Just got my new Rolleiflex...super sad

DMRainey · Jul 19, 2019

The Rollei is beautiful! The images are flawed. Shot 2 rolls, had them professionally developed and scanned. Both rolls have the same long thin black lines running up and down the right side and middle. Lab guy looked over the negs and they were fine. He checked out the camera and no issues. Took it to local camera repair that only works on film camera..saw no issues with the back or film advance.

I shot two rolls to make sure it was not just a bad roll of film. It is brand new film, TriX400

Its a Rolleilflex 3.5e Planar lens. Looks very clean. I cleaned the lens (both sides)...no effect and they look scratch free.

Any thoughts....I adjusted the contrast on the uploads to make the issue more noticeable

for review. Thoughts?

etn · Jul 19, 2019

Can you try to make a wet print, or scan with a different scanner, to rule out scanner issues?

Sirius Glass · Jul 19, 2019

Would you post photographs of the negatives please?

jimjm · Jul 19, 2019

If the negs look fine, but the resulting scans show these artifacts, then it's a problem with scanning. The line on the right side could be a camera or film processing problem, but if they don't show on the negs then it's a scanning problem.
Overall, the other splotches and streaks appear to me to be a processing or scanning problem. The two black dots about 1/4 of the way from the top are unlikely to be a problem with the film or the camera.
I'd shoot another roll and try a different lab, or process them yourself.

DMRainey · Jul 19, 2019

The place that did the processing is a very high-end company that specializes in film. The owner came out and looked at the negatives under some special lights to check for defects (that was my first thought) and looked at them through a magnifier and he said the emulsion was perfect. He told me to shoot another roll of film and see how it turned out...same thing again..in the same location each frame?? He thought maybe they might be pressure marks on the film (from the film advance) but after he looked over the camera (pressure plate, rollers, stage area) he could not find any faults... I took it to he repairman and he could not find anything out of the ordinary either??

Would light leaks cause this?

DMRainey · Jul 19, 2019

The lab owner did say that the defects were very visible on the negatives.

MattKing · Jul 19, 2019

Those aren't light leaks.
Those are scratches in the emulsion.

Kino · Jul 19, 2019

DMRainey said:
The place that did the processing is a very high-end company that specializes in film. The owner came out and looked at the negatives under some special lights to check for defects (that was my first thought) and looked at them through a magnifier and he said the emulsion was perfect. He told me to shoot another roll of film and see how it turned out...same thing again..in the same location each frame?? He thought maybe they might be pressure marks on the film (from the film advance) but after he looked over the camera (pressure plate, rollers, stage area) he could not find any faults... I took it to he repairman and he could not find anything out of the ordinary either??

Would light leaks cause this?View attachment 227215 View attachment 227216

I suspect the processing. It doesn't matter how high-end any company is, they can have issues.

Is it a roller transport processor?

I don't suppose you or someone near you could process another test roll of b&w in a tank to see if the problem goes away?

Those blots and dots make me suspicious...

DMRainey · Jul 19, 2019

Matt,
That was what I thought as well, which is why I had the owner come out to look at them, he verified that the negs were perfect (scratch free) and had me look at them under the light, he said if there was a scratch it would be pretty evident. I went home, shot another and took it back a day later to get processed and the same defects appear..in the same area. I mean..this is crazy.

I am going to shoot another roll of a totally different film (Pan50) ..and take off my yellow filter (ruling out things) and see how it turns out.

chriscrawfordphoto · Jul 19, 2019

In addition to the scratch, all of those photos have spots and streaks, and the spots and streaks are in the exact same places on each film. Looks like his scanner is dirty.

MattKing · Jul 19, 2019

DMRainey said:
Matt,
That was what I thought as well, which is why I had the owner come out to look at them, he verified that the negs were perfect (scratch free) and had me look at them under the light, he said if there was a scratch it would be pretty evident. I went home, shot another and took it back a day later to get processed and the same defects appear..in the same area. I mean..this is crazy.

I am going to shoot another roll of a totally different film (Pan50) ..and take off my yellow filter (ruling out things) and see how it turns out.

You need to have someone else scan the negatives (or even better, print them optically) and see if the result changes.
If you had scanned them yourself, I would have suggested that you re-scan them after turning them around 180 degrees, to see if the lines move.

StepheKoontz · Jul 20, 2019

That doesn't look like a camera problem. I don't care how "high end" this guy is, have them processed somewhere else and see if they have the same problem. A filter or even a dirty lens isn't gonna make lines like that and neither is a leaf shutter. A rollei has rollers etc so it's not likely the camera doing this unless there was a very obvious problem with the film gate.

mshchem · Jul 20, 2019

Shoot a roll of Portra color negative film, take it to a minilab and have process and print. Or even better like Matt has suggested, develop your own film and make a contact print or an enlargement. All these scanners do weird things.

I really think everyone should process and contact proof their own negatives whenever possible. All you need is a tank, thermometer, and a light bulb.

Trying to guess this kind of stuff will make you crazy. I can see lint on the scans, probably someone who is scanning 120 on a flatbed scanner that knows less than I do about scanning, and that's not good

KN4SMF · Jul 20, 2019

First it was stated the film was examined and found to be fine. Then it was said the film was examined and the faults were indeed there. I am confidently sure the camera is not at fault. So that leaves the film or the developing process. And in light of my 50 years in photography, I cast blame on one or both of the latter. Change either or both of those 2 and the problem will cease.

Theo Sulphate · Jul 20, 2019

If the lab guy said your negatives were defect-free (something you can easily check for yourself) and then had you shoot another roll, then his advice makes no sense at all.

I'd find another lab.

DMRainey · Jul 20, 2019

KN/Theo....my bad, should have been clearer.

On the first roll I discovered the blemishes after I reviewed the scans on my laptop in the car after I picked up the negs/flashdrive from them...when I saw the streaks I went back inside to have him check the negatives for defects (scratches). He looked at the negs closely under his machines and could not find anything physically wrong with the negs (scratches/residue ect...) He then used an eyepiece to examine the negs on a light table and said that he could see the what I was talking about on the neg's image (same thing I was seeing on the scan's). He then suggested I shoot another roll of film to see if the problem repeated itself to rule out a defective roll of film. I just picked up the 2nd roll today and saw the exact same issue.

I tend to agree this looks like a processing issue....a dirty lens won't leave those straight lines. I am going to try a different film and lab..might even develop it myself, I used to be a Darkroom Rat for many years when I worked for a newspaper a couple lifetimes ago.

Dan Daniel · Jul 20, 2019

If you have a digital camera, do some cheap dirty scans of your own. Build a make-shift light table, photograph the negatives, and invert the image, convert to gray scale.

Those sure are wide and diffuse lines for camera scratches. Now the wavering in the lines does make me suspect the camera, but other artifacts in the scans point at bad scanning.Take a q-tip and rub around the interior of the camera, the rollers and see if it snags on something (lack of snags doesn't mean that it isn't from the camera, though).

You need to methodically eliminate one variable after another.

Hatchetman · Jul 20, 2019

Oddly I was at the WWI Museum yesterday.

90% confident there is nothing wrong with the camera. If those are scratches you could see it on the negative with the naked eye.

BrianShaw · Jul 20, 2019

Run a roll of film through the camera, then unwind it and examine for scratches. That will help determine if there are mechanical issues with your camera causing scratches. Save yourself the cost of processing for the first test.

BAC1967 · Jul 20, 2019

In a Rolleiflex the film only touches rollers in the image area so unless one of the rollers is stuck it shouldn't get scratched like that.

removedacct1 · Jul 20, 2019

This is not a camera problem.
Scratches in the film would be much more clearly defined, not soft and blurry as they appear in your images. There wouldn't be random "dots" in the images either, if it were scratches. I cannot think of ANY condition that would produce these results in-camera. That leaves the lab: either processing of the film (most likely) or introduced artifacts from the scanning.

Every lab, no matter how professional, eventually screws up a customer's film. Its just how it is. I strongly suggest you start processing your own film, if possible.

Also, I recommend you perform the scratch test Brian suggested. I bet you won't find any scratches in the film from the camera.

Eric Rose · Jul 20, 2019

One of the many reasons I quit shooting colour film was that it seemed almost impossible for me to get a roll back with out the lab scratching it. During that period of time there were many different labs. Some even called themselves "pro" labs but it was still hit and miss. The scratches were always caused by dirty development equipment. In EVERY case they would try and blame either my camera or if shooting 135 the cassette having dirt in the felt. I could have started home C41 developing but I had better things to do with my life.

railwayman3 · Jul 20, 2019

paulbarden said:
This is not a camera problem.
Scratches in the film would be much more clearly defined, not soft and blurry as they appear in your images. There wouldn't be random "dots" in the images either, if it were scratches. I cannot think of ANY condition that would produce these results in-camera. That leaves the lab: either processing of the film (most likely) or introduced artifacts from the scanning.

Every lab, no matter how professional, eventually screws up a customer's film. Its just how it is. I strongly suggest you start processing your own film, if possible.

Also, I recommend you perform the scratch test Brian suggested. I bet you won't find any scratches in the film from the camera.

I'd agree entirely, the scratches don't look like a camera problem.

I'd start by shooting a new film (another make or batch to the one which showed the fault), using another processor (lab or DIY) and another scanner or wet-print. If nothing's amiss on these new negs, you can eliminate the camera and the film, which leaves only the lab or the scanner. And, in my experience, even "professional" labs are not infallible.....I've had a so-called pro lab return the wrong film, and even, in the good old days, had occasional faults on Kodachrome slides processed by the official UK Kodak "Box 14".

abruzzi · Jul 20, 2019

I have a hard time imagining what in the camera could have created some of those marks, but long lines in the travel direction of the film (vertical lines if the film travels vertically) could be caused by something in the film transport. The best thing is to feel in the approximate location throughout the film pat to feel for grit. (Remember the lens projects the image upside down so that vertical line a few millimeters from the right edge of the image is actually on the left edge of the camera.)

While I wouldn’t 100% rule out the camera, it doesn’t really seem like it—especially the spots in the first few shots.

removed account4 · Jul 20, 2019

sorry for not being diplomatic but i'd find another lab and/or learn how to process film at home.
i had a lab cook my film for a job once. i brought them probably 30 rolls to make sure they were good before the job, and then when the film mattered they cooked it. I'm sorry to see your trouble.
John

ps. you also need to tell the lab guy to clean his rollers, fix his scanner and give you new film

Just got my new Rolleiflex...super sad

DMRainey

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DMRainey

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Just got my new Rolleiflex...super sad

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