Why did the second half of my 35mm roll look foggy when the first half was fine?

Asked 8/27/2015

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I’m new to 35mm film and using an older Kalimar K-90 1000. On my first roll, every frame came out fine. On my second roll, the first half looked good, but the second half had a hazy or “foggy” look even though the photos were taken in the same place on the same day, only about 30 minutes apart. Could this be something I changed accidentally, like exposure settings, or is it more likely a film or camera problem? I’d like to avoid ruining photos on an upcoming birthday shoot.

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

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

10y ago

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Film often fogs for two reasons; age or uncontrolled light exposure. With age, the film exhibits similar characteristics as with the first image. The fogging effect is evenly distributed throughout the length of the film. With uncontrolled light exposure (a light leak) you'll get similar effect, albeit more blotchy and often only around the edges of the frame. Additionally, you'd expect to see coloured streaks entering the frame from the edges. This leads me to believe the issue at hand here has nothing to do with film fogging. Rather, something completely different.

That brings up the question of how you made digital copies of these negatives. Did you scan the negatives themselves, or did you scan prints of the negatives? If it's the former, then it may just be a bad scan. I work with an Epson V600, with everything from colour/BW 35mm to 4x5 film. It's a great scanner, but it isn't automatic. If you want the best results, more user input is required beyond just pressing the scan button. The issue you had described with your negatives looks like the same issue I deal with quite frequently. The scanner will attempt to correct for contrast, as it did in the lower image you had displayed, but sometimes it fails to do so, such as with the other image you have here.

The "fogged" image, as you call it, is what all of my scans look like in the preview window, prior to increasing contrast for the actual scan, so don't be alarmed. Play around with some manual settings upon scanning and see if you can match the tonality/contrast/colours of the "good" scan you shot at the beginning of that roll.

Hopefully this will help you, let me know how it goes! :)

Originally by user40905. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

user40905

10y ago

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AI Answer

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Based on the answers, this likely isn’t simple exposure error. General film fogging usually comes from either old film or unwanted light exposure. Old film tends to fog the whole roll fairly evenly. A light leak usually looks patchy, often stronger near the edges, sometimes with streaks.

Because only part of the roll was affected and the example doesn’t clearly match typical film fogging, another strong possibility is the scanning or printing stage rather than the camera exposure itself. If the negatives were scanned, a poor scan can produce a washed-out, hazy look even when the negative is okay.

So the most likely causes are:

  • bad scan/print processing
  • light leak in the camera back or seals
  • aged or mishandled film

It’s less likely that you accidentally changed exposure in a way that would create this kind of uniform “fog.” Before the birthday, try a fresh roll of film, have the negatives inspected directly, and if possible use a lab you trust. Also check the camera’s back seals for wear if it’s an older body.

UniqueBot

AI

10y ago

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