Film rolled tight but still light leaks

RattyMouse · Sep 22, 2014

Hi All,

I noticed something strange on one roll of film I developed yesterday. It was a roll of 120 Acros and it had on the first 3-4 frames a tiny light leak. The very first shot had enough of a leak to get onto the actual image, while the remaining images only had the light leak on the borders and it did not get onto the image. I'm surprised by this because my camera always, and I mean always, rolls the film very tight. I'm left wondering how this light leak occurred. This film came out of my Fujifilm GF670W. I'd like to improve my technique so that this does not happen again, but since I dont know how this happened, it's hard to get a grasp on how to attack this.

Thanks,

darkosaric · Sep 22, 2014

Hi,

loading / unloading film was done in shade or in bright place?

regards,

Arctic amateur · Sep 22, 2014

If the light leak is largest on the first frames of the film it happened while loading the film. Perhaps the film was badly spooled, or unwound a bit while loading.

The fogging along the edges could have happened afterwards, if the uptake spool was slightly wider than the backing paper so that there'd be a small gap between the flange and the paper.

RattyMouse · Sep 22, 2014

Arctic amateur said:
If the light leak is largest on the first frames of the film it happened while loading the film. Perhaps the film was badly spooled, or unwound a bit while loading.

The fogging along the edges could have happened afterwards, if the uptake spool was slightly wider than the backing paper so that there'd be a small gap between the flange and the paper.

Thank you. I had not thought of that.

RattyMouse · Sep 22, 2014

darkosaric said:
Hi,

loading / unloading film was done in shade or in bright place?

regards,

I always load my film in blazing sunlight. I just dont have a choice often. Never seems to have an effect on my results.

TheToadMen · Sep 22, 2014

Can you post an example of the light leaks?

ericdan · Sep 22, 2014

Maybe the lab messed it up when developing the roll?

Xmas · Sep 22, 2014

RattyMouse said:
I always load my film in blazing sunlight. I just dont have a choice often. Never seems to have an effect on my results.

Buy an umbrella, or put up with leaks.

What definition of 'never' do you use?

gone · Sep 22, 2014

It could have just been the odd roll of film. Or maybe the film wasn't wound all the way tight, or it could have slipped loose a little after rewinding on its way to the developing reel and tank. My leaks generally come from allowing the exposed film to get a little loose after unloading it from the camera (tends to leave a slash across the first frame), or from light leaks on the bellows or back seals.

RattyMouse · Sep 22, 2014

TheToadMen said:
Can you post an example of the light leaks?

Can't right now. I sent the film out for scanning.

RattyMouse · Sep 22, 2014

Xmas said:
Buy an umbrella, or put up with leaks.

What definition of 'never' do you use?

I don't think I have seen a light leak from a tightly wound roll of film in years. So that's close to never for me.

RattyMouse · Sep 22, 2014

momus said:
It could have just been the odd roll of film. Or maybe the film wasn't wound all the way tight, or it could have slipped loose a little after rewinding on its way to the developing reel and tank. My leaks generally come from allowing the exposed film to get a little loose after unloading it from the camera (tends to leave a slash across the first frame), or from light leaks on the bellows or back seals.

I'll have to watch more closely to see if I am missing something during my film movements.

BrianShaw · Sep 22, 2014

I never (defined: almost not ever) had that problem with Kodak or Ilford film, but always (defined: always) had that problem with Bergger film.

JW PHOTO · Sep 22, 2014

I had a GW690 for several years and never had problems with light leaks, but I follow a regime when loading a camera with roll film. I always try to find at least some shade (a tree, building or my body) and keep my left thumb on just the plastic spool (not on the backing paper itself) as I advance to the start line. Putting drag or tension on the feed spool will keep the film taught while sliding your finger out as the back is closed. This seems even more important on my Pentax 6x7 than it ever did on the Fuji. Knock on wood, I haven't had a serious light leak in years. John W

MartinP · Sep 22, 2014

As mentioned, the only way that the first part of the film could have been affected without the rest also being damaged, is when loading. The first frames are, of course, wound near to the core of the take-up spool with the rest of the film and backing-paper over the top of it.

Check that the tension-spring device is still pressing on to the full roll of film when you put it into the camera - I'm assuming that there is such a spring of course, but I don't recall owning a rollfilm camera without one. Do your best to maintain film tension with judicious use of your thumb during the wind to the Start line.

Xmas · Sep 22, 2014

MartinP said:
As mentioned, the only way that the first part of the film could have been affected without the rest also being damaged, is when loading. The first frames are, of course, wound near to the core of the take-up spool with the rest of the film and backing-paper over the top of it.

Check that the tension-spring device is still pressing on to the full roll of film when you put it into the camera - I'm assuming that there is such a spring of course, but I don't recall owning a rollfilm camera without one. Do your best to maintain film tension with judicious use of your thumb during the wind to the Start line.

Some cameras have weak film retention.

But I always load in shade.

Loading the spool into camera before breaking the end seal and thread the film with thumb on the film spool.

Still risky.

Photo Engineer · Sep 22, 2014

All 120 manufacturers have agreed to a Kodak developed method of "feathering" the film to improve tightness of these MF films. The paper is wider than the roll, but has been thinned so that the paper forms a good light trap.

Perhaps your film/paper did not conform to this standard?

PE

BrianShaw · Sep 22, 2014

Photo Engineer said:
All 120 manufacturers have agreed to a Kodak developed method of "feathering" the film to improve tightness of these MF films. The paper is wider than the roll, but has been thinned so that the paper forms a good light trap.

Perhaps your film/paper did not conform to this standard?

PE

I don't know about the OPs film (never used it) but I don't think the Bergger film conformed as well as it should have.

Photo Engineer · Sep 22, 2014

I should have said "feathering the paper". Sorry.

I'm making this a separate post so that you all can be aware of my error.

PE

BrianShaw · Sep 22, 2014

BrianShaw said:
I don't know about the OPs film (never used it) but I don't think the Bergger film conformed as well as it should have.

I, too , should have been more specific: I don't know about the backing paper on the OPs roll of film (never used it) but I don't think the Bergger backing paper conformed as well as it should have.

AgX · Sep 22, 2014

RattyMouse said:
I always load my film in blazing sunlight. I just dont have a choice often. Never seems to have an effect on my results.

You always can attempt to yield shadow from your own body.

RattyMouse · Sep 22, 2014

The film in question was Acros 100.

37th Exposure · Sep 22, 2014

Don't know if this helps, but I have the Fuji GF 670 and the equivalent Voigtlander Bessa III, both non W but I assume the winding mechanisms are the same. Both cameras appear to need you to give the take-up a firm twist as you roll up the leader paper (and it does say in both cameras' manuals to "wind firmly") and make sure it winds tight or you might get a "fat" roll or excessive edge fog on the whole roll. I learned the hard way that neither camera has any sort of in-camera tensioning system. You just have to hold tight to both spools as you wind up the leader to provide enough tension as you turn the take up knob, and make sure the take up spool does not reverse itself (both cameras' take up spools have an odd habit of being able to reverse themselves just enough to cause enough tension loss to cause a fat roll, that is, a loosely wound one that exceeds the flanges of the spool and allows light to ruin everything).

Newt_on_Swings · Sep 22, 2014

I think for these larger fuji cameras you need to keep a finger on the film roll as you wind onto the alignment arrows to keep it taught. Also with fast shooting rolls may loosen up. I've had this happen on both my fuji 6x9 cameras, which resulted in darkened negative edges.

Also I know its a new camera, but its also a good idea to check seals too from time to time.

RattyMouse · Sep 22, 2014

37th Exposure said:
Don't know if this helps, but I have the Fuji GF 670 and the equivalent Voigtlander Bessa III, both non W but I assume the winding mechanisms are the same. Both cameras appear to need you to give the take-up a firm twist as you roll up the leader paper (and it does say in both cameras' manuals to "wind firmly") and make sure it winds tight or you might get a "fat" roll or excessive edge fog on the whole roll. I learned the hard way that neither camera has any sort of in-camera tensioning system. You just have to hold tight to both spools as you wind up the leader to provide enough tension as you turn the take up knob, and make sure the take up spool does not reverse itself (both cameras' take up spools have an odd habit of being able to reverse themselves just enough to cause enough tension loss to cause a fat roll, that is, a loosely wound one that exceeds the flanges of the spool and allows light to ruin everything).

Yeah, maybe I just got sloppy with this roll. 99.9% of the time I have no light leaks but this one picked up one. I normally would not care too much but the image fogged looks like it is a good one.

I have to ask, why do you have two GF670s???

Film rolled tight but still light leaks

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