120 film Diana F+ (White Flames Problem)

Thurtner · Wednesday at 7:24 AM

Hey Guys!

I think the exposures below quite speak for themselves!

With a good frequency these "white flames" just about ruin the picture.... does anyone know about this kind of thing?
Flash has been used at a good deal of these pictures (if not all) wich is the only thing I can imagine to be able to do this but somehow I am not entirely convinced!

Looking forward to some of your suggestions wich'll help me with the troubleshooting!

Cheers!

koraks · Wednesday at 7:26 AM

Welcome to Photrio! The scans of the film are kind of (very) bad, but this looks like a light leak. Two causes come to mind: (1) a large light leak in the camera, particularly along the top side. I'm not familiar with the one you used, but check things like foam light seals long the back etc. And another possible cause is (2) the roll of film partly unwinding/not remaining tightly wound during loading or unloading the film.

Thurtner · Wednesday at 10:09 AM

Hey Koraks,

Thanks for your kind reply, i'll check out the things you mentioned!

So these were the last picures of the roll wich furthermore was pretty good so I think it happened whilst loading/unloading the film yea wich i'll do in complete dark the next time.

Greets!

Andrew O'Neill · Wednesday at 10:47 AM

It's always better to show us the actual negatives, but as koraks mentioned, it looks like severe light leakage... If it persists, stick some black tape on the edge of the film door. I do this with one of my Holgas.

koraks · Wednesday at 1:20 PM

Andrew O'Neill said:
show us the actual negatives

Yes, absolutely; this also can often help determining where in the process the problem occurred, provided the film area outside the actual image frames is also included.

Thurtner said:
I think it happened whilst loading/unloading the film yea wich i'll do in complete dark the next time.

This isn't necessary; you can load/unload film in daylight (but avoid direct sunlight). Just make sure that the roll remains rolled up tightly.

Thurtner · Thursday at 6:36 AM

Hey Guys,

So here is a picture of the negatives from up to down 1st pic until 12th, it's clear now (to me) that this light leak came at the end of the film so I'd guess it wasn't tight enough at the unloading part!

Thanks again for the help, it's much appreciated @koraks @Andrew O'Neill

Cheers!

koraks · Thursday at 6:40 AM

Yes, the film partially unrolling itself while handling it seems like a fitting explanation. It takes some dexterity handling roll film. Keep in mind it's a very old concept that dates back far over a century. One of the reasons the 35mm cassette became popular was that it was easier to handle!

baachitraka · Thursday at 8:57 AM

I don't have any suggestion but my holga was not that bad. Nevertheless, you may pack a bit of sponge all across the lengths but the camera is made up on plastic...I don't know.

Folders with tight bellows are better options...

Andrew O'Neill · Thursday at 10:23 AM

Camera light leak aside, does your camera "fat roll" sometimes? Lack of tension can result in a roll that is not tightly would on the take up spool. This happens in my Holga Panoramic 120 all the time.

MartinCrabtree · Thursday at 12:16 PM

Sounds like a changing bag wouldn't hurt things.

loccdor · Thursday at 7:39 PM

Sometimes bending the little metal springs slightly toward the take up spool can help the roll film roll tighter.

Thurtner · 2025-08-22T19:09:36-0400

Yes @Andrew O'Neill I think it actually does a fat roll sometimes and I just looked up how you can avoid this...

@loccdor @MartinCrabtree Thanks for your tips!

120 film Diana F+ (White Flames Problem)

Thurtner

koraks

Moderator

Thurtner

Andrew O'Neill

Moderator

koraks

Moderator

Thurtner

koraks

Moderator

baachitraka

Andrew O'Neill

Moderator

MartinCrabtree

loccdor

Thurtner

120 film Diana F+ (White Flames Problem)

Moderator

Moderator

Moderator

Moderator

Moderator

Privacy & Transparency

Privacy & Transparency