Any idea what would cause this?

Hi all,

I noticed this dark spot that crosses frames in a recent roll I developed. I'm wondering if anyone knows what might have caused it. Light leak in the camera? Seems unlikely since I would probably see more - although if it didn't cross frames I might just write it off as flare or something. Light leak in the changing bag? Maybe, but how would it pinpoint just this small splotch? Something on my fingers when I was loading the reel?

The camera used for this roll was an M3 with the glass pressure plate - could it be a static discharge that the glass pressure plates were apparently prone to? The examples of that which I've found from googling look more like white lightning streaks on the film rather than dark spots.

I'm baffled but maybe someone's seen this before and knows exactly what happened.

Thanks everyone,
John

Definitely not static discharge which leaves a very distinctive pattern and would probably cover the whole width of the film. Have you used a penlight to check for light leaks. I would say that it appears like a leak in the camera or the developing tank.

I've an M3 with glass pressure plate, and have never seen it cause anything like this.

Two thoughts. I have an M5 that had a light leak via the film advance lever that caused a triangular shape on the bottom of each image -- remembering that what appears to be the bottom of the image is actually at the top of the film when in the camera because the image is inverted in transmission through the lens. But that doesn't really jive with the location of the rectangle on your film. I do note that the rectangle crosses from one frame to the other, so I wonder if your M3 is a double-stroke, as if you had advanced just one of the two strokes then the leak occurred maybe that would explain the location of the leak. Anyway, quite a mystery.

Is it just that one frame? Was that scene or the scene next to it strongly back lit?

Either a light strike or physical damage (e.g., kinking when loading on the reel) to the film causing it to develop darker. Definitely not static.

Doremus

I've never seen anything quite like that.

You can't rule out a light leak, though the shape of the leak usually gives a clue as to where it has come from. I am erring on the side of physical damage such as kinked when loaded onto the reel for processing or even a small object somehow got in there when you loaded the spiral reel.

The big question at this point is has it affected any other frames?

Looks like a damage from being folded in that point.

Thanks all for the replies.

kb244 said:

Is it just that one frame? Was that scene or the scene next to it strongly back lit?

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Yes the scene on the left was strongly backlit, and yes this was the only frame that I notice the issue. I checked a few other rolls too and I'm not noticing anything like this. Maybe it was just a fluke.

The film doesn't have any apparent physical damage (like kinking), but maybe it got smudged by my finger when loading the reel. Or maybe a little light snuck by the elastic armbands on my changing bag. Anyway I'll just call it a fluke for now and see if it happens again. Thanks everyone for the help!

Doremus Scudder said:

Either a light strike or physical damage (e.g., kinking when loading on the reel) to the film causing it to develop darker. Definitely not static.

Click to expand...

I agree.

Internal reflection/ light spill from backlit next frame?