what you've said, indeed the last roll isn't valuable enough to make it for another try. Better sorry for a film lost than those moments on it.</p>

[glen_h]

<p>"Not completely black leader" sounds like underdevelopment, unless you load in almost dark conditions.<br>

You have been asking about the film, but not about development conditions. It is probably easier to develop wrong than to make film unusable, except maybe in tropical areas. <br>

At cool room temperature, medium speed films should last 30 to 40 years.<br>

In hot summer sun in the car, maybe 10 minutes.</p>

[baisao]

<p>I developed some unknown film tonight that arrived with the used bulk loader that I bought. I developed the unexposed film in DD-X(1+4) for 10 min., fixed it for 6 min, and rinsed it.</p>

<p>The leader came out black but the unexposed parts came out significantly fogged: very dense, almost opaque negative with no identifying markings on the edges.</p>

<p>Strips of the film undeveloped but fixed come out clear.</p>

<p>Is there a way to tell if this has been fogged from age/heat or accidental exposure to light by the previous owner?</p>

<p> </p>

[mario_a1]

<p>Did some searching and I'm just going to register and contribute a bit of my frustration<br /><br />Years ago I bought around forty rolls of expired Svema/Tacma films, of which I started with Svema 64 and it shot and developed really well - a bit grainy, but no fog or any other problems.<br /><br />Which brings me to today. Having used to just shoot and develop at standard R09 1:25 6.5min @ 22C with Svema and getting excellent results, Tacma 64 came out completely ruined - I did no test shoot and had not anticipated such a failure.<br /><br />So I took up to see if I am doing something wrong - because last Svema roll (and couple during the years) I shot yesterday came out as bad as first Tacma I shot today: it is really dense and it's either developing and/or film problem: figures can be seen, frame numbers are barely visible as the whole film is quite dark. It fixes okay, but no time/dilution/temperature variation works. Well.. it's one batch, so must be gone bad. Took some Svema 125 and test shot came out the same.<br /><br />It may very well be that Tacma 64 and Svema 125 batches I have are just bad, but linear failure prompts me to developing mishap?<br /><br />May there be something I'm missing, or I can throw other films just to trash?<br />Developing routine is same - except I have no order on how I agitate, but that wouldn't produce denseness/fogg outside the frame on the film? <br /><br /><br /><br>

<img src="https://www.upload.ee/image/5877636/2016-06-11_20.42.05.jpg" alt="" /></p>