Struggling with Film Development

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CharlieT0909

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Charlie Tuffin
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Hi all- my name's Charlie and I'm brand new to this site! :)

I've joined this site because I am struggling with one specific problem and I can't seem to find a solution to it. I am very new to shooting film so wonder if there is a rookie error I am making!
The problem is that I have just received back my first two rolls of film I have shot with my camera and of the 72 photos, only 9 have developed. The rest are completely blank.
It was brand new Ilford FP4 125 B&W film shot on a Canon AV-1.
The photos were shot in Berlin in the winter where the highs were about 0 degrees (could this be a cause?).
I have attached some photos to illustrate my point.

Thanks in advance :)
View media item 12626View media item 12625View media item 12624
 
Is there any writing on the perforated edge of the blank frames, it should give the speed, manufacturer of the film and frame numbers...or something
 
If only 9 pictures out of 72 are on the negs and the rest of the frames (on negs) are blank but you can see the edge markings...then I would suggest the camera is faulty if the film was loaded correctly.
 
joxby said:
Is there any writing on the perforated edge of the blank frames, it should give the speed, manufacturer of the film and frame numbers...or something
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Yes the film name is written on the side of the blank films.
 
excalibur2 said:
If only 9 pictures out of 72 are on the negs and the rest of the frames (on negs) are blank but you can see the edge markings...then I would suggest the camera is faulty if the film was loaded correctly.
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I'm pretty sure the film was loaded correctly and yes the edge markings are present.
What do you think is wrong with the camera?
 
CharlieT0909 said:
I'm pretty sure the film was loaded correctly and yes the edge markings are present.
What do you think is wrong with the camera?
Click to expand...

Well open the back and see if it fires every time, were the 9 good shots at the beginning or random? The film winder might not be working properly and the only way of testing is to waste a roll of Poundland film....handy to have a used film around for testing.
 
excalibur2 said:
Well open the back and see if it fires every time, were the 9 good shots at the beginning or random? The film winder might not be working properly and the only way of testing is to waste a roll of Poundland film....handy to have a used film around for testing.
Click to expand...
The 9 good shots were within the last 15 shots of the film, the rest were blank.
And I've had a play around; fired it about 100 times without film in and it fired correctly every time. I also used an expired 36 roll of film and it fired and wound correctly every time so I don't believe it is a fault with that part of the camera. I've also checked the lens aperture and that is opening and closing as it should.

I originally mentioned that the film was shot in minus degrees most of the time; do you think that could be the problem?
 
CharlieT0909 said:
I originally mentioned that the film was shot in minus degrees most of the time; do you think that could be the problem?
Click to expand...

Well I'm guessing now.....Might be the problem if the battery was low and very cold.
 
excalibur2 said:
Well I'm guessing now.....Might be the problem if the battery was low and very cold.
Click to expand...
I know the battery did get very cold, often I would press the button and nothing would happen so would take the battery out and warm it and then the camera would fire.
 
excalibur2 said:
Well I'm guessing now.....Might be the problem if the battery was low and very cold.
Click to expand...
But even so, when it did fire; I heard the mirror go up, so unless something else got stuck because of the cold (like the actual cloth shutter).
 
Non battery cameras are better in very cold weather. I'd use two sets. One in the camera and one in a shirt pocket then swap them every half hour or so.

I think the lithium based batteries seem to be better in the cold too so if you can get those in the right specification they should be better at coping.
 
Thanks guys, it is using a lithium battery currently but in Germany it was lasting about 1 minute before ceasing to function. Is this normal in such cold temperatures?
 
CharlieT0909 said:
But even so, when it did fire; I heard the mirror go up, so unless something else got stuck because of the cold (like the actual cloth shutter).
Click to expand...

h'mm in the manual it doesn't say temp operating specs just the battery might not function well at low temps...if the camera works alright other than very cold, it would seem it's not the camera to use (for very cold conditions).
 
excalibur2 said:
h'mm in the manual it doesn't say temp operating specs just the battery might not function well at low temps...if the camera works alright other than very cold, it would seem it's not the camera to use (for very cold conditions).
Click to expand...

Thankyou for your input! Would you recommend taking 36 shots indoors and getting them developed to see if they develop properly?
 
I'd run another roll through the camera preferably with a new battery when it's above freezing.
 
No point in wasting another film . The spacing between frames is good, it was winding on just fine, exposures on the ones that came out were fine.
It can only be the cold was sticking the shutter. Either because the battery was not giving sufficient voltage. And/ or the mechanism of the shutter froze.
In freezing conditions such shutters need to be winterised , by cleaning and removing all oil.

However it will probably work just fine in the spring.
 
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I would put a reasonable bet on it being a battery issue.

I had an Olympus OM-10 that used to lock its mirror up when the battery died.

Sometimes when it was bitterly cold, the darned thing would do just that with intermitent frames and I'd have to turn the shutter dial to M250 i think it was to get the mirror to reset

I'd wrap my hand around the base plate where the battery compartment was, and hey presto more often than not the next frame would shoot without a problem;
 
Terrywoodenpic said:
No point in wastin another film . The spacing between frames is good it was winding on just fine exposures on the ones that came out wer fine.
It can only be the cold was sticking the shutter. Either bbecause the battery was not giving sufficient voltage. And or the mechanism of the shutter froze.
In freezing conditions shuch shutters need to be winterised , by cleaning and removing all oil.

However it will probably work just fine in the spring.
Click to expand...

Thankyou Terry, just the sort of answer I was after. Hopefully the next lot of film will come out properly :)
 
Asha said:
I would put a reasonable bet on it being a battery issue.

I had an Olympus OM-10 that used to lock its mirror up when the battery died.

Sometimes when it was bitterly cold, the darned thing would do just that with intermitent frames and I'd have to turn the shutter dial to M250 i think it was to get the mirror to reset

I'd wrap my hand around the base plate where the battery compartment was, and hey presto more often than not the next frame would shoot without a problem;
Click to expand...

Thanks for your input, it definitely didn't want to fire when it was too cold.
 
Well looking at my snow shots...... the last battery operating camera I used was the either the T70 or T90 and the temp was around freezing and remember I kept the camera under my jacket and just got it out to take shots....also maybe 2 or 4 AA batteries work better in cold conditions?
 
If you want to keep shooting in the cold, it might be worth trying to get a cheap Canon SLR that's not dependent on the battery (or only for metering, which you can judge by eye or a hand-held meter if necessary). I've never yet had a problem with my Pentax MXs which I regularly use in very cold conditions.
 
That's why I like the olympus trip. Doesn't need batteries at all. It has Auto exposure too so it's a doddle to use.
 
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