Shutter Curtain Pinholes?

[ragc]

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I have shot two rolls of fast film, ISO 400, with my IIF. They both show black banding, always in the same orientation as the shutter curtains movement, always when photographing strongly backlit or very bright objects. In milder lighting, these bands do not appear. I have also noticed that the fabric of the curtain before the shutter is cocked has the same pattern of bands in its thread. It appears to be a bit worn, not completely black, but somewhat gray. I suspect the negative is getting fogged just after exposure by light filtering through this curtain, and that blackening it would solve the issue. Before I do so I would like to know if anyone out there has had this same issue, and if I am on the right track to solve it.

 

I am attaching an example of the problem. Again, the banding is on the negative, it is not a scanning artifact.

 

[Erik van Straten]

It's also possible it is fogging trough the worn fabric of one (or both) of the shutter curtains before the picture was taken. When the camera is loaded, you should allways cover the lens, exept when actually taking pictures.

In any case never do anything with your shutter curtains. When they are worn or sticky, they should be replaced by a professional repairman.

It's also possible there is some dust or dirt on the edges of the curtains, so that at high speed settings, when the slit of the curtain is very small, the dirt causes an uneveness of exposure. Remove your lens, put the shutter on B, open the shutter by pushing the release button and try to look at the edges of the curtain. If you see any dirt, remove it carefully and try again on high speeds (1/500 or 1/1000).

 

Regards,

 

Erik.

[ragc]

Erik: These are the same curtains I'm referring to. Your agreement on this possibility reinforces my belief that this is the cause. And you are correct: I took the lens cap off and put it in my pocket. The lens was uncovered all the time. Interesting, these little old cameras...