Problems with Ilford

[CaSousa]

So I shot my first roll of Ilford Delta 400 last week, and am terribly dissapointed. On the upper 1/3 of every frame is a gradient of underexposure, with the edge almost pure black. I shot this roll on 3 seperate occasions (mid-roll changes), and this problem exists through every frame. I know it's not the camera, because the Velvia I shot in between came out fine. Could this possibly be a bad roll of film? Bad developing agent? or Bad processing? I don't have access to a darkroom, and therefore have to send it out... so i'm at the mercy of whoever is doing the printing.

I'd like to continue using the ilford if the opportunity is there, but if this is a processing issue... i'll have to be switching labs.

I'll try to get an example on here if I can get the scanner working again today.

Any help would be great!

-Chris

[Gerry Widen]

I primarily use Delta 400 and with over 30 rolls never had a problem. If I understand you correctly the top edge of the film is clear resulting in a darker area when printed? If that is the case and the effect is gradual it sounds like the top edge of the film was not covered completely with developer. The gradual edge would be semi developed because of agitation and the top completely clear (on the film) because no developer reached that part.Sounds to me the fault of the processor.

Developing negatives at home is easy and doesn't cost that much. You load the film in the dark on reels and place in a small SS or plastic tank. Once the tank is loaded the rest of the developing is done in the light. You can pick up everything you need on ebay for under $50. Chemicals depending on what you use could cost as little as $10 and be useful for over a dozen rolls. Everything can be stored in a container the size of a plastic milk crate.

[another view]

That's what I thought too, from having done it myself once... I realized this when the amount of developer that came out of the tank didn't quite seem right - oh well.

Like Gerry says, it's really not that hard to do it yourself. And the way prices on used equipment have been, it won't take many rolls to pay for the equipment with lab savings. Plus you can experiment with tons of variables like which film, which developer, how long, etc. I haven't done enough of it yet to offer advice about that, but Kodak Tri-X and D-76 developer are pretty straightforward - just follow the instructions closely.

PS - you don't need a darkroom for developing, only for printing. I load my developing tank in a changing bag - once the lid is on it's safe.

[CaSousa]

I primarily use Delta 400 and with over 30 rolls never had a problem. If I understand you correctly the top edge of the film is clear resulting in a darker area when printed? If that is the case and the effect is gradual it sounds like the top edge of the film was not covered completely with developer. The gradual edge would be semi developed because of agitation and the top completely clear (on the film) because no developer reached that part.Sounds to me the fault of the processor.

Developing negatives at home is easy and doesn't cost that much. You load the film in the dark on reels and place in a small SS or plastic tank. Once the tank is loaded the rest of the developing is done in the light. You can pick up everything you need on ebay for under $50. Chemicals depending on what you use could cost as little as $10 and be useful for over a dozen rolls. Everything can be stored in a container the size of a plastic milk crate.

Thanks Gary,

You seemed to have hit the problem right on the head. I was pretty bummed about the whole thing, especially since I had some good shots on that roll.

So, If I were to do my developing at home, I would need the following: Reels, a light-proof film transfer bag, a developing tank, and chemicals? Am I missing anything here? (other then the actual knowledge of how to do it ;)

Thanks Again.

[Gerry Widen]

You would need a few more things. BTW a changing bag isn't necessary. You can load the film in a closet or dark room at night. Without a list as a reference you would need:

1. Tank and reel(s)

2. Measuring container(s) to mix and measure chemicals

3. Thermometer

4. Storage containers for developer (depending on developer) and fix. Stop bath is not necessary water is fine.

5. Scissors

6. Can opener for opening film casette.

7. Timer, (watch will do)

8. Film clips to hang the film while drying

9. Funnel

10 Chemicals- Developer, Fix, Photo Flo or similiar.(can squeege film with fingers)

11.File pages to hold the negatives.

All or most of the above can be picked up on ebay with the most expensive item(s) being the tank and reels which probably will cost around $15-20. Often people are dumping their darkrooms and if you are patient you can get a better deal getting all or most of the items in one auction. I probably left out an item or two. Also it is important to keep notes on what you did including, temperature, agitation, chemicals, all times etc in case there is a problem it is easier to figure out.

[Asylum Steve]

Chris,

If you're not happy with your lab's bw processing and you're not sure you want to try doing it yourself, consider shooting Ilford XP2 BW film. It's a C-41 (color film) process bw film that most any custom or 1-hour lab can process without messing up.

From a purist point of view, some will say it's not as great a film as the Delta series (lower contrast usually), but at least you'll know you'll always have usable negatives...

[CaSousa]

After talking with my lab, I think we've come to the conclusion that it was a combination of a leak in either the film canister or developing canister (in addition to the top gradient, all of the shots were overexposed and vertical lines extended down from the sproket holes).
I picked up some C-41, just to give it a shot... and in the meantime, I'm going to be on the lookout for some basic darkroom supplies so I can start developing my own pretty soon.
Ironically enough, I was actually offered a complete darkroom setup about 10 years ago. At the time, I wasn't shooting B&W and declined the offer.

Hindsight... 20/20. Go figure.

[Gerry Widen]

The C-41 is a good suggestion. Some of my best shots were taken with Ilford XP2- Super and I would recommend it.