Rollei SL66 negative: mostly blank

anta40 · Oct 19, 2024

So I just finished a Fomapan 100 and send it to a lab. The lab technician told me the negative is mostly blank.
Except 5 images, but they were kinda overlapped each other.

Wonder what's the cause... faulty film back?

itsdoable · Oct 19, 2024

Is the blank area at the beginning of the roll or the end?

Did you follow the loading procedure for the back, advancing the film with the knob until it detects the 1st frame.

The Rollei magazine has a sensor that detects the start of the film, it's a swinging roller at the top of the chassis that moves when the thicker film and paper advances past it. If you did everything correctly, then it's likely the film magazine may need a CLA. The mechanisms that detect and meter the film are quite precise and susceptible to old thick grease, especially for something that is 40+ years old.

koraks · Oct 19, 2024

itsdoable said:
it's likely the film magazine may need a CLA.

Given the uneven frame spacing incl. overlapping frames, there's evidently a film transport problem that's not related to user error.

Another question is why many of the frames are blank. If this were only a transport issue, I'd have expected to see 12 frames, with perhaps several overlapping frames (partial double exposures etc.).

itsdoable · Oct 19, 2024

And was that leafy plant your 1st, last, or mid roll shot?

Pieter12 · Oct 19, 2024

How much overlap is there? There could be 12 exposures on the roll, all jammed together, leaving the rest blank. But it does sound like a problem with the film transport, originating in the back or possibly from whatever drives the back from the body. I am not familiar with the SL66, but have had similar issues with a brand new (and damn expensive) Hy6 film back.

itsdoable · Oct 19, 2024

Pieter12 said:
<snip> ...I am not familiar with the SL66, but have had similar issues with a brand new (and damn expensive) Hy6 film back.

That looks like the Hy6 back is advancing in 645 mode...

Pieter12 · Oct 19, 2024

itsdoable said:
That looks like the Hy6 back is advancing in 645 mode...

If only. That is one example, others are less extreme. Plus, the camera is supposed to know which back is on, 6x6 or 6x4.5, there is no way to set it.

Slixtiesix · Oct 20, 2024

Anta, is this your first roll with the SL66?

john_s · Oct 21, 2024

itsdoable said:
Is the blank area at the beginning of the roll or the end?

Did you follow the loading procedure for the back, advancing the film with the knob until it detects the 1st frame.

The Rollei magazine has a sensor that detects the start of the film, it's a swinging roller at the top of the chassis that moves when the thicker film and paper advances past it. If you did everything correctly, then it's likely the film magazine may need a CLA. The mechanisms that detect and meter the film are quite precise and susceptible to old thick grease, especially for something that is 40+ years old.

Maybe there are two faults. My SL66 was not registering the beginning of the film (which it's supposed to do by detecting the thicker tape which indicates the start of the film, and some films have thinner tapes than others). This was an adjustment that one can do oneself.

However the spacing (overlapping) of the frames looks like a separate problem to me. Is it the back or the camera? I don't know. Any chance of trying a second magazine?

Sirius Glass · Oct 22, 2024

john_s said:
Maybe there are two faults. My SL66 was not registering the beginning of the film (which it's supposed to do by detecting the thicker tape which indicates the start of the film, and some films have thinner tapes than others). This was an adjustment that one can do oneself.

However the spacing (overlapping) of the frames looks like a separate problem to me. Is it the back or the camera? I don't know. Any chance of trying a second magazine?

Frames overlapping is a sign that the film back needs a CLA.

Nicholas Lindan · Oct 22, 2024

Sirius Glass said:
Frames overlapping is a sign that the film back needs a CLA.

And I had always though it was a sign the film back needs a stake through the heart.

I loved my SL66, but reliable it was not.

I much prefer roll film cameras with a red window. And at least with the old Hassy back you can flip up the little frame number viewer in the back and check that everything is as it should be.

john_s · Oct 22, 2024

I've replaced the magazine on my SL66 with the later version for the SL66SE which doesn't have the feeler system, just align the arrow like on most cameras. Unfortunately recently they have become very expensive like a lot of SL66 gear. Much of it on eb** sells very slowly indeed.

Imaginaut · Oct 30, 2024

If the film is not initially advanced all the way upon loading your first "exposures" will be on the backing paper prior to the start of the film, and you'll have a lot of advancing of perfectly good film to do when you think you're done with the roll! It takes just a little more effort to advance the SL66/SL66E backs past the feeler mechanism, which can feel similar to the advance knob stopping altogether. I can't see frame markings on the negative so I don't know if it's the beginning or the end of your roll that's blank, but that could be the reason for only getting 5 images.

That being said, the overlap is caused by a transport issue of some sort. That back will need a CLA.

They're wonderful cameras when working well, so good luck with the repair!

anta40 · Nov 22, 2024

itsdoable said:
Is the blank area at the beginning of the roll or the end?

Did you follow the loading procedure for the back, advancing the film with the knob until it detects the 1st frame.

The Rollei magazine has a sensor that detects the start of the film, it's a swinging roller at the top of the chassis that moves when the thicker film and paper advances past it. If you did everything correctly, then it's likely the film magazine may need a CLA. The mechanisms that detect and meter the film are quite precise and susceptible to old thick grease, especially for something that is 40+ years old.

Hi. Sorry for the late reply. Now my film back is having issue: cannot advance the film if it's attached to the camera, so cannot repeat the film loading process.

From memory, something like this:
After frame 12 is finished, then keep keep cranking the film advance lever till you feel it's loose. Then magazine film knob (14) will pop out. Frame counter shows 1.

Replace the film, push the winding button (16) into the magazine. Since we are on frame counter, this means we are ready to shoot, right?
OK I think I miss this part: before pushing the winding button into magazine, turn the magazine winding knob (14) until it locks

This video illustrates that part (around 3:10)

anta40 · Nov 22, 2024

itsdoable said:
And was that leafy plant your 1st, last, or mid roll shot?

A few last frames.

itsdoable · Nov 23, 2024

anta40 said:
<snip>

OK I think I miss this part: before pushing the winding button into magazine, turn the magazine winding knob (14) until it locks
<snip>

anta40 said:
A few last frames.

This kind of explains the roll.

The Rollei magazine has a sensor that detects the start of the film by the extra thickness when it appears. You are suppose to wind the film forward until this is detected and the wind will stop with the 1st frame positioned at the start of the film. Since you did not do this, you started your 1st exposure on the leader, and it looks like sometime around the 8th exposure, the film made it to the film gate.

The film spacing is based on the rotation of the wind up spool, and as the film builds up on the spool, less of a rotation is needed. This is built in to the magazine, it rotates the spool a certain amount at the 1st frame, and less on each frame as the spool builds up. Because you started on the leader, the spool is smaller, so the amount of rotation does not move the film enough for a full frame. This carries on to the last frame, as you are always behind, hence the over-lapped frames through out the roll. I'm speculating that the 9th frame was blank, and hence you have a gap that is smaller than a frame?

As for your current issue - did you take the dark slide out?

Rollei SL66 negative: mostly blank

anta40

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