The last time I pulled my 5x7 and 8x10 out I had trouble getting light leaks on the film from pulling out the dark slides. This even happens on a very new film holder so obviously its something I'm doing. It's OK when inside but if I'm outside I usually get a light leak. If I pull the slide out only enough to clear the film it's ok, but when I take the slide completely out I usually get a light leak. How do you perform this seemingly mundane function? Pull it out slowly? Quickly? Shade it with a cloth? The problem happens enough that I really hesitate to use these cameras outside.
Need dark slide advice
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I've never noticed this on any of my 4x5 or 8x10 holders. I'm not particularly cautious other than trying to not topple over the camera & tripod when working the dark slide.
Sounds like your film holders have a defect.
Do you have any example images that illustrate the problem and have you tried correlating the light leaks you see on the film with the structure of the film holders used?
Sounds like your film holders have a defect.
Do you have any example images that illustrate the problem and have you tried correlating the light leaks you see on the film with the structure of the film holders used?
I try to keep the dark cloth over the slot as much as possible, no matter where I am. I also try to not apply any fore or aft pressure to the dark slide when extracting (slowly).
On particularly old or worn holders, I pull out the slide until it just clears the holder aperture and either scribe or with a paint pen, draw a line across the slide flush with the top of the film holder. Then I draw a "V" with it's base touching the line; oriented toward the top of the slide.
When I start to retract the dark slide, the "V" gives me a visual means of judging when to stop before extracting it fully. After exposing that side, I don't reverse the dark slide, but push it back in and place a post-it-note on the surface to show it has been exposed.
I have been toying with the idea of 3D printing small colorful clips I can place on the handle of the dark slide to denote exposed film, as sticky notes can fall off.
Tried pulling apart a wooden film holder to repair the dark slide light trap, but found they are very fragile and it still leaked after the repair attempt, so I won't be wasting another half-day doing that again.
In any regard, good luck on defeating the light leaks.
On particularly old or worn holders, I pull out the slide until it just clears the holder aperture and either scribe or with a paint pen, draw a line across the slide flush with the top of the film holder. Then I draw a "V" with it's base touching the line; oriented toward the top of the slide.
When I start to retract the dark slide, the "V" gives me a visual means of judging when to stop before extracting it fully. After exposing that side, I don't reverse the dark slide, but push it back in and place a post-it-note on the surface to show it has been exposed.
I have been toying with the idea of 3D printing small colorful clips I can place on the handle of the dark slide to denote exposed film, as sticky notes can fall off.
Tried pulling apart a wooden film holder to repair the dark slide light trap, but found they are very fragile and it still leaked after the repair attempt, so I won't be wasting another half-day doing that again.
In any regard, good luck on defeating the light leaks.
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You can also try to orient the film holder to avoid direct sunlight:
1) if portrait orientation: after I pull out dark slide, I leave the dark slide on top of the open slit to shield it
2) if landscape orientation: I rotate graflex or sliding back so the open slit is facing away from the main source of light
1) if portrait orientation: after I pull out dark slide, I leave the dark slide on top of the open slit to shield it
2) if landscape orientation: I rotate graflex or sliding back so the open slit is facing away from the main source of light
Sounds like a recipe for double exposures. Why do you do it like this? I always flip them and never noticed a problem.
To avoid opening the dark slide slot on problematic film holders; otherwise I do reverse the dark slide.
As I explained, I mark the holders that have a light trap problem and treat them accordingly. 100 year old wooden holders need a bit more care in use...
OP,
It's possible that the light traps in your holders don't seal as well as they should. In that case, the advice above should help.
It's also possible that you are inadvertently pulling the spring back away from the camera body when pulling/inserting the slide. Be sure to pinch the back to the camera body when pulling or inserting the slide to prevent this.
Also, examine the fit of the back to the body to make sure there are no leaks as well as the bellows to the back standard. Examine the fit of the filmholders as well to make sure they seat properly in the groove and that the surface they rest on is not warped, etc.
Best,
Doremus
It's possible that the light traps in your holders don't seal as well as they should. In that case, the advice above should help.
It's also possible that you are inadvertently pulling the spring back away from the camera body when pulling/inserting the slide. Be sure to pinch the back to the camera body when pulling or inserting the slide to prevent this.
Also, examine the fit of the back to the body to make sure there are no leaks as well as the bellows to the back standard. Examine the fit of the filmholders as well to make sure they seat properly in the groove and that the surface they rest on is not warped, etc.
Best,
Doremus
In addition to what Doremus said about pulling the back, it is a good idea to shade the darkslide slit from sunlight or strong skylight as you pull it - you can shade it with a cloth or your own shadow. For the same reason that even 35mm film comes with a warning not to load a camera in direct sunlight.
One could use a dark room, take off the lens and put a bright flashlight inside the bellows. Then going through your darkslide movements you might well see the light.
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You can test individual film holders the same way to see if the light trap leaks light.
Thanks for all the tips. I took two test shots yesterday incorporating some of the tips. The camera was in heavy shade and I completely removed the dark slide slowly. It appears that the film may not have been perfectly inserted in the film holder and in this instance the light leak is not coming from where the dark slide but from the bottom.
I would check your bellows and lens board on the front standard.
That's a pretty well defined patch of light, so it implies (at least to me) a "projection" type of leak with the source being further away from the film plane.
Plain old leaks are less well defined and more "blob-like" in my experience...
Are you by chance using the same lens/lens board on the 5x7 and 8x10?
That's a pretty well defined patch of light, so it implies (at least to me) a "projection" type of leak with the source being further away from the film plane.
Plain old leaks are less well defined and more "blob-like" in my experience...
Are you by chance using the same lens/lens board on the 5x7 and 8x10?
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I think I've found the culprit. I had a new bellows made for the 5x7. The slide clamp that attached the bellows plate to the rear standard at the bottom was not pushed in fully. I will do a test shot in the next few days and report back. Regarding the lens board, they are not interchangeable so I have a 360mm lens for the 5 x 7. Thanks for everyones help.
I have a few ruined negatives from something very similar. I didn't get the bellows frame completely inside the spring lock on the bottom rear of my Wista SW once when changing bellows (it's a bit tricky). I had similar leaks.
Hope you've found your problem,
Doremus
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I have a couple of the supposedly wonderful Lisco/Regal holders that have the darkslide problem the OP originally suspected. The issue looks like streaks coming up from the bottom (or across from one side, in landscape) of the frame. I first noticed it on some shots I took a few years back with a very old, kinda marginal self-casing camera, and I blamed the camera. Just recenly I used them again in a new fixed-up camera-- same thing. At least with some of the older, non-plastic holders there's a metal piece that you can unscrew that holds the light trap. The plastic Liscos seem to be maintenance-proof.
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