No Exposure :-(

[Darryl Roberts]

would this not suggest that the flash was fired right away while the shutter wasn't open yet to give flash old-style bulbs a chance to ramp up their light output.You needed X-synchronization to fire flash and shutter together immediately. It could be that your flash was done before the shutter was opened and that, of course, leaves you without exposure. just a quick thought.

Thank you, it was definitely on "M" , I'm gonna reshoot with "X" and lower my shutter speed too.

 

[Dan Fromm]

You don't have to lower the shutter speed. One of the nice things about leaf shutters is that they sync with flash at all speeds. With flash bulbs, this allows control of the flash's guide number. With electronic flash, this makes it possible to overpower ambient light.

 

[Darryl Roberts]

You don't have to lower the shutter speed. One of the nice things about leaf shutters is that they sync with flash at all speeds. With flash bulbs, this allows control of the flash's guide number. With electronic flash, this makes it possible to overpower ambient light.

 

[Darryl Roberts]

Yes, that's what I thought, but the darkroom tech is adamant that any over 1/60 will yeild no exposure. So, what I'll do I test 10 sheets and record them.

 

[John Koehrer]

Gotta watch out for them there darkroom techs.

 

[BrianShaw]

Yes, that's what I thought, but the darkroom tech is adamant that any over 1/60 will yeild no exposure. So, what I'll do I test 10 sheets and record them.

He/she is incorrect. No testing required.

It is possible that he’s thinking of a focal plane shutter where speeds above a certain speed (depending on the specific shutter) can cause part of the frame to get cut off.

 

[RalphLambrecht]

Thank you, it was definitely on "M" , I'm gonna reshoot with "X" and lower my shutter speed too.

I'm not sure you need or want to lower your shutter speed. You want to make sure the shutter is open when the flash fires, which is immediately.

 

[Darryl Roberts]

He is incorrect. No testing required.

It is possible that he’s thinking of a focal plane shutter where speeds above a certain speed (depending on the specific shutter) can cause part of the frame to get cut off.

Yes, the lens is a leaf-shutter.

 

[Patrick Robert James]

Did they say they were underexposed or that there was nothing on the film?

The M sync thing is an error, but it wouldn't leave the film blank, so if the film was blank something else is going on. You either didn't remove the darkslide, the flash didn't fire (you'da noticed that), the shutter is broken, or maybe the lab messed up your film but doesn't want to tell you... The shutter is easy enough to check. Make sure it is firing the flash too. Old shutter contacts tend to be dirty. I always twist the sync cable a few times when I plug them in.

The other alternative is you sent them the wrong film so you might want to double check that.

 

[wiltw]

Yes, that's what I thought, but the darkroom tech is adamant that any over 1/60 will yeild no exposure. So, what I'll do I test 10 sheets and record them.

He is insistent about erroneous information!...probably why he is a darkroom tech and not a pro photographer by trade.

Leaf shutters X-synch with electronic flash at all shutter speeds, even 1/500.

 

[MattKing]

There may be shutters out there that I'm not familiar with wherein the flash synch doesn't function properly at higher speeds.
Any of the leaf shutters I have ever worked with provide flash synch at the higher speeds.

 

[Darryl Roberts]

Did they say they were underexposed or that there was nothing on the film?

The M sync thing is an error, but it wouldn't leave the film blank, so if the film was blank something else is going on. You either didn't remove the darkslide, the flash didn't fire (you'da noticed that), the shutter is broken, or maybe the lab messed up your film but doesn't want to tell you... The shutter is easy enough to check. Make sure it is firing the flash too. Old shutter contacts tend to be dirty. I always twist the sync cable a few times when I plug them in.

The other alternative is you sent them the wrong film so you might want to double check that.

I definitely removed the dark slide, the flash did fire every time, shutter is in excellent shape as is the lens. Thank you very much.

 

[Darryl Roberts]

There may be shutters out there that I'm not familiar with wherein the flash synch doesn't function properly at higher speeds.
Any of the leaf shutters I have ever worked with provide flash synch at the higher speeds.

Thank you.

 

[Darryl Roberts]

Did they say they were underexposed or that there was nothing on the film?

The M sync thing is an error, but it wouldn't leave the film blank, so if the film was blank something else is going on. You either didn't remove the darkslide, the flash didn't fire (you'da noticed that), the shutter is broken, or maybe the lab messed up your film but doesn't want to tell you... The shutter is easy enough to check. Make sure it is firing the flash too. Old shutter contacts tend to be dirty. I always twist the sync cable a few times when I plug them in.

The other alternative is you sent them the wrong film so you might want to double check that.

They said there was no exposure.

 

[glbeas]

Did they say they were underexposed or that there was nothing on the film?

The M sync thing is an error, but it wouldn't leave the film blank, so if the film was blank something else is going on. You either didn't remove the darkslide, the flash didn't fire (you'da noticed that), the shutter is broken, or maybe the lab messed up your film but doesn't want to tell you... The shutter is easy enough to check. Make sure it is firing the flash too. Old shutter contacts tend to be dirty. I always twist the sync cable a few times when I plug them in.

The other alternative is you sent them the wrong film so you might want to double check that.

If the ambient light is too low and the shutter speed high its quite likely there would be no trace of an image on the film on the wrong sync setting?

 

[Dan Fromm]

The M sync thing is an error, but it wouldn't leave the film blank, so if the film was blank something else is going on.

Um, er, ah, it all depends on how bright ambient was and what the shutter speed and aperture were set to. Back when KM was could be processed I used to photograph small wildflowers out of doors. I used flash illumination set up to give an effective aperture of f/32 or f/26 and my FM2n's fastest sync speed, 1/250. I got no exposure from ambient. None.

 

[Darryl Roberts]

I'm gonna shoot 4 sheets, Shutter 60, Aperture f/22, and 2 sheets outdoors, no flash.

 

[Darryl Roberts]

probably the wrong sync setting.
i had a studio building mate who had a graflex slr ( 3x4 )
i remember one day his assistant plugged a 2pronged paramount cord and a flash to it.
He blazed through a box of IDK 20 polaroids ...
he, like you, couldn't figure out why every one of his exposures showed 1/2 the shutter
... he had the same problem you are having. ( i had to tell him it was for bulbs and wouldn't work except on 1 speed ... )

if you want to use the M setting on your camera, do as I do !
leave it on M, but don't plug the strobe into the sync. instead put your lens on BULB or TIME open the shutter
... manually pop the flash and ... then close the shutter. works every time !

Thank you very much

 

[bernard_L]

Darryl Roberts said: ↑
Yes, that's what I thought, but the darkroom tech is adamant that any over 1/60 will yeild no exposure. So, what I'll do I test 10 sheets and record them.

He/she is incorrect. No testing required.

+1
Before (I would even say instead of) you shoot 10 sheets (not cheap), perform the test already recommended above where you look at the rear of the lens. As long as the flash is pointing at a light-colored wall and not aiming directly at the lens your eyes are safe; safer, in fact than any portrait model under flash lighting

 

[removed account4]

Thank you very much

Glad I could help ! My suggestion works best when there is very little ambient light.
To be honest, it's probably a lot easier instead of doing the equivilant of remove the lens cap, pop flash, replace lens cap
to just leave the shutter on "X" like others have suggested since you use modern flash equipment, and you have a modern
shutter that syncs ( with it on X ) most likely without issue.

Your some exposures with and some without your flash is a good test. You might also cover your lens with your dark slide and bracket your exposure to under exposed 2, 3 and 4 stops so you can see on your film what mixed light situation would give you a completely clear negative.

Good luck with your experiments !
John

 

[Darryl Roberts]

Update: I shot it with the x-sync and got images. I've only thus far seen them as negatives but should soon have the positive scans. Thank you all.

 

[mshchem]

Update: I shot it with the x-sync and got images. I've only thus far seen them as negatives but should soon have the positive scans. Thank you all.

Good deal. The M sync is for use with old flashbulbs, this sync fires the flash bulb BEFORE the shutter opens to give the metal wool in the old flashbulbs time to ignite and reach peak brightness. X is instantaneous. You should be able to sync a leaf shutter to electronic flash at any shutter speed using X sync.
Focal plane shutters work well with flashbulbs because the bulb burns so long. With electronic flash focal plane shutters must be used at slower speeds

 

[campy51]

I haven't done sheet film that much but don't the knotches go top right and not bottom left

 

[Vaughn]

I haven't done sheet film that much but don't the knotches go top right and not bottom left

Same thing...as long as the emusion is facing the lens.

Oh -- the image area might include the notches, especially on verticals.

 

[Luckless]

I haven't done sheet film that much but don't the knotches go top right and not bottom left

Top right Is bottom left... Kind of.

You only have to care about which side of the film is 'facing out', but you don't need to worry about how the film is rotated. Notches on the right side of the top edge are the same as the notches being on the bottom of the right side edge, or the left side of the bottom edge, or the top of the left hand edge. [Assuming you are looking at the front of the film, ie, where you should see if you looked down the lens.]

Basically, stick a pin through the middle of the film, and give it a spin - The film will still work, no matter what direction the 'notch' ends up pointing towards, barring having a hole in the middle of the frame.

If you flip the film over so you're looking down on the back side, then the notches flip corners.

When loading my film holders I put the notches toward the flap, opposite the dark slide handle, so that I can double check that I hadn't somehow flipped the film over before I close up. However I've met several photographers who apparently load the film rotated 180 with the notches going towards the darkslide handle end... But I have no idea which, if either, is considered 'the norm'. [I want to say that loading them with the notch on the end you can feel before closing the holder up is normal, but humans are weird and do things in odd ways, and for all I know I'm the weird one.]

The important thing is that the film is 'facing the light', and whatever works for a photographer is what works.