Dust speck on all my F100 negatives

Joseph Bell

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Hello!

For months now, all my negatives and scans from my Nikon F100 have been corrupted by a small speck, and it's finally time for me to stop being a moron and do something about it! The speck is always in the same place (the left edge just above center on a landscape picture and the top edge on a portrait picture), and it doesn't matter which lens I use. Perhaps there's a dead bug in there somewhere, who knows? Anyhow, I'd love to solve the problem without a CLA if possible, but I have no idea how to do this. If you have any advice/ideas, I will be most grateful! I am attaching three terrible throwaway snapshots to this post so that you can see what I'm talking about! Sincere thanks for your time and trouble.







 
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Light Capture

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Camera can be put on B with lens removed and back open to check if there's anything in the path around edges.
F100 doesn't have mirror lockup as far as I can remember. B is the only way to inspect it inside.
And pay attention to shutter so it doesn't close if you insert something through shutter opening.
It's the best to go from the front side and not put anything through shutter opening from the back.
 

mshchem

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Not in sharp focus, maybe there's a bit of foam rubber stuck somewhere. I second Light Capture recommendation. Be careful when near the shutter, very delicate.
 

Sirius Glass

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mshchem said:
Not in sharp focus, maybe there's a bit of foam rubber stuck somewhere. I second Light Capture recommendation. Be careful when near the shutter, very delicate.
Click to expand...

Use a bright light, such as an iPhone Flashlight app to locate the speck and remember it will be on the right side of the frame from the back or the left side of the frame from the front. Be sure to look not just at the edge of the frame but also into the open box and also near the lens mount. I would suspect it will be away from the film plane because it appears fuzzy.
 

Timmyjoe

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I agree with everyone above, had this happen on a number of different film cameras over the years. Usually something around the edge of the frame where the shutter travels thru. As soft as it is in your image, I would suspect right in front of the shutter plane travel, between the shutter channel and the lens. Be careful when you try to remove it, make sure it is not part of the foam/velvet seals inside the camera that may have come loose. You don't want to open up any light leaks.

Good luck.

Best,
-Tim
 

CMoore

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For our members that know, what would cause this.?
If it were Foam/Light Seal, i assume it would wear of rather quickly and not be the same exact Place/Size all the time.?
To consistently foul the negative like this..............some part of the camera must be Touching/Poking the negative some how.?
 

runswithsizzers

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As the various foam light seals and mirror bumpers deteriorate with time, they disintegrate, and the bits of foam are often sticky.
 

MattKing

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runswithsizzers said:
As the various foam light seals and mirror bumpers deteriorate with time, they disintegrate, and the bits of foam are often sticky.
Click to expand...
And of course there always be those photographers who insist on eating lunch while changing film backs or lenses .
 

Sirius Glass

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Most likely debris from foam padding, mirror bumpers, light seals or just plain dust.
 

Huss

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The F100 IIRC does not have dust seals on the film door/back. It's just dust and/or a little piece of fluff that's in your camera. Pretty much can enter a camera any time - occasionally when I pay attention I can see a little fiber strand in the film gate on any camera that I happen to be using. Just remove it.
As others have mentioned, if the offending spot in the film is sharp, then it is very close to the film plane. Yours is not, so it will be sitting a little further back. Just have at it with a blower brush or canned air. Be careful not to tilt the can though!
 

CMoore

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Oh....OK
So it is imprinting on the negative from a static piece of something or other.
There were comments about Sticky/Deteriorating foam, as though there was contamination ON The Negative.

Will be interesting when the culprit is found.
 

MattKing

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No - there is a glob of something near the film plane that is casting a shadow on the film.
 
OP
OP

Joseph Bell

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Hello to one and all. Sincere thanks for your helpful opinions and ideas! I am very fond of this forum! I would love to solve this gentle mystery by myself by holding down the B, putting on strong reading glasses and keeping steady with the tweezers, but it should be noted that I am something of an oaf or a lummox who should perhaps err on the side of prudence and leave this job to a professional! Decisions, dilemmas! I will keep you posted!
 

Sirius Glass

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We are waiting as fast as we can!
 
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Joseph Bell

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Hi hello how are you! I would imagine that roughly 0% of you excellent analog wizards have been waiting to hear from me, and yet I am behooved to inform you that I think the offending speck has been removed?! With sincere thanks to you and your excellent tutelage, I put the F100 on B, opened the back, shone a flashlight through the front, and found a minuscule piece of fluff in the correct spot!! It almost looked like a tiny black piece of string, but of course it wasn't a piece of string. I have no idea what it was, but I blew it the hell out of there with my Giottos rocket, and now I can look forward to taking a test roll posthaste! Thank you sweetly and completely for your generosity and time. Here's hoping I didn't blow the speck into an even worse place. Ha! Ha ha! Actually I shouldn't laugh, it's certainly possible. But anyhow, I think I did a good job. I'm pretty dumb but you guys are pretty smart, and that's a lucky thing indeed.
 

Sirius Glass

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I am glad you got your problem fixed. I am happy to have helped you. You got your money's worth from your subscription.
 

Colin Templeton

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I'm very sorry to jump onto this thread. I have just joined the forum, and I cannot, for the life of me, figure out how to start a thread. I'm trying to find out if I need foam seals on a newly purchased Nikon F2. If some kind person could help me, I'd be very grateful. Apologies again for jumping on this thread
 

Sirius Glass

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First you need to have posted 10 [20?] posts. Then select a forum or subforum on the home page.

There is someone who is often mentioned on this website who sell kits with seals but I cannot remember the complete information. Someone will show up and post the information for you.
 
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