Camera issues?

tacticalvelociraptor · Oct 28, 2014

I've been using a Canon EOS Rebel S II for the past month as I am new to film photography (first year in school) and I've noticed that after developing my film roll, frames are being skipped and are completely blank. Since I'm a newbie I don't know whether I'm not getting enough exposure or my camera is skipping frames and not taking in light at all. Please help. My grades depend on it haha.

Hatchetman · Oct 28, 2014

Are you taking the photos on auto or manual? I had one of these cameras and it would skip frames once in a while.

MattKing · Oct 28, 2014

Welcome to APUG!

Are you using electronic flash?

summicron1 · Oct 28, 2014

could be many things -- hard to say without more data -- do you carry the camera in a bag with other stuff that might accidentally be tripping the shutter? You would not be the first person here to take pictures of the inside of your lens cap or camera bag.

Is the shutter firing every time?

with no film in the camera, open the back, point the camera at a light and fire the shutter a few times just to make sure it is exposing (opening and closing) every time.

Hatchetman · Oct 28, 2014

I don't think the shutter on this camera will fire with the back open and no film.

Dr Croubie · Oct 28, 2014

Do you keep a notebook?
Write down every time you take a photo, subject and whatnot.
When you develop your film, match it up with the notebook and see if some shots in the notebook are missing (in which case, mechanical problem), or if there are blank frames between all the shots you've accounted for (in which case, it's tripping in the bag or something similar).

gone · Oct 29, 2014

I think these cameras had problems w/ gummy shutters. That would be my guess, the shutter isn't opening on some frames. Open the back, take off the lens, and look closely at both sides of the shutter blades and look for a little oily-like residue on them. Don't touch them, they're very thin and fragile. Lots of people have good results cleaning them CAREFULLY w/ a lot of Q tips and alcohol/lighter fluid. Worked fine for me if I remember correctly on the one I owned ages ago.

Mine had the much maligned 35-80 zoom and it took great photos despite the poor reviews on that lens.

sagai · Oct 29, 2014

I do not know if you have excluded human errors during development ...
Could you post sample image about a whole frame including the letters on the side of the processed negativ here?
A mobilephone cam made shoot will do.

John Koehrer · Oct 29, 2014

Hatchetman said:
I don't think the shutter on this camera will fire with the back open and no film.

You can fool the camera by holding the detector for the back inwards with a toothpick.

tacticalvelociraptor · Oct 29, 2014

My camera is normally off and stored away safely when unattended and most of my pictures are taken out in daylight.
I've shot the camera opened this morning and it seems the shutter fired just fine each time.
But yeah, these are my shots right here.

tacticalvelociraptor · Oct 29, 2014

Now that you mentioned it, my shutters had some black looking substances on them, and when i did take test shots with it open, the shutter sort of slowed or jammed. But it looked like it was minor and the shutter still exposed.

Dr Croubie · Oct 29, 2014

tacticalvelociraptor said:
when i did take test shots with it open, the shutter sort of slowed or jammed. But it looked like it was minor and the shutter still exposed.

Did you just notice that the shutter had moved, or you definitely noticed daylight in between while they were moving?
It's possible that the leading shutter sticks, and then the trailing shutter gives it the impetus to finally move. End result is that the two shutter blades still move, but when they do there's no space between them - ergo no light on the film and blank frames.

sagai · Oct 30, 2014

It does not seem to be a user error during development.
Other guess that it may fire unnoticed as it was mentioned before. You may do something to exclude it anf than proceed further.
The other thing that comes to my mind that you should not wait to develop until all frames taken of your film, you could cut anytime the alredy shoot frames to see what is going on. You may already familiar with this, do not know.
Cheers

ciniframe · Oct 30, 2014

Sure looks like intermittent shutter operation or malfunction. The completely blank frames next to exposed frames are the giveaway. This is one of those auto film handling cameras isn't it? As already pointed out the shutter blades moving do not mean they are exposing film. I don't think it is too common with these vertical travel segmented shutters but I suppose the leading and trailing sets could travel together with no time interval between them thus producing a blank frame.

If the camera is malfunctioning it may be cheaper just to get another one than have it repaired. I see that KEH has working Rebel film bodies from $11 to $65 depending on model and condition.

Xmas · Oct 30, 2014

tacticalvelociraptor said:
My camera is normally off and stored away safely when unattended and most of my pictures are taken out in daylight.
I've shot the camera opened this morning and it seems the shutter fired just fine each time.
But yeah, these are my shots right here.
View attachment 96896

The noise of the shutter does not count as exposing please see post #9.

Truzi · Oct 30, 2014

I don't know your camera, so this may not help, but I once had similar issues in low light with my Bronica GS-1. When I first got it, I realized the mirror stayed up until you advance the film, but being used to my 35mm, and using auto exposure, I didn't check to see that the shutter had closed. Instead, I heard a click, and advanced the film. Then took another picture and advanced. Because it was set to auto, the shutter closed when the camera felt it had enough light, regardless of when I advanced the film.

Your issue is more likely what others have already posted, but just thought I'd throw out another idea. (As Xmas said, the sound does not mean something was exposed.)

tacticalvelociraptor · Oct 30, 2014

Dr Croubie said:
Did you just notice that the shutter had moved, or you definitely noticed daylight in between while they were moving?
It's possible that the leading shutter sticks, and then the trailing shutter gives it the impetus to finally move. End result is that the two shutter blades still move, but when they do there's no space between them - ergo no light on the film and blank frames.

I pointed it towards the light and saw some daylight in between. But this most likely is the issue.

Camera issues?

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