Bronica ETRSi blank roll

Robclarke · Aug 20, 2013

So the second roll I put through this camera came back blank. The first roll was reasonably successfull. This roll was shot using a different back and was Fuji Pro 400 film.

I was also using off camera flash on this roll. I was triggering the flashes with a Yonguno YN622 on the hot shoe of the speed grip. I metered for the flashes with my Seconic flash meter and I was at about 1/160, f11 with the main flash on about 1/4 power if I remember correctly.

I was using a 200mm lens, for the previous roll I used a 75mm.

I did have some problems getting the yn622 trigger into the hot shoe and had to use a plastic spatula to push the pins up to get it into the hot shoe.

Nevertheless the flashes were definately firing but the film was entirely blank, no film markings or anything. The lab said it looked like it hadn't been exposed.

The only thing I can think of was that I must have loaded the film wrong but I don't remember noticing anything different from the previous roll. Anyone have any other ideas?

Nathan Riehl · Aug 20, 2013

It's easy to accidentally load the film with the paper backing facing the wrong way. I almost made that mistake last night, actually.

ignatiu5 · Aug 20, 2013

Nathan Riehl said:
It's easy to accidentally load the film with the paper backing facing the wrong way. I almost made that mistake last night, actually.

Sure, I've done it myself with my ETRSi, but the OP says there are no markings at all on the film. Wouldn't a backing-backwards roll at least give a rebate, if processed properly (i.e. not fixed first)?

DWThomas · Aug 20, 2013

You mentioned "no film markings" -- that sounds like bad processing, sad to say.

Robclarke · Aug 20, 2013

Correction. Sorry, I just phoned the lab and apparently the film markings are there.

Robclarke · Aug 20, 2013

Nathan Riehl said:
It's easy to accidentally load the film with the paper backing facing the wrong way. I almost made that mistake last night, actually.

How do you load it with the paper facing the wrong way, or more importantly how do you avoid it?

ignatiu5 · Aug 20, 2013

Robclarke said:
Correction. Sorry, I just phoned the lab and apparently the film markings are there.

Ah, in that case my guess is either the roll was loaded backwards as mentioned, or your 200mm has a shutter issue. Maybe check it by dry-firing it (using the multi switch) to see that the leaf shutter is in fact working on that lens.

Robclarke said:
How do you load it with the paper facing the wrong way, or more importantly how do you avoid it?

Think of the relationship of the backing paper to the film and the light (or the back opening). Loaded one way, the film is unrolled between the light and the paper. If the spool is flipped 180 degrees, the paper ends up between the light and the film, and the film never gets exposed.

Robclarke · Aug 20, 2013

I did line up the arrow on the roll with the arrow on the back. Can you see the arrow if you load it the wrong way up?

artonpaper · Aug 20, 2013

I recently had a blank roll on my ETRSi and I traced it to the battery. When the battery dies the camera defaults to a very high speed shutter speed, like 1/500. (I looked it up, but forget the exact speed). This happens with no warning. Check your battery, and start keeping a spare around.

DWThomas · Aug 20, 2013

Robclarke said:
I did line up the arrow on the roll with the arrow on the back. Can you see the arrow if you load it the wrong way up?

Yes, at the roll, the printed backing is visible either way, but the film should be coming out from "under" the roll and bending over the roller such that the printed side of the paper is against the pressure plate. As has been noted, if you did reverse it you are merely following in the learning path footsteps of throngs of folks ahead of you. :confused:

Nathan Riehl · Aug 20, 2013

Haha, my dad and I fiddled with the backs for a good ten minutes trying to make sure I loaded the film right when I got my setup for the first time. It looks almost exactly the same loaded either way, but the way to tell is to make sure the end facing the dark slide is black. If it's yellow/white/whatever color the paper protecting your 120 film is, it's backwards.

Also, artonpaper, I believe the default non-electronic speed is 250th of a second, but I could be mistaken. Anyways, that's the reason I'd prefer to have a Bronica S2a, but they're more expensive.

vpwphoto · Aug 20, 2013

"no film markings" no numbers nothing? It's not the camera or human error, lest the film be fogged 100% or fixed first... others said they say too.

DWThomas · Aug 20, 2013

Nathan Riehl said:
[...]
Also, artonpaper, I believe the default non-electronic speed is 250th of a second, but I could be mistaken. Anyways, that's the reason I'd prefer to have a Bronica S2a, but they're more expensive.

The no battery shutter speed is the fastest available speed (1/500 on my SQ-A). I believe the fastest is purely mechanical and for slower speeds a solenoid pulls some magic link to intercept the shutter closure, releasing it when the set time has past (though I've never seen an official description of the process).

Nathan Riehl · Aug 20, 2013

Ah, okay. Shows what I know! Haha.

Pumalite · Aug 20, 2013

In Medicine there is a principle: "when it looks like a duck, walks like a duck and says QUACK!; it's a DUCK!" In this case a go for the film looking away from the lens.

Pumalite · Aug 20, 2013

paul ron · Aug 22, 2013

hahaah no markings means development was screwed.. if you do ahve marking n no images.. now this may sound stupid... BUT

did you check to see if the multi exposure lever is up?

Archimedes the Dog · Sep 24, 2013

Was there ever a resolution to this? Tried another roll?

Bronica ETRSi blank roll

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