weird marks on Rolleiflex 2.8F film

[wharris]

was wondering if anyone can help me identify these wierd marks on my negitives so far both rolls produce them, as cool as they are i would still like to solve the problem lol =) thanks in advance

http://www.flickr.com/photos/willharris/7261733318/

 

[250swb]

Do you mean the small black vertical lines or the light leak? Are they on the whole film?

If its not the entire film it may not be the camera leaking, some films are more prone than others to leaks caused by loading them in bright light, such as Adox films.

Steve

 

[wharris]

thanks steve for the reply, the white marks on the right side the whole roll has them.. i provide links to both rolls that I've developed so far, i know its not a developing issue cause when developing my mamiya rolls i dont have the same problem these are the links

Dead Link Removed
Dead Link Removed

 

[pekelnik]

Fomapan 200 by any chance?

 

[wharris]

illford hp5 at 200 =) its really sunny out here on deployment

 

[MattKing]

Looks like a light leak to me.

 

[bdial]

I'm with Matt, looks like a light leak.

 

[Worker 11811]

Do the marks go all the way out to the edge of the film? (They would appear black on the negative.)

Determining this will help you pin down where the light leak occurred.

If you took these pictures out there in the Big Sand Box it is quite possible that the bright light of the sun got to the film.
Even just shading the film with your body or inside a jacket can help prevent this. I often go sit inside the car when I change film just for this reason.

If this is not the problem, knowing whether the marks go all the way to the edge or not can still help you determine whether the light leak came from in front of the film gate or behind it.

 

[summicron1]

definitely a light leak -- the fact that they're in the same place in each frame tells me that they're being projected from somewhere in the camera -- on a couple of frames they even look sort of like a stack of books ...

only three possibilities, warped back (unlikely, really obvious), light reflection, or the bellows is leaking. If it crosses the frame line, it's coming from behind, ie, the back. If it's cut off from the frame, it's coming from the front, and that means either a reflection or the bellows most likely.

Reflection? What most folks call light leaks in a Holga is actually this -- look around inside for anything shiny -- can be black or white or chrome or anything. Shouldn't be there, but ya never know. If you find it, paint it flat black with car paint.

ur saying, "bellows?" but those cameras have a cloth bellows around the lens you can see if you focus it back and forth with the back open. If it's got a hole, well, there you are, off to harry fleenor it goes.

 

[wharris]

thanks guys i just developed another roll and as you know same marks the negs.. does anyone know how to patch these things up, the markings go from the side and cut across the frame all the way to the edge of the neg! and thanks Summicorn1 i see what your talking about about these is a small white wire thing in the bellows could it be that?

 

[summicron1]

a wire thing by the bellows? hmm. shouldn't be anything like that in there -- does it poke up past the rear lens element in such a way that it could be reflecting light that comes out of the rear element?

may be time to have a technician take a peek at it -- i'm astonishingly reluctant to tell you to pull on the wire and see if it's loose or anything. If the light leak goes outside the frame of the neg to the edge that tells me that it's not something from inside the body of the camera, it's from the back.

here's a 4th possibility -- is the shutter closing all the way? A shutter with a weak return spring sometimes does not close all the way but leaves a tiny pinhole because the blades don't shut down all the way. This would cause ghost images even if it jsut hesitated, although again, these would not go beyond the frame to the edge of the neg.

hmmmmmmmm

 

[wharris]

lol soo many possibilites .. im going to just paint the wire lol.. and no it doesnt poke up so im sure thats not it.. the shutter closes all the way.. i think its time to send it to Harry lol.. my question is this.. i hear that this camera is coveted by many.. it was given to me as a gift cause i shoot film and hasnt been touched for 30 plus years, looks to be still in pretty good shape.. is it worth the repairs.. like i said its a rolleiflex 2.8F with the 80mm carl zesis lens in it??? what are your thoughts?

 

[wharris]

from todays roll.. i also noticed theres 4 screw holes on the meter side... googled photos of the same camera but they dont seem to have them .. anyone know what thyre suppose to be for?

 

[erikg]

Those holes could be the cause of your light leak. Tape them up and see what happens. 2.8F is a great camera, well worth repairing and hanging on to.

 

[Richard S. (rich815)]

from todays roll.. i also noticed theres 4 screw holes on the meter side... googled photos of the same camera but they dont seem to have them .. anyone know what thyre suppose to be for?

Sounds like someone tried to mount a custom flash shoe or something and left behind those holes. Might indeed be the problem. Tape up well with some black gaffers or electrical tape and see what happens.

I own about 7-8 Rolleiflexes in varying shape that I've obtained over the last 15 years as I found bargains. Often amazed by what people did to these gorgeous cameras!!

 

[wharris]

so im going to test the tape idea, but i want something more permanent. im now 100% that the leaks are from there, it was so obvious that i dont know how i missed it haha. you can see right through them to the film chamber =) thanks for all the help ill be shooting today and posting tomorrow =) any ideas as to a permanent fix is welcome, im thinking about replacing the leather im sure that would help cover the holes =)

 

[Worker 11811]

If they actually are screw holes (whether they are original to the manufacture of the camera or were drilled by somebody else) check to see if you can find a screw that fits. Look to see if you can find a set screw that fits flush. Screw them in as a test and, if they fit perfectly, remove them, put a dab of Lok-Tite on them and re-insert them. That'll guarantee a long-term fix.

Fail that, find a toothpick or a small wooden dowel that will fit snug. Fit it in the hole, seal it with a dab of Super Glue then shave it off flush with a razor blade.
Not quite as permanent as the screws but still pretty good.

 

[wharris]

so as it turns out i would a black wood putty pencil used to fill in cracks on tables and stuff and as you can tell it worked.. Randy.S ill give that screw thing a try when i get back from this deployment, its kinda hard finding a hardware store out here lol FYI the theme for this roll was the peace sign =)

 

[Worker 11811]

Wood putty should work for the foreseeable future.

I think your photos look pretty good!
A kind of documentation that we don't see back home.
All we ever see is what's on T.V. Mostly guns and bombs. We hardly ever see the PEOPLE inside those vehicles or behind the triggers.
Nice job! :thumbsup:

 

[TheFlyingCamera]

Those are some terrific images. They're prompting me to get out and shoot with my Rolleiflex (a 2.8E with a -probably- dead meter). You really ought to put together a book of these images. There's nothing else like this being published at this time, and it provides some great insight into what's really going on. Oh, and just for your buddies' info, the "peace" sign with the back of the hand toward the viewer, at least in England, is the same as the middle finger raised here

 

[Vaughn]

Is there a relationship in the time between when frames were exposed and the amount of flare/fogging taking place? A light hitting the film from a light leak in the body of the camera is usually worse the longer the film is in one place. Negatives taken in quick succession will have less light damage than those frames that have been sitting "at the gate" for a long period of time.

You might try the equivilent of a bellows test (used on LF cameras). Put the lens cap on, open the back, and in a dark room stick a small flashlight into the camera -- see if any light shines out of the body anywhere. Small chance of this helping, but who knows? You might want to open the viewer in case any light is sneaking down into the film chamber from there (but one would think that the light leaks would be at the bottom of the image in this case).

A scan of the entire negative would help us with the diagnostics.

Good Luck!

Vaughn

Edited to add: Whoops -- I did not notice the second page of posts! BTW -- those are not "peace" signs, LOL! With the back of the hand towards the receiver of the sign, it basically means "up yours".

I have a F2.8 (Zeiss Planar). A fine camera! I noticed my self-timer is getting gummed up on a backpacking trip this past weekend (I use it instead of a cable release), so I will be sending mine off for a CLA soon!

 

[wharris]

HAHA i was not aware that the peace sign with the back hand was like saying up yours LOL... oh well lol.. so the camera works for what i use it for.. the meter is kinda off but thats due to me opening it up ... I cant figure out the aperture shutter relationship with the faceplate ... anyways i dont use it i have a light meter that i use, the self timer doesnt work either lol.. other then that im looking for a waist finder.. any ideas where i can find one =) and thanks everyone to helping me figure this out... oh last one ... the screws to the face plate any ideas where i could find those thanks =)