----- Original Message ----- From: "Delano Mireles" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Tuesday, November 27, 2001 3:06 PM Subject: question on damaged negs
> Hi all, > > I've recently run into some problems with negatives I've received back from > the local minilabs. There seem to be some scratches on the negatives that > I've received back after developments and prints. It is a bit weird because > the prints do not show any lines/scratches. This has happened twice and I'm > concerned whether it be my camera who is the culprit - maybe scratching the > film as it feeds through or the minilab. > > Is there a way to tell whether the lines/scratches are a result of the > minilab or camera? I really feel that it is the minilab because of the > prints and the fact that I developed a roll in between taking rolls to two > different labs and there are no scratches on that roll. Yet, it seems odd > that I would run into the same problem between 2 different labs. > > How do these minilab processing machines work? Do the employees roll the > film on reels and process or does the machine simply take the film and auto > roll? > > Thanks for any help y'all can provide Generally, minilabs run the film one roll at a time by taping the film to a leader card which pulls the film through the machine. Depending on the processor and the amount of maintenace it recieves, these machines can do a lot of damage. It is also possible to scratch the film during printing or sleeving. A good way to see if it is the machine or the camera is to look to see where the scratch ends. If it ends at the last frame exposed, it is most likely camera induced. If it goes right to the end of the film, it is likely the lab. If the scratch comes and goes, likely it is the film processor. A good way to pin down the lab on a scratch is to sacrifice a roll of film, and run it through the camera, then pull the film entirely out of the cassette and check for scratches. If the film is unscratched, run it through the film processor and check again for scratches. If the film still shows no scratches, run it through the printer and check again. Finally run it through the sleever. <unrelated to the topic> >From a lab operators perspective, film scratches are, unfortunately, directly related to how demanding the photographer is. The more demanding the photographer, the more redo prints we make. The more times the film is run through the machinery, the more chance there is of scratching it. I think it is better to take a slightly substandard machine print to avoid scratched negs than to insist that every speck of dust be gone and that the shadow side of Aunt Jemmy isn't slightly magenta. The nature of minilabs is such that it is difficult to provide perfect prints first time. The nature of negatives is that they will scratch in direct proportion to their value. </unrelated to the topic> William Robb - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org .
