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Problems with Ilford Lab Direct


Guest camera man

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Guest camera man

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The Ilford Lab is scratching my negs? The scratch is vertical on the 'cell' side of the neg and always in the same position, four frames in and always four perfs in on the right hand side, emulsion facing down.

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Guest camera man

ILford labs are scratching my negs. Sending them just two rolls of b/w neg both have a vertical scratch every fourth frame on the cell side of the neg. The scratch is on the right side of frame four perfs in. I use the MP camera

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Guest camera man

I ran a new roll of film through the camera, then rewind , remove film, pull on tail of film and expose film to daylight. Inspect film for scratches - no scratches!

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Guest camera man

I have also found out from the Lab that the neg is NOT checked for technical problems when your order is dev only. Only when you order prints do they check problems from the neg to the print, is that BAD or what !!!

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May be I am just plain stupid sending film for dev only to ILford UK?

 

I am reluctant to stick my oar in (but not that reluctant...).

 

It seems unlikely that the problem is at Ilford. Firstly, if the problem is systemic, you are unlikely to be the first and only customer with a problem. Secondly, if they are aware of a problem, they would fix it very quickly (they are not just plain stupid). Thirdly, if the quality control process focuses in on customers ordering prints, they would surely find a problem quickly and we can reasonably assume that the film developing is the same whether the customer orders prints or just film developing. So, if you put all this together, I think the likelihood of Ilford scratching film is small.

 

All this may not be very useful, since I don't have a credible theory about how your scratches arise. It is interesting (and may be important) that the scratches have always appeared in the same place.

 

I don't use them for developing film, but I have had biggish prints made from scanned and massaged negatives and the quality has been excellent. And at a very fair price.

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Guest camera man

Well I loaded the camera with film today exposed 36 frames and then rewind the film leaving out the tail end. Open the camera and expose the film to day light by pulling out the tail and NO SCATCHES!

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is that BAD or what !!!

 

No it isn't, stop being hysterical.

 

There are any number of things that can cause scratches on negatives, from faulty film batches, to camera problems, to (yes) the processing, and to handling. Anybody who has processed film for themselves has experienced the same problems sometime or other and worked things through to solve the problem. So consider processing the film yourself if you can't resolve the problems you feel are caused by sending your film to Ilford.

 

But they are a professional lab, meaning they have a high throughput and other people will have seen the same sort of problem. And professional labs have regimes to stop this happening in the first place.

 

So if you are indeed seeing the problem 'always' (each time you send a film in) then so are other people, unless it doesn't affect them, in which case what is left? Please don't ask me to tell you.....but it is more complicated than just blaming one part of the chain.

 

Steve

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Guest camera man

Well you can all ramble on but the truth is IT WAS THE ILFORD LAB, it as just been confirmed by the manager that indeed the neg scratch was caused by ILford Lab Direct . A part of a neg cutting machine was out of alignment.

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Well you can all ramble on but the truth is IT WAS THE ILFORD LAB, it as just been confirmed by the manager that indeed the neg scratch was caused by ILford Lab Direct . A part of a neg cutting machine was out of alignment.

 

Charming.

 

I think all in all, and with the minimum of information you supplied people, and that they try to take you through the steps to solve the problem, your attitude is just plain rude. Accidents happen, even you.

 

Steve

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Makes sense. Their prints come out fine because the film is cut after the prints are made.

 

I hate giving labs film because they insist on cutting in very small strips that do not fit scanners or contact printing frames or I have to fight to get them to return uncut.

 

Monochrome is easily done at home.

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Well you can all ramble on but the truth is IT WAS THE ILFORD LAB, it as just been confirmed by the manager that indeed the neg scratch was caused by ILford Lab Direct . A part of a neg cutting machine was out of alignment.

 

To be fair, no one said impossible - just improbable. Black Swans do occur rarely, and you bumped into one. Events like this are far more random than most people understand or like to admit. We can safely assume that the issue was fixed at Ilford, and you can be pretty confident that it won't happen again (or that new problems will be highly unlikely).

 

What are you going to do with your next role?

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