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5cm Elmar - Flare or Processing Error


Keith (M)

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I have put four b&w films (self-processed) through my 1957 IIIg and 1951 Elmar 5cm f3.5 pairing, with excellent results. Today I received the negs of my first roll of colour film (Fuji Superior X-Tra 400) from AG Photo Lab. It is disconcerting to find twenty frames exhibiting what might either be flare or a processing error - I know not which!

 

First example is real flare and no surprise why.

 

Second is the worst example and as can be seen from the shadows, the sun is behind me.

 

Example three is without any sign of the problem.

 

Obviously I do not have a lens-hood. All shots are from the same roll. Is the middle image and the other similar ones due to a processing error or what? All answers gratefully accepted!

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Edited by Keith (M)
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Thanks for the feedback. Examining the negs more closely, it does begin to look like light leakage. The image below shows the worst frame (21 - the second image in my original post) and the frames either side, No. 20 being portrait orientation. Frames 20 & 22 are affected but to a lesser extent. The puzzle is that not every frame is affected e.g. No. 1 is not, No. 2 slightly, No. 3 not. Similarly with camera orientation, some portrait are, others not and ditto for landscape. I guess I will just have to run another roll through and see how that comes out.

 

PS - Mods, if this would be better placed in a different forum, please move it - thanks.

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This looks like light entering the camera from the bottom. It seems to be camera related as the area which is exposed occurs at the same place relative to each frame, if the pattern holds true for a longer part of the film.

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Can you see where the sprocket hole's have masked the film as it is wound, showing a sequence of dark overlapping rectangle's. This suggests to me that the light leak is from the film chamber on the take up side of the camera (the right). Perhaps check the tripod bush hasn't been popped, although I've only heard of Rollei's that can have that problem, but somebody may have tried to force an extra long screw in there. The variability of the leak could be due to the times when the camera goes more quickly back into the bag, or how you hold it etc.

 

Steve

Edited by 250swb
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Odd. I wouldn't rule out a light leak during the processing stage.

 

I think you need to 'waste' a film, load as usual and expose all frames subjecting the camera to bright light in all directions (and keep notes of each frame).

 

Get the film processed and see what you find....

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Odd. I wouldn't rule out a light leak during the processing stage.

 

I think you need to 'waste' a film, load as usual and expose all frames subjecting the camera to bright light in all directions (and keep notes of each frame).

 

Get the film processed and see what you find....

 

Thanks. Our posts crossed in the ether. There does not seem to be a pattern in terms of the sequence of affected frames. When I rewound the film I rewound the leader all the way in and when I posted it I used AG Labs mailer without putting the cassette in a plastic tub. When light leakage was first suggested, I did vaguely wonder if the cassette had perhaps been 'squished' in the mail and perhaps the light-trap slightly affected. Anyway, I''ll unload, check the base and if there is nothing obvious, pop the film back in and use the roll as suggested.

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I did vaguely wonder if the cassette had perhaps been 'squished' in the mail and perhaps the light-trap slightly affected.

 

If it was that, one would expect the effect to be strongest at the beginning of the film, declining to little or nothing by the end, which doesn't fit with frame 21 being worst affected.

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Thanks for further comments. Prior to receiving the film back from the Lab, I had loaded another colour-neg roll. Have now replaced this with a roll of Tri-X which I will dev at home, so that I will have the test result rather more quickly than having to send it off to a Lab (Christmas post and all that). No visible problem with the camera's base-plate. Will update the thread when the test is complete.

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Well, I ventured forth Mon afternoon in similar conditions to when I shot the colour film (i.e. bright early afternoon sunshine). Finished off the film this morning, developed it and have just taken it from the shower cubicle. Bummer! :( A small number of frames are affected and the attached image of the leader shows the typical areas. The other frames are Nos 4 and 7. The colour film had 30% frames affected. At the risk of embarrassing myself, I have just looked at the films previously put through the camera and found that the last one (April) has 50% affected. In my defence, at the time and in my ignorance, I put this down to something going wrong when I developed it. Films previous to that are OK.

 

The consensus seems to indicate a light-leak from the base, but I cannot see any likely light-path. I did notice that the number engraved in the base-plate is different to the camera ser. number. Below are some images of the base plate etc. If anyone can point a finger at a potential culprit, please do so!

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What I find striking are the ghosts of the perforation. They are more visible on the color film than on the B/W one, but they are there.

 

This would lead me to suspect the environment of the take-up spool. I think there is light entering such that the film blocks the light while the perforated holes let it pass.

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Keith,

 

Having eliminated a processing error, can I suggest you load another film, inside and in lowish light (you don't need to waste it all).

 

Use a flash gun and 'expose' a few frames by pointing the flash at close range at various points of the camera, the base plate, the film advance knob, the viewfinder and in the lens throat. That should then tell you where the light is entering.

 

Almost certainly a repair is required but at least you should be able to pinpoint the issue.

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LOT of years ago I had a similar problem with my IIIg of that times, which looked a perfect item but had been serviced, probably by local lab(s) : at the end, it was indeed a problem related to the baseplate (but it was not the standard one... it had the Leicavit device)... an issue of light leaks in certain points... which depended on position of light source, small plays of reflections etc... at the end, I find a very experienced lab which fixed the issue with a well made "reshape" of the matching surfaces of the body-baseplate.

Looking at your negs, I cannot be sure is the SAME problem as mine... :confused:... my "light stripes" were thinner and, also, not always in the same position along the neg's border....they "wandered" along a 15mm about length, where , in the lab's opinion, some unperfect repair/maintenance had been previously made... In the usual act of mounting/dismounting the base for film loading I did not notice any issue/play or so... but indeed the problem was there...

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If I had this base plate in hand I would repaint with mate black, using a Q tip, all this shining part of the base plate..... and it looks also but may be it is rhe picture that this base plate is not straight on the part that is on top on the picture check with a marble or a metal rule

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Edited by jc_braconi
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