Jump to content

Wrong film choice, bad processing or bad photographer?


Adji.AP

Recommended Posts

Advertisement (gone after registration)

Adji,

 

Looking at the images, looks like the developer is no good.

 

Isn't that 1,2 and 3 developers for red green and blue mixed to one, then Blix, then Stabilizer, then Photo-Flo.

 

The clipping of the highlights looks like too much time on the developer, but the images looks thin so that means that it is also colder than the correct temperature. Too warm will makes a Magenta cast.

 

Since you're scanning, you can tweak to what's acceptable, otherwise don't go back to that lab anymore, I will advice.

 

Ah.... I haven't done C41 for a while :))) But I had problems similar to that.

 

Hope this helps

 

-Ron

Link to post
Share on other sites

  • Replies 44
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Gentlemen, thank you very much for all advices

 

These are my homework for this weekend:

- scan the film again using different scanner

- take another shot using another roll of ektar, develop at different lab (result could be two weeks from now :) )

 

best.

Link to post
Share on other sites

It could also be old out of date film that is also getting hot. For my Fuji slide films I will not use anything that is out of date even if it has been kept in the fridge by me. It just gives bad magenta cast that is quite difficult to correct even with colour temp adjust in Aperture 3.

 

I would advise you try Fuji Velvia 100 slide film but you'll need to know your meter and shutter speeds are correct as you only get +/- 1/3 stop latitude on slide films perhaps 0.5 max. Underexposing slide film is more forgiving than overexposing.

 

But an E6 lab may be difficult to find in your part of the world?

Regards, Lincoln

Link to post
Share on other sites

Lincoln,

 

There is no E6 lab here, since its no longer economically feasible. Too much for chemicals, too few customer.

 

Btw. I am using fresh film, not an out of dated one.

 

thank you

Link to post
Share on other sites

I was quickly out of the blocks with this film, don't forget how new it is, I was disappointed.

I have put it down the commercial scan, other films using the same unit have had no problems. I concluded that the machine had not had the correct profile for this new film loaded. This maybe the case so I would advise, as you propose, use another lab. Perhaps even try, and I know the operators can be clueless, asking if the machine software is up to date and will recognise the film type. Yours were worse than mine !!

Link to post
Share on other sites

It is the man running the scanner.

 

Get it out of automatic mode and manually color balance.

Once you get it dialed in, there should be some way to save those settings for the next frame or film. It should work very closely unless you expose daylight film to tungsten or fluorescent. Proper camera filters will give a correctly balanced neg. Trying to fix in a scanner film exposed to the wrong color light may or may not work.

 

Less green or more magenta will fix the green cast

 

Blue and yellow balance each other

 

red and cyan balance each other.

 

Generally it is best to get color and exposure correct in the scanner, then do all further adjustments in photoshop.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Advertisement (gone after registration)

I may have missed something, but did you get any (tradtional / chemical) prints made from the film when you had it processed, or are you relying on what you can see from the scans?

 

A few prints from the negs would be a quick and cheap alternative route to judging the film. If they look OK, then check the scanning; if they're (just as) bad, then check the film / processing. Did the lab where the film was processed offer any suggestions?

 

Judging colour negs by eye for exposure is not that tricky with some experience. Colour neg film doesn't have much tolerance to underexposure before the shadows (in the final print) look 'muddy'; as with black-and-white film, it's usually safer to err on the side of over-exposure.

 

However, judging poor processing by eye is difficult, of not impossible - you won't see, for example, crossed-curves (which would give different - usually complementary - colour casts in the print's highlights and shadows).

Link to post
Share on other sites

For Adji,

This is the result of collaboration between the photographer, my agent Leica lab, my Epson scanner and a small correction in LightRoom (LR) .

 

for color film, I do not develop myself at the moment ,

I give my photographer for the development

Some on this forum are developing their own process (C41)

For b&w , I develop myself in my home lab

 

Photo taken yesterday of our campaign on July 15 2011(11.00 am)

Development cost = 5 Euros

Fuji Film Reala 100 (36 exp.)= 5 Euros

Scan time = 3 minutes per photo

 

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

 

R8 Elmar 35-70mm Fuji Film Reala 100

Epsonscan V700 + ANR Glass

scan in Tiff and conversion in Jpeg for post

Best

Henry

Link to post
Share on other sites

Today I brought the negatives to different lab. The lab using the same scanner model.

 

Here's the result.

5942996199_3ae1e64fb6_b.jpg

 

Compared side by side (1=old; 2=today)

5943018661_966d0c83c6_b.jpg

 

it doesn't seem to be any better, does it?

 

Now I am more to blame the bad development

Link to post
Share on other sites

I may have missed something, but did you get any (tradtional / chemical) prints made from the film when you had it processed, or are you relying on what you can see from the scans?

 

Richard,

Yes I relied on images produced by scanner. Traditional prints could be the best method ever. I will try later.

 

Everything might able to be corrected from the scanner and further post processed them using software, but all I want is just a decent, well developed negs :D

Link to post
Share on other sites

It seems the blue channel is clipped quite severely so everything else goes out of whack when trying to correct skin tones.

Pete

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

Link to post
Share on other sites

I've consistently gotten good results with Ektar 100 - both in 35mm format with a Leica M6, and in 120 format with a Hasselblad 503CX. I do expose at 80 though (instead of 100), and I typically use it in bright daylight.

 

Sample from the Leica M6:

https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/6LhEE2F1DS72ryM6LVtoJg?feat=directlink

 

Recent sample from the Hasselblad:

https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/XT4Wb4WJ10jBrB5HC4X4VA?feat=directlink

Link to post
Share on other sites

Adji, I'm not sure why you thought you original pix are "red" - the main problem overall is a CYAN cast from poor correction for the red-orange film base in scanning.

 

Always judge overall color balance from the highlights - there is a reason we speak of "White Balance" and not "Black balance." The light areas are where we should start from in judging overall color casts.

 

You are correct that the scans were low-contrast - the deepest shadows were too light.

 

There was some color crossover due to extra-low contrast in the red channel, especially in the "family in the doorway picture". Which did make the shadows redder than the highlights.

 

Something is strange in the small blown highlight areas in that picture, too (rope on the fuel tank, scale dial, white shirt) - I suspect inadequate bleaching left some silver in the film at those points.

 

Also crossover in the "two kids at sea" picture - which was complicated by lens vignetting (the corners were redder/purpler than the center).

 

That could be either poor processing or poor scanning - but in either case, correctible.

 

Ektar 100 is like Tmax 100 - it just requires perfection in processing and scanning skills. In which case, also like Tmax 100, it can produce extraordinary results.

 

Some reworks:

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

Link to post
Share on other sites

Andy,

 

Thank you for keen analysis. Your digital corrections were also very astonishing. That also show me how poor the quality of my negs, since it need a master to correct it.

 

What can't be done in this digital era? but hey I am yelling to myself, this subforum is all about film photography, why there is so many digital process involved to correct things?

 

I am moving from digital to film (without leaving it :) ), I want to taste the beauty of film photography. So I decided to resolve it from the start: better techniques in taking photos, right film for the right scene, and better developing process. That's the conclusion so far I've get from all your advices.

 

Thank you

Link to post
Share on other sites

When scanned well film is lovely. Don't give up on trying to find a good lab, or just talk to the labs you've been to.

Ektar:

 

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

 

 

Portra 160:

 

 

 

 

 

Pete

Link to post
Share on other sites

The issue is the scanning. The labs you used both used the same type of scanner. It will be set on 'auto' and it's churning out poor quality scans. You need to find a lab that can scan better, or preferably, buy yourself a film scanner. For web and printing up to A4 the Epson flatbed scanner is excellent, and easy to use.

Link to post
Share on other sites

I also think it is the scanning. I've been using the 120 version for about 2 months (see my Flickr stream) and I've had excellent results either scanned at the lab or with my Epson V700. Of course, it depends on personal taste - the colours are naturally quite saturated.

 

LouisB

Link to post
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...