Help, I get shadows where they don't belong...

[schmelli]

Hey all,

I have an odd thing going on with my Leica IIIg. It started doing this thing a month ago, when I suddenly discovered these dark cut-outs on my negatives (see below). The thing is probably connected to the shutter, but: it is not on every film and not even on every negative. It will occur in a series of maybe 10 in a row, but then the rest of the film would be ok. I guess my beloved old piece of machinery is dying, but can anyone explain this to me? If the shutter was broken, should it not be on every negative and also should it not be a thing that covers the full height of the picture, as the curtain is running all along the film? And then the last one I posted has its whole lower half cut out...

Anyone got any ideas? If you happen to know a cheap place to bring my baby to in NYC in order to have it checked and hopefully repaired, please don't hesitate to share this info, too, please!!

Best regards
Jyn

[doubice]

Hi Jyn,

This is definitely not shutter related - it seems to me that something gets accidently put in front of the lens; due to the parallax you will not see it in the finder. Are you carrying the IIIg in a case by any chance? If yes, make sure that the front flap is completely out of the way when taking photos.

Or, another posibility - a piece of torn film between the shutter and the pressure plate? That would explain the different shapes of the 'object' - the film could move in and out of place when you wind the camera. Take the lens off, put the camera on B, open the shutter and check for any foreign matter sticking in the shutter crate area.

Best,

Jan