I use an EOS1N typically with Kodak MAX 400 film. I live and work in Cambodia. There is only C41 processing available here. WIth the dust and dirt count in Phnom Penh, it is a nightmare for shop owners to keep their develop / print machines clean.

I processes several rolls of film this past week. On some of the prints, lines are seen across the picture horizontally. They also appear on the negatives as scratches. I am assuming that the problem is either the printer's machine or my camera.

If the scratches appeared along the entire roll, it could be my camera. But the scratches appear in maybe 3 or 4 images but not all, and they are not consistently in the middle or at either end of a roll.

Can you please shed some light on this somewhat "Scratchy" situation? Thanks,

Dave in Paradise

-- David B. Everitt (deveritt@crmnet.org), August 29, 2000

Answers

IF in fact the fault is with the camera back, then I would suggest the following: Aside from periodically inspecting and cleaning the camera's pressure plate as well as the camera back in general, it is also important to try to inspect the "lips" of each film cassette's slit-like opening for any debris prior to loading. In addition, get in the habit of inspecting, blowing-off (with canned gas) and if needed, gently pulling (wiping) the film leader through a section of soft, clean cloth before committing the film to loading. If, after taking these measures, you happen to overlook a bit of potentially film-damaging (scratchy) debris that is positioned to possibly scratch the "front" side of the film (that is, the surface of the film facing the shutter curtain--is this the emulsion side?), then it MAY be more likely for that debris to actually scratch the film if you are using HIGH SPEED rewind. Why? Because high-speed rewind tends to pull the film quite taut during rewind, possibly resulting in much greater contact between the film and any "burrs". Avoid high-speed rewind whenever possible.

-- kurt heintzelman (heintzelman.1@osu.edu), August 29, 2000.

Like the other poster said, check and clean if necessary the film path: pressure plate, film rails, etc. However, I suspect that the lab may have scratched your film. I shoot mostly chromes and rarely have problems with scratches. But when I shoot negs and process at local mini labs I frequently get scratches on the negs, especially if I ask for reprints. It seems the more they handle your film the more likely the chance of scratching it (not to mention fingerprints). I've had better luck with Kodak Premium service but I hate removing the "protective negative tape" when I want to scan.

-- Doggieface (doggieface@aol.com), August 29, 2000.

I once thought I had problems with my camera (Elan II) scratching the film until I started developing my own black & white negatives; no scratches. Now I use a different lab for color films. No more scratches.

-- Scott Flathouse (seflathouse.pampa@celanese.com), September 18, 2000.