Some of my frames are only half developed?

AsdaFan

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I dev'd some Double X in Foma Excel at 1:1 for 7 mins, some of the frames appear to look really good but there are others that only have half a developed image or there a couple of blank frames.

I'm wondering if either there wasn't enough Dev reaching parts of the film for a shutter issue?
 

cramej

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Pictures of the negatives help greatly.


However, developer doesn't act frame by frame so if you have some frames correctly exposed and well-developed, it is likely a shutter issue.
 

Sirius Glass

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Exposure issue?
 

Rob Skeoch

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Are the frame numbers and words on the film stock constant throughout the roll? If they are, on both top and bottom, then it's likely exposure issues. If the lettering is non constant, then you might want to use more developer.
 

MattKing

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cramej said:
Pictures of the negatives help greatly.
Click to expand...

+1
Backlit negatives, with the edge of the film and edge printing and space between the frames visible.
Try to include a strip with examples of the "good" negatives and the "bad" negatives side by side.
 

Nicholas Lindan

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You don't mention how the film was developed: Jobo; SS tank; dip & dunk .... As it is Double-X I think the assumption is that it is 35mm?

That information, along with a scan of the negatives would be a great help in trying to determine what happened.
 

MattKing

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Sirius Glass

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Does the light meter battery need to be replaced or the the light meter need to be calibrated?
 

Donald Qualls

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Vaughn

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If you used a flash, did you use the correct shutter speed?
 
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AsdaFan

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Vaughn said:
If you used a flash, did you use the correct shutter speed?
Click to expand...

This is what the issue reminds me off. It's a new (old) camera I picked up, which is an OM 20 and I was using it in Auto mode so I'm not sure if that's got anything to do with it. I'll attach an image below.
 

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cramej

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^Yup

Capping. The second curtain is catching up to the first curtain.
 

John Wiegerink

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AsdaFan said:
Ah ok. Is there an easy fix or is it going to be a difficult job?
Click to expand...

Easy fix? No, not if you mean fixing it right. Now, if the camera has sat around for a long period without use, you might try constantly cocking and working the shutter at different speed for a half hour or hour. Say, like when watching TV. Or better yet, check the big auction site for a winder and use that to exercise the shutter. Winders for the cheaper cameras such as the OM-20 are very cheap when you find one. Just a few thoughts....... JohnW
 
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AsdaFan

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Funnily enough, I've been cocking and firing the shutter for the last hour. I sprayed a little IPA 99% in the crevices around the shutter curtain and now when on 1/1000th it gives me, what looks like a whole frame rather than something that looks like a shadow over the shutter.

Attached is a screen shot of a video I took firing the shutter. I'll try another roll of film tomorrow and see if it works.
 

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jnk

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IPA .. India Pale Ale ? Better for drinking than spraying it on a shutter..

Sorry to ask this, but wouldn't a camera repair shop do a worthwhile CLA ? Film costs money, time is spent taking photographs time and money is spent developing them, isn't a CLA to last another IDK 5 or 6 years worth whatever it might cost? Not my business but I wouldn't bother with "home remedies" unless time and money aren't an issue.
 

John Wiegerink

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I learned the hard way..............never spay anything into a camera. I'm even extremely careful with compressed Dust-off.
 

Sirius Glass

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I agree. At signs of trouble I send my equipment in to be serviced. To me it is just part of the cost of enjoying photography.
 

ic-racer

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Looks like the first curtain gets stuck half way across. Usually if the second curtain catches the first, it is only at the fastest shutter speed and the exposure diminishes across the film plane until there is no exposure. Either way, the repair is the same: get all spinning parts freed up.
 
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AsdaFan

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Oh, I wouldn't want to drink Isopropyl Alcohol!

If the camera was rare or cost me a lot I would go down the CLA route. The CLA will cost more than buying another one so I'd rather sell this for parts and buy something else.
 

jnk

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Oh that's what IPA is. I figured it was a camera you liked, I know whenever I tinker with a 35mm camera it doesn't end well, so. ... sounds like you know your stuff...
Yeah, the other IPA would have made a hoppy sticky mess.
Good luck, I hope you get the mechanism to work like-you-like.
 

koraks

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AsdaFan said:
If the camera was rare or cost me a lot I would go down the CLA route. The CLA will cost more than buying another one so I'd rather sell this for parts and buy something else.
Click to expand...

I can see what you mean and from your perspective, this makes sense of course. On the other hand, I do hope someone takes it off your hands and restores it to working order. These cameras aren't being made anymore and in a sense, they're all 'rare' in a way. As film photographers, we can buy new film, new paper, new chemicals and even new scanners. When it comes to equipment like cameras and enlargers, the newly produced products are few and far between, not available in/for all formats and certainly not to all people who want to have the experience of working with film. As such, we should all to a reasonable extent treat our equipment with care, I think. It's easy to discard a non-functioning camera, but there's no way to ever get it back once it's gone. It's a one way street.

In your particular case, there would probably be several people capable of CLA-ing it and restoring it back to working order. Shutter problems like these are fairly common and there certainly are people around who have the experience, patience and fine motor skills to fix this. Give it some thought before you put it up for sale as a donor camera. From my perspective, that would be a bit of a waste.

Then again, your camera, your decision. So much for the sermon.
 
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