Dark band showing in Nikon F4 exposures

quixotic · Mar 11, 2017

I just shot my first roll in this beast, and I see now that every single exposure has a dark vertical band over to the left side of the shot. Any ideas as to what might cause this?

Joe VanCleave · Mar 11, 2017

I don't think it would be a light leak, since this is a positive image and the band is dark. I'm guessing it's a thin, hair-like fiber stuck in the film gate, near the right side as you view it with the rear door open. It's a bit in front of the film plane, somewhere between the lens and film, hence it being out of focus.

~Joe

Huss · Mar 11, 2017

It's a vertical travelling shutter so it won't be the shutter blades. If it was it would be a horizontal line. Joe's theory is worth checking.
It could also be a scanning or developing issue.

quixotic · Mar 11, 2017

Looks like a scanning issue. The combo of SFX 200 and the F4 just happened to bring it to light. When I look back at recent scans with the same scanner (a plustek 8100) scanning Delta 100 from a Hexar RF, a Nikon F3, and a Contax G1, I can now discern the same pattern. And likely not the software, either, since some of the G1 scans were done with Vuescan, whereas all the rest were done with Silverfast.

quixotic · Mar 11, 2017

Wow. I did a quick search and found this link. Looks like the poster has precisely the same issue as I have.

Dead Link Removed

Unfortunately, it's on a Pacific Image machine; not a plustek

quixotic · Mar 11, 2017

I just did some scans on color negative film. It's hard to me to discern anything. So it's most noticeable with coarse grained b&w, not so noticeable with finer grained b&w, and either absent or not noticeable on color negative. Guess this is a question for Dpug.

Patrick Robert James · Mar 11, 2017

Turn the neg 180º and scan it again. If the same part of the image is affected, it is on the neg. If the same part of the scan is affected, it is the scanner. Looks to me like you need to clean your scanner. Cross your fingers that there is something on the mirror (if it has one) otherwise you are in for some major scanner surgery.

Good luck.

Leigh B · Mar 11, 2017

APUGuser19 said:
It's almost as if the shutter is slowing down for an instant...

Fundamental problem with that analysis.

The F4 shutter is vertical-travel, not horizontal.

- Leigh

chip j · Mar 11, 2017

Excellent picture!

paul ron · Mar 12, 2017

the bar doesnt seem to continue through the brick wall and sand below.

ic-racer · Mar 12, 2017

Hard to figure out without seeing the film. Don't waste my time if the film is ok.

Dark band showing in Nikon F4 exposures

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