What Happened to this Shot?

Thomas Keidan · Nov 30, 2017

I was shooting my second roll of film and although my shots turned out a lot better and a lot more focused (I even experimented with manual aperture for the first time!) but one shot looks really weird. I don't know if it's blur from using too slow of a shutter speed or an issue with the film... does anyone know? I'd love to know how to avoid this in future! Thanks

https://www.flickr.com/photos/141308401@N06/38034637874/in/dateposted-public/

faberryman · Nov 30, 2017

What camera and lens were you using?

shutterfinger · Nov 30, 2017

A very slow shutter speed. Camera moved during the last 1/4 to 1/3 of the total exposure time.

drmoss_ca · Nov 30, 2017

shutterfinger said:
A very slow shutter speed. Camera moved during the last 1/4 to 1/3 of the total exposure time.

I don't know - that very clear boundary between the sharp single image on the right and the blurred double image on the left makes me think this was a double exposure with an incomplete wind on - maybe at the end of the roll. I think if you look closely, the details of the image are sharp even on the left when you look for those that belong to the image that extends all the way to the right side of the frame. That's confusing; hope you know what I mean.

Old-N-Feeble · Nov 30, 2017

^^^ I agree (probably) a double exposure either at the beginning of the roll before the sprockets fully engaged the gears or at the end of the roll after attempting to advance but the sprockets jumped the gears. Or maybe the rewind button was inadvertently pressed between exposures. Or, as shutterfinger stated, it might have been a very long exposure and the camera was moved.

bdial · Nov 30, 2017

Looks like a partial double-exposure to me.

Thomas Keidan · Nov 30, 2017

Thanks everyone I suspected it may have been a double exposure as when I wound onto the next shot there was a noticeable clicking which wasn't present in all the other shots... it must have been something to do with the film coming off the sprockets!

Sirius Glass · Nov 30, 2017

Yes, double exposure. Get in the habit of advancing the film immediately after the photograph is taken.

Thomas Keidan · Nov 30, 2017

Sirius Glass said:
Yes, double exposure. Get in the habit of advancing the film immediately after the photograph is taken.

Will do, thanks for the tip. It was very strange as it happened right in the middle of the roll and then proceeded as normal! It's the only unusable shot in the whole roll!

AgX · Nov 30, 2017

If you are nearing the end of film, start to wind-on the camera, feel the resistance of the film coming to its end, but nevertheless wind-on further, the shutter will be cocked whereas the perforation will tear. Thus as second partially overlapping exposure will take place.

BUT
that would result in a wider image (heightened aspect ratio) and a normally exposed part at both ends.
Are you showing as the full frame?

EDIT:
I just see it happened mid-roll.

AgX · Nov 30, 2017

Sirius Glass said:
Yes, double exposure. Get in the habit of advancing the film immediately after the photograph is taken.

Which camera of Thomas would allow for such double exposure ??

Well, he might have discoupled the transport. But such does not happen unintentionally.

Thomas Keidan · Nov 30, 2017

AgX said:
Which camera of Thomas would allow for such double exposure ??

Well, he might have discoupled the transport. But such does not happen unintentionally.

I'm trying to work out what happened and why it resumed as normal afterwards. Its not a big issue I just don't want to make the same mistakes again!

AgX · Nov 30, 2017

I got a lot of simple cameras, but for all it is hard to imagine to do such by accident.
What model did you use?

Thomas Keidan · Nov 30, 2017

AgX said:
I got a lot of simple cameras, but for all it is hard to imagine to do such by accident.
What model did you use?

Olympus 35 RC

AgX · Nov 30, 2017

I'm inclined to say, read the manual. But double-exposing is not even covered in the sample I just looked at...

Anyway, this model of yours, as the great majority of models from that period, got a push button in a recess at the bottom.
One pushes it to disable the sprocket wheel used for transport. By this one can rewind the film. Pushing this button but winding on the camera typically results in cocking the shutter without film transport and thus being able to expose on the same frame again. After that the button jumps out and the camera acts normal again.

Pushing that button mid-roll would result in a double exposure.
But as said it is beyond my imagination how that could have happened unintentionally.

pentaxuser · Nov 30, 2017

bdial said:
Looks like a partial double-exposure to me.

That gets my vote as well

pentaxuser

Old-N-Feeble · Nov 30, 2017

Has anyone here, accidentally touched (pressed) the rewind button while advancing 135 format film? I did... ONCE!!

OlyMan · Nov 30, 2017

Concur with everyone else that it's a double exposure. I am wondering if you really did manage to damage the camera when you tried to wind past the end of the film on your first roll. But the fact you said it's the only double exposure on the roll is at odds with that.

OlyMan · Nov 30, 2017

Old-N-Feeble said:
Has anyone here, accidentally touched (pressed) the rewind button while advancing 135 format film? I did... ONCE!!

In the Olympus OM camera manuals, that's the technique they tell you to use to deliberately get a double exposure, believe it or not.

colin wells · Nov 30, 2017

Same with the Canon F1n

Old-N-Feeble · Nov 30, 2017

OlyMan said:
In the Olympus OM camera manuals, that's the technique they tell you to use to deliberately get a double exposure, believe it or not.

colin wells said:
Same with the Canon F1n

Yes, I know.

Sirius Glass · Nov 30, 2017

A number of 35mm cameras have that button on the bottom which disconnects the film advance. Got to learn to stay away from that button.

Poisson Du Jour · Nov 30, 2017

OlyMan said:
In the Olympus OM camera manuals, that's the technique they tell you to use to deliberately get a double exposure, believe it or not.

The Olympus XA can do multiple exposures by depressing the rewind button (on the base of the camera) before the exposure and again after the exposure.

winger · Nov 30, 2017

Sirius Glass said:
A number of 35mm cameras have that button on the bottom which disconnects the film advance. Got to learn to stay away from that button.

It's the only reason I keep the bottom case on my Pentax H1a. Yup, another here who pushed the button once by accident (and a few on purpose once I figured out why it might be fun).

AgX · Nov 30, 2017

bdial said:
Looks like a partial double-exposure to me.

A partial double exposure would happen in case of

-) overwinding as I explained above

-) mid-roll transport-cancellation with added film movent (as cancelling during winding or much less by pulling a bit the rewind)

BUT in both cases the image would be wider and with fine (non-double) exposure parts at both ends.
The shown image though is NOT of that kind.

So we are not yet at the end of the story.

What Happened to this Shot?

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