TMAX 400 fogging issue...

[stephen_komp]

<p>Hi Everyone -</p>

<p>I found four rolls of TMAX 400 in the back of my drawer and processed it the other day. I can tell by the subject matter that it was shot about 5-6 years ago. I processed it normally in Sprint developer and it has a fair amount of fogging - nothing so bad they can't be printed but it is noticeable. I kind of thought fogging wouldn't be an issue with film that was only shot 5-6 years ago. <br>

Does this sound normal? <br>

By the way, the film was not stored in adverse conditions. The temperature was consistent and was not high. </p>

<p>Thanks In Advance - Steve</p>

[Jochen_S]

<p>How long was it expired before you shot it? AFAIK fast films are more prone to fogging.</p>

[stephen_komp]

<p>Jochen - It was not expired when it was shot. I'm not sure how close it was to expiration but I never shoot expired film. Don't know if that helps or not.</p>

[john_shriver]

<p>Cosmic rays slowly but surely fog fast films. But, so will room temperature storage for that long. A fridge or freezer would have been better.</p>

[glen_h]

<p>I would have thought you would look pretty carefully to notice at 6 years.</p>

<p>I have used 24 year old TMY, and was not so surprised to see fogging, but even then they were still printable. </p>

<p>Many recommend HC-110 for older films to reduce the fogging effects.</p>

<p>You can post a scan, so we can see them.</p>

[Fotohuis RoVo]

<p>HC-110 contains Benzotriazole which suppresses the fog. However you will loose at bit film speed. You can also add Benzotriazole to most developers to suppress fog on old films/paper.<br>

As already told cosmic radiation will fog fast films in time. Putting in a freezer is already a better solution however only slow speed films (iso 25) you can store in a freezer over a long period (20 years) without noticeable quality loss.</p>

[stephen_komp]

<p>So I shot an image of the film on my light table. However, it won't let me post it. I went to insert the image and it asks for a URL. The image is on my desktop. I've never posted an image here. Is there something I'm missing?</p><div></div>

[stephen_komp]

<p>O.K., so it let me post the image. The film on the right is the fogged film. The film on the left was shot at the same time but processed right away. That's what I've been using as my comparison.</p>

[Fotohuis RoVo]

Estimated it will be around 0,2-0,3 logD. Nothing special for a 6 years old iso 400 B&W film. When you are printing via an

enlarger you will loose almost 1F stop comparing to the first film strip.

Adding Benzotriazole can help to reduce the base for by approx. half value.

[glen_h]

<p>Holding my 24 year old negative up to the screen, I roughly estimate it has three or four times the fog. so about right. </p>

<p>Mostly, I find that things that are supposed to be black have little white spots in them. </p>

<p>The old TMY that I have is in 120 form, and usually gets used in old cameras designed for slower films. If you increase the exposure one stop, you should do a little better, getting above the fog level. Otherwise, try to avoid images of things with large solid black areas. </p>

<p>Here is one from 20 year old TMZ at EI 3200, in HC-110 (B). TMZ is well known for not aging well, even frozen. </p><div></div>

[glen_h]

<p>This is 40 year old Verichrome Pan, VP116, and in Diafine as I didn't have any HC-110.</p>

<p>VP ages much better than many other films.</p><div></div>