Nikon F6 light leak

alexfilm · Dec 14, 2020

I'm sending my F6 off to Nikon for repair this week – I've had the body since 2015, and this is the first time I've seen this happen.

With what I believe is a vertical travel shutter, this seems like an odd light leak – it is not consistent in intensity, and was not on every image of the 24 shot roll.

Has anyone else had an issue like this with their F6?

Sirius Glass · Dec 14, 2020

Not a light leak per se, rather a shutter problem. Time for a CLA.

alexfilm · Dec 14, 2020

Sirius Glass said:
Not a light leak per se, rather a shutter problem. Time for a CLA.

For this body, I assumed I would be best served by sending it to Nikon for that.

dmtnkl · Dec 14, 2020

Is it possible that it was introduced during the scanning process? Have you examined the negatives themselves? Can you observe it on the bare negs?

I doubt it is a shutter problem, as it runs verticaly for this camera.

Sirius Glass · Dec 14, 2020

alexfilm said:
For this body, I assumed I would be best served by sending it to Nikon for that.

dmtnkl said:
Is it possible that it was introduced during the scanning process? Have you examined the negatives themselves? Can you observe it on the bare negs?

I doubt it is a shutter problem, as it runs verticaly for this camera.

alexfilm · Dec 14, 2020

dmtnkl said:
Is it possible that it was introduced during the scanning process? Have you examined the negatives themselves? Can you observe it on the bare negs?

I doubt it is a shutter problem, as it runs verticaly for this camera.

The edge and flare are in the negatives. Here's the strip that corresponds to the air freshener image above – this is the only frame where this is this strong, and also goes beyond what I would expect to be exposed by the shutter. You can see a less pronounced version of the mark in the shot of the locomotive to the left of it as well.

Anon Ymous · Dec 14, 2020

Definitely some kind of fogging/light leak, although I suspect the F6 isn't as susceptible to leaking as other cameras.

PS Cine film? What's this?

dmtnkl · Dec 14, 2020

The F6 back has a special curved construction around the hinge that "envelopes" the body's edge in order to prevent light leaks. Something must be really wrong if so much light managed to get thought that arrangement.

Try to observe it.

Anon Ymous · Dec 14, 2020

Hmmm, any chance of fogging the film while it was loaded from the bulk roll?

MattKing · Dec 14, 2020

Is this bulk loaded film? The artefact resembles the problems one encounters with cassettes that leak light.

dmtnkl · Dec 14, 2020

Observe the sprockets on the left of the leak. They all have higher density from that point on.

It seems that the whole roll after that has elevated density. Doesn't look like a spontaneous leak to me, but maybe i am wrong.

alexfilm · Dec 14, 2020

Anon Ymous said:
PS Cine film? What's this?

It's Yashica 400 black and white – funded from a KS project a year or two ago. I've shot their color 400 without a problem.

Here's the test roll I took with their color stock last year on the same camera.

Scott Micciche · Dec 14, 2020

Have you examined the foam around the film canister window? It almost has that sort of shape and around that area of a frame.

alexfilm · Dec 14, 2020

Scott Micciche said:
Have you examined the foam around the film canister window? It almost has that sort of shape and around that area of a frame.

The foam is solid and nothing flakes off.

alexfilm · Dec 14, 2020

dmtnkl said:
Observe the sprockets on the left of the leak. They all have higher density from that point on.

It seems that the whole roll after that has elevated density. Doesn't look like a spontaneous leak to me, but maybe i am wrong.

It may just be how it looks in this shot; held up to the light the density seems even. I'd have to put it on a light box to really check.

alexfilm · Dec 14, 2020

MattKing said:
Is this bulk loaded film? The artefact resembles the problems one encounters with cassettes that leak light.

Would the mark shift in that case across the roll based on the wound film? When I view the scans in Lightroom, I can see the edge in the same spot. You can see it in fainter in the images in the second row.

MattKing · Dec 14, 2020

I would be tempted to develop an unexposed film, to see if there is any sign of the problem on the film itself.

alexfilm · Dec 14, 2020

MattKing said:
I would be tempted to develop an unexposed film, to see if there is any sign of the problem on the film itself.

I think I've only got nine rolls left from the KS.

I could run another roll through the F6, but this time something mass produced like Fuji or Kodak.

Chan Tran · Dec 14, 2020

dmtnkl said:
The F6 back has a special curved construction around the hinge that "envelopes" the body's edge in order to prevent light leaks. Something must be really wrong if so much light managed to get thought that arrangement.

Try to observe it.

Same on the my F3 which has no foam but no leak.

dmtnkl · Dec 14, 2020

The yellow "canal" envelopes the edge near the film as pointed by the orange arrow. I think it is really difficult to have light sneak in from that area.

Chan Tran · Dec 14, 2020

Was the one that has the most pronounced light leak when you were under bright sunlight? Is ist possible the leak came from the little window at the film cassette to show the type of film? I think so because the leak is most pronounced at the center of the frame rather than the edge.

alexfilm · Dec 14, 2020

Chan Tran said:
Was the one that has the most pronounced light leak when you were under bright sunlight? Is ist possible the leak came from the little window at the film cassette to show the type of film? I think so because the leak is most pronounced at the center of the frame rather than the edge.

That shot was taken pointing straight down to the sidewalk – I don't remember the weather.

This one was also pointed towards the ground – it's the second shot on the roll, and the one before it has not have the line. The house shot above is a little more noticeable.

The odd thing is moments like this where it is only on one of two successive frames.

ic-racer · Dec 14, 2020

Chan Tran said:
Was the one that has the most pronounced light leak when you were under bright sunlight? Is ist possible the leak came from the little window at the film cassette to show the type of film? I think so because the leak is most pronounced at the center of the frame rather than the edge.

+++

alexfilm · Dec 14, 2020

Chan Tran said:
Was the one that has the most pronounced light leak when you were under bright sunlight? Is ist possible the leak came from the little window at the film cassette to show the type of film? I think so because the leak is most pronounced at the center of the frame rather than the edge.

I've never worried about a leak through that window before, but's possible it shifted. There was plenty of sun in LA and Mexico when I shot 20 rolls between two trips in 2017 and 2018, and never saw that mark then either. The shot below is from 2017 with Ektar 25 – the sun that day was pretty intense.

MattKing · Dec 14, 2020

Is the film on the "standard" acetate base or a PET base (which is more prone to light piping)?

Nikon F6 light leak

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