I have shot 30 or 40 rolls of FP4 and had it developed by DR5. I also have experienced these splotches. Actually the word that best describes it for me is "mottling." When I first mentioned this to David Wood (dr5 owner) he told me he had seen this and thought that it was "damaged" film; that is, old, freezer burned, fogged, radiated (anything else you can think of). After that I started buying it from the biggest camera store in Northern CA so that I could be sure it was fresh and treated properly. I have continued to get this effect off and on even with these precautions. I have lost a number of shots that I would love to have had. I have come to the conclusion that I will stop using it for scenes that have light even-toned areas, like skies and waterfalls. For scenes that are totally detailed throughout I have never had a problem and will continue to use it for these. For the problematic scenes I am going to use Delta 100, which I have shot several rolls of with good results. The DMax is not as great with the Delta, but it still looks good.

 

David Lee