Svema MZ3 test strip, no exposure.
I've recently purchsed a few rolls of some obscure films, such as Tasma NK-2 and Svema MZ3, and I've found that every single roll has bands of fogging/pre-exposure on the first third of the roll. The seller has denied culpability in the matter, adamantly suggesting this is something I've done to introduce the problem.
To further test my belief that the film arrived to me in this compromised state, I clipped 8 inches off the beginning of a roll of Svema MZ3 yesterday and processed it alongside a roll of Tri-X I recently shot. The MZ3 came straight out of the cassette (in total darkness) and was not run through any camera, so this test strip of film should have been completely blank, except the first inch of the leader (which was outside the cassette). However, as you can see, it is not blank at all: there is significant light contamination in two clearly visible bands. This appears to be spaced in equal sized bands that correspond to the spot where the film protruded from the cassette (far left, where the darkest band of exposure ends, as indicated by the arrow). This leads me to think there is a problem with the felt light trap: if this felt has failed, it would lead to light contaminating the first 2 or 3 revolutions of the film inside the cassette. Since the seller is using old Kodak 35mm cassettes and rebranding them with their own labeling, it seems possible that the felt traps are old and compromised.
I'm waiting for a response from the merchant: I just emailed them a copy of this photo and information this morning. I certainly hope they are not going to persist in laying the blame on me for this problem, since I think this test proves that its not an issue I have introduced through careless/incorrect handling of the film.
Any of you have similar experiences with these obscure Ukrainian/Russian films packaged and sold here in the US?
Addendum, December 5, 2018:
I have exchanged emails with the Film Photography Project folks and here is what it all boils down to: "It's not our fault, its yours". They steadfastly refuse to acknowledge any responsibility in the matter, stating that the light contamination problem has been introduced by me, as a result of "improper storage of the film". To be precise, they stated in their final email that "The longer any Mylar based film is exposed to light before entering the camera the more chance it has of light piping, it needs to be stored in very dim or no light. The light is cumulative, and the longer it is out,
even in dim light, the more it can affect the first frames of the film." (exact quote)
OK, so this film is special and " it needs to be stored in very dim or no light." (My stock is on a shelf at the back of my darkroom, in very dim light, by the way) Do they tell you this anywhere in the literature on the web site before you buy?? Of course not. And get this: they KNOW this film will "light pipe" when stored in an illuminated environment, so do they ship these films in opaque black containers? of course not! They ship them in clear plastic containers that do absolutely nothing to prevent light contamination! When asked WHY they don't use black containers, they declined to answer. I'm totally unimpressed with their responses, and the fact that at no point did they offer to replace the film or offer any kind of compensation means I will never buy from them again. EVER. I think their denial of culpability is a telling point, and they don't really care about the customer experience. So be it.
Svema MZ3 test strip, no exposure.
I've recently purchsed a few rolls of some obscure films, such as Tasma NK-2 and Svema MZ3, and I've found that every single roll has bands of fogging/pre-exposure on the first third of the roll. The seller has denied culpability in the matter, adamantly suggesting this is something I've done to introduce the problem.
To further test my belief that the film arrived to me in this compromised state, I clipped 8 inches off the beginning of a roll of Svema MZ3 yesterday and processed it alongside a roll of Tri-X I recently shot. The MZ3 came straight out of the cassette (in total darkness) and was not run through any camera, so this test strip of film should have been completely blank, except the first inch of the leader (which was outside the cassette). However, as you can see, it is not blank at all: there is significant light contamination in two clearly visible bands. This appears to be spaced in equal sized bands that correspond to the spot where the film protruded from the cassette (far left, where the darkest band of exposure ends, as indicated by the arrow). This leads me to think there is a problem with the felt light trap: if this felt has failed, it would lead to light contaminating the first 2 or 3 revolutions of the film inside the cassette. Since the seller is using old Kodak 35mm cassettes and rebranding them with their own labeling, it seems possible that the felt traps are old and compromised.
I'm waiting for a response from the merchant: I just emailed them a copy of this photo and information this morning. I certainly hope they are not going to persist in laying the blame on me for this problem, since I think this test proves that its not an issue I have introduced through careless/incorrect handling of the film.
Any of you have similar experiences with these obscure Ukrainian/Russian films packaged and sold here in the US?
Addendum, December 5, 2018:
I have exchanged emails with the Film Photography Project folks and here is what it all boils down to: "It's not our fault, its yours". They steadfastly refuse to acknowledge any responsibility in the matter, stating that the light contamination problem has been introduced by me, as a result of "improper storage of the film". To be precise, they stated in their final email that "The longer any Mylar based film is exposed to light before entering the camera the more chance it has of light piping, it needs to be stored in very dim or no light. The light is cumulative, and the longer it is out,
even in dim light, the more it can affect the first frames of the film." (exact quote)
OK, so this film is special and " it needs to be stored in very dim or no light." (My stock is on a shelf at the back of my darkroom, in very dim light, by the way) Do they tell you this anywhere in the literature on the web site before you buy?? Of course not. And get this: they KNOW this film will "light pipe" when stored in an illuminated environment, so do they ship these films in opaque black containers? of course not! They ship them in clear plastic containers that do absolutely nothing to prevent light contamination! When asked WHY they don't use black containers, they declined to answer. I'm totally unimpressed with their responses, and the fact that at no point did they offer to replace the film or offer any kind of compensation means I will never buy from them again. EVER. I think their denial of culpability is a telling point, and they don't really care about the customer experience. So be it.