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Chapter 4

FAQ

FAQ

		Problem The developed film is completely black. No numbers or edge marks are showing. Cause A film like this has been exposed to light over the entire film surface. It may be caused by accidentally opening the camera back before the film is rewound, or exposing the film to light before it is fixed during development. Prevention Make sure to rewind the film before you open the camera back. Check for tension on the film rewind crank, if you are in doubt. If the film does not rewind, go in a completely dark room and unload it there. Always load your film for development in total darkness.
		Problem There are no pictures on the film at all. The negative is completely clear, but the numbers and edge marks are showing. Cause The film was not exposed to light after it left the factory, where the numbers are imprinted. It is possible that an unexposed film was developed by mistake, or that the film did not advance through the camera. If it happens again, a faulty shutter in the camera is probably to blame. Prevention Always watch the film rewind crank move in a counterclockwise direction when you load film. Check for tension on the same crank to make sure that the sprockets engaged the advance mechanism. To avoid developing unexposed film, rewind the leader into the cassette, tear of a strip of the leader, or mark the cassette with tape. Shutter problems must be taken to an authorized repair facility.
		Problem The negative is completely blank. No edge marks or numbers are showing. Cause The only explanation for this is that the film was immersed in the fixer before the developer. The fixer then removes all the undeveloped silver in the negative, leaving it blank. Prevention The numbers are exposed when the film is manufactured. You would have removed all your exposed images by fixing before development, so the film might have been properly exposed. Make sure to arrange the developing solutions in the right order. Label them to avoid mistakes.
		Problem The negative is very thin in the shadow areas and the print is dark. Cause If the negative looks dark in the contact print and the shadow areas are near transparent, it is underexposed. The film did not receive adequate exposure for this subject. Underdeveloped film will retain shadow detail and lack density in the highlights. Prevention Make sure that the camera was set to the right film speed. Meter correctly and remember to make exposure compensations for subjects that are not average. Try the demos on this web site. If your results are consistently underexposed, your light meter is not performing properly. Make adjustments on the film speed to compensate, or have it repaired.
		Problem The negative is dense in the shadow areas and the print is light. Cause If the negative looks light in the contact print and the shadow areas are dense, it is overexposed. The film was given too much exposure for this subject. Overdeveloped film will have near normal shadow detail and very dense highlights. Prevention Make sure that the camera was set to the right film speed. Meter correctly and remember to make exposure compensations for subjects that are not average. Try the demos on this web site. If your results are consistently overexposed, your light meter is not performing properly. Make adjustments on the film speed to compensate, or have it repaired.
		Problem A light scene prints gray. The negative lacks density. Cause When the film is exposed according to the meter reading for a light scene, the result will be an underexposed negative. Prevention Make exposure compensations for scenes that are lighter than average. Overexpose the film by one or two stops, depending on the lightness of the subject. Try the demos on this web site, if you are unsure about how this works.
		Problem A light subject is overexposed against a dark background. The negative is too dense in bright areas of the main subject. Cause The meter was fooled by the large amounts of black in the scene and recommended a reading that produced an overexposed negative. Prevention Evaluate the scene in front of you and make exposure compensations. Meter only the part of the scene that you are primarily interested in to get a more accurate reading. Underexpose a dark subject in relation to the recommended reading to get better results.
		Problem A dark subject is underexposed against a light background. The negative is thin in dark areas of the main subject. Cause The meter was fooled by the large amounts of white in the scene and recommended a reading that produced an underexposed negative. Prevention Evaluate the scene in front of you and make exposure compensations. Meter only the part of the scene that you are primarily interested in to get a more accurate reading. Overexpose a light subject in relation to the recommended reading to get better results.
		Problem The negative is a double exposure. Two scenes have been exposed on the same film frame. Cause The camera might not be advancing properly, or you accidentally pressed the double exposure lever before you advanced the film. If a whole roll of film has double exposures with uneven spacing, you put the roll through the camera twice. Prevention Always wind the film leader into the film cassette or mark exposed film to prevent you from accidentally exposing it again. Check the advance mechanism on the camera. See FAQ for chapter 1 on this web site to view an overlapping exposure. Your camera might have a double exposure lever that allows you to expose the same frame twice. Make sure you know where it is and how to operate it.

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