Fog on the negatives

rubbernglue · Feb 25, 2017

Last year I got myself a Ondu Pinhole camera, and I brought it to India as I went there for vaccation, however after developing the film I noticed what I can only describe as a fog on the negs. This has happened before occasionally and I wonder what it comes from.The humidity in india is something else from what I am used to, and I thought that perhaps it was an effect out of the film being foggy as I shot it (starting fogging as I opened the shutter and let new air in..) if that is probable enough..?

I have yet to see these effects when using my Holga WPC120 (plastic) and thought that the wood in the Ondu might be a disadvantage? I dont know, any theories or knowings??? Not very much findings on the web regarding this.

Here are three examples, notice the edge and corners, the edge of one of them is enlarged also.

John Koehrer · Feb 25, 2017

Could the back not be sealing properly and/or has it done this with more than one roll of film?

rubbernglue · Feb 26, 2017

John Koehrer said:
Could the back not be sealing properly and/or has it done this with more than one roll of film?

I have hard to believe that the back would leak since it is very ruggidly built, and it tends to show more and reveal where the crack/hole is... right?

Yes, a couple of films have shown this problem. perhaps two or three out of about ten.

Jim Jones · Feb 26, 2017

It might be light reflecting from something probably inside the camera. Try looking into the back of the camera while shining a bright light from different angles into the front of the pinhole.

rubbernglue · Mar 1, 2017

Hmm perheps there is a possibility ghat these would reflect, how unlikely it still would seem from such small hole... The even stranger thing then is that my worst affected negs are far from a sunny/16 day.

John Koehrer · Mar 1, 2017

My, that thing's mighty shiny ain't it?
Just as a test try a piece of black fabric or construction paper around the hole
& see if you still get the fog.

removed account4 · Mar 1, 2017

John Koehrer said:
My, that thing's mighty shiny ain't it?
Just as a test try a piece of black fabric or construction paper around the hole
& see if you still get the fog.

+1

canuhead · Mar 3, 2017

I'd also tape over that screw.

Joe VanCleave · Mar 4, 2017

The fogging I see in your attached images has a sharp demarcation where it starts just to the right of the left edge of the image. The left edge itself appears to be shaded by some felt-like material, as evidenced by the shadow of the fibers. Between these fiber shadows and the start of the fogging is a narrow strip where the image appears with no fogging. So wherever the fogging is coming from, it's rather even across the frame, but misses the very left side of the frame, which is on the right side of the film gate in the camera (since images are projected upside down in-camera).

I rather doubt it's one of those shiny bits inside the camera, unless a light leak from somewhere else is reflecting off of them. But just to be safe, cover them with some black tape.

Take the camera into a dark room and use a bright, narrow flashlight beam to check for small light leaks in the camera.

ciniframe · Mar 6, 2017

Sure looks like ordanary light leaks to me. For the next few rolls try sealing the back with a couple of layers of black masking tape. If it goes away, then the fit of the back is the culprit.

rubbernglue · Mar 11, 2017

I have fixed some of it now, I have yet to figure out if this will solve the problem. If this is a light leak I really do not know where it would come from, but I will run a roll as it is now and see how it goes

rubbernglue · Mar 20, 2017

Finally I have adjusted the shutter (which I noticed was too hard, and a little bent because of that and made a small glitch between the camerabody and the shutter itself of about ~0,5mm and I think that if/when sunlight reaches in behind that small glitch - the sunlit back of the shutter will expose the film and create this lightleak. I fixed the screw holding the shutter, and also added a small bit of black tape on the inner side of the shutter also.

After having run a roll through it now - I can say that it looks good!

Fog on the negatives

Privacy & Transparency

Privacy & Transparency