[Leica] More Fogged Film (long, so beware)

["William Gower" <wgower@eco-tec.com>]

I've had two heartbreaking foggy experiences that ruined potentially great
shots and have yet to be solved.

Last year (summer '99) I took a 7800 km, 3 week trip that took me from
Toronto, Ontario to the B.C  Coast, then Vancouver where I flew home. I shot
mostly reversal film, but did sneak in a few rolls of Tri-X and Plus-X. The
tragedy stuck when I shot a few rolls in and around "Hot Springs Cove" a
wonderful natural hot-spring area surrounded by 1000 year old trees and the
Pacific ocean. I only recovered 4 or 5 shots out of 72 that I shot in B&W.
Maybe this is blatantly obvious to the better informed, but I concluded that
perhaps H2S that was present from the hot springs reacted with the film. The
fog occurred in dark patches.

In October of the same year, again, the fog struck. This time in China where
I was for 5 days. This time a mixture of HP5 and Agfa 400. Only half a dozen
shots out of 6 rolls were salvageable. This time bizarre streaks running
everywhere, more dark patches and frames that seemed to blend together. I
have no explanation, other than there was one point where I was forced to
X-ray my camera bag. But once ? Although the Chinese could have had the
machine "cranked".

I shot dozens of rolls between the two incidents with no problems.

Any suggestions ?


William