Franka Rolfix 6x9 folding camera light leaks

Hi everyone. I recently got a Franka Rolfix 6x9/6x6 folding camera. I believe it was made in Germany during the 1960s. Not a popular brand, but mine is still in very good cosmetic and mechanical condition. I tested the shutter aperture and everything works.

I shot a roll of ilford hp5 400 pulled to 200. When I developed it, I found light leaks along the top and bottom edge of the film. It's still drying right now so I can't attach a photo.. What is weird is that they're not that heavy, 80% of them don't bleed into the photo, only a very few bleeds a little in the photo. Another weird thing is that there's no foam along the side of the film chamber door, and I don't see any residue of bad foam at all. So what might've caused this? Would it maybe be because some light leaked in because I didn't wound it and seal it properly?

P.S. the light leaks along the edges are very even, and from the start of the roll to the end, not just the picture areas.

5 photos attaches.

Thanks everyone.


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See www.certo6.com for repair or a new folder. I bought a folder from Jurgen several years ago and was very pleased.

It rather was a popular brand as their cameras were aimed at a broader public. They also took over part of the manufacture of some Agfa cameras. Popular cameras too in that meaning.

Cameras of that period (50's) still had no foam sealing. Maybe though a cord instead.

Really nice camera you have. Was the roll loose when you handled it (out of the camera)? Light can hit the film on the edges when getting it put in the camera, or when you take it out and handle it and tape it up or whatever. Since you say the leak is so even along the edges, that's what it could be.

As far as the seals on the camera, from what I've seen, and I don't profess do have any vast expanse of knowledge or experience, but have see numerous folders, they seem to relay on a mechanical light seal, in other words overlap of the parts that fit together. Although maybe you will sometimes see yarn having been used in older cameras to seal out the light. Foam and even yarn is temporary, and the old folders just didn't seem to go for that. They were built for the long haul and handing down. Yarn is better than foam tough, IMO.

Try more film and be very careful to keep the roll tight going in and out of the camera. Just a thought. Your camera looks nice and looks to be in nice condition. Eyeball where the door meets up with the body. If it's all straight and snug, then suspect light hitting the edges during handling of the film out of the camera. It happened to me once.

If the lens is ok on your camera it will probably take amazing pictures. Also, I do not concur with the service recommendation given earlier. Best of luck with your nice folder camera.

If the roll was not wound tight on the takeup spool, that could result in light leaks on the edges. Though would affect the end of the roll (higher frame numbers) than the beginning.

The film was tight when loading and unloading.. I think I'll just have to shoot more to find out what exactly causes this. Thanks for all the replies!


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Check the bellows for light leaks, especially close to where it attaches to the body.

Run tape around the seam and hinge where the two halves join on the next shoot, to eliminate that possibility, or prove that was it.

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You should tape over the red windows with an opaque tape that is not too sticky, peeling it back to check film advance. I use gaffer's tape, applied to my hand and removed a number of times before putting it on the camera. Enough light will get in through the windows to fog the film at the edges even if it doesn't cause a light bleed through the paper.

i have never had any other light leak on my Franka Rollfix. Unless it is dented, or the bellows has a problem, I would not think the problem comes from the body.

I'm just tossing this out there, because I've seen the problem on film that you've described before. I was sitting in the darkroom when someone had just that. Turns out they didn't load the center column on a Paterson tank, making it not light tight during development. They were using plastic reels. Light hits the plastic and diffuses light along the edges. So it may or may not be the camera.