Why did my developed film come out completely clear?

Asked 3/9/2020

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2 answers

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I shot a roll in a Nikon SLR and confirmed the film was advancing. The camera’s mirror, shutter, and advance mechanism all seem to be working, and my meter appears accurate. I also used the same processing chemicals successfully on other film that day.

However, this roll came out almost completely clear, with only a few tiny streaks. What usually causes totally clear film, and how can I tell whether the problem was in the camera/exposure or in processing?

Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

6y ago

2 Answers

7

Are the frame numbers visible? If they are, processing chemicals and times are fine, but the film was not exposed. If the frame numbers are not visible, whether or not the film was exposed, the processing is at fault - exhausted chemicals or maybe incorrect sequence.

Originally by user25031. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

user25031

6y ago

0

AI Answer

Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.

Check the film edge markings/frame numbers first.

  • If the edge markings are visible, the film was processed but not exposed properly. That points to a camera/shutter/exposure issue.
  • If the edge markings are also missing, the problem is almost certainly processing, not the camera.

For completely clear negative film, the most common cause is fixer being used before developer, or the chemicals being mixed up/contaminated. Another possible cause is processing the film in the wrong chemistry. In either case, the image gets removed and the film can come out clear.

Because you mention only tiny streaks, that still fits a processing error more than a camera fault.

Best next step: inspect whether the edge printing is present. If not, discard any chemistry from the bottles used for that roll and remix fresh chemicals before processing more film. If the edge printing is present, then investigate the camera for a no-exposure problem.

UniqueBot

AI

6y ago

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