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Photos fade to black at one end


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I recently got back a few rolls of color negative film that I had sent to a lab to be processed. While scanning them in, I noticed some photos had one edge that would fade to black, and the size could range from one strip at the end to almost half the frame. It only happens on maybe up to 3 photos per roll. Some of these shots were taken in broad daylight, and other shots taken at the same place didn't have this black edge at all. I've shot a few rolls with this camera+lens+film setup already but didn't have this problem before at all. With this batch I also sent to a new lab for processing, so I'm thinking if this could have happened during the film processing since it never happened when I was using the other lab? Or maybe it's something to do with the film not being flat in the camera?

 

I just started getting into film photography so I'm not quite sure what's going on here, I would appreciate any help on this. Please let me know if you have any idea what could be happening. Thanks!

 

899964876_ScreenShot2018-04-17at11_19_02PM.thumb.png.a8f8757b35628590333f34933ef67196.png

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Could you provide more details?

I can get such results with a horizontally moving FP shutter set to faster than sync speed and flash.

Since the puppy is wearing some kind of coat, I assume the pictures was taken in a kind of chill environment? It isn't unimaginable that your camera is old enough to need maintenance, like fresh lubricants and maybe some tinkering with spring tensions. - I here for example bought a Linhof at room temperature where it worked well enough. When I took it out at somewhere about 4-6°C the rangemeter mechanism refused to snap back to infinity due to sticky grease (older than myself!).

It is very unlikely that your lab could be to blame. Mechanical shutters having issues is common. I can even imagine the temperature of your camera varying between more or less critical at a given location.

Figure out if your camera could be worth a CLA and find a repair tech, to work on it. Or replace it. Maybe it will work well enough for your needs during summer &/ indoors "as is", at least for a while?

If you need more evidence: Wait for next winter, keep the unloaded camera and a pair of gloves outside for a while and check if the shutter is moving properly by looking at it with camera back opened.

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Had something remotely similar on my OM2S:

 

pTgcT9x.jpg

 

Not all frames suffered from this issue and as it turned out later, at certain speeds first and second curtains of horizontally traveling cloth shutter weren't synchronizing properly with one another, therefore causing darker corner.

 

I threw the camera away subsequently, but that's a different story.

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This is typical of a horizontally running shutter needing attention. At higher speeds the second curtain follows the first quite closely, and any mismatch between the tension of the curtains can cause the opening to vary across the frame leading, to uneven exposure, even for the gap to close completely causing black bands as you have experienced. My guess is that it happens mainly at high shutter speeds. The only fix short of getting the camera serviced might be st keep the speed as low as possible.

 

Cameras with vertically running metal shutters are more reliable in this respect.

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Thanks for the detailed reply Jochen, it wasn’t too cold, probably around 10-15 degrees C, but good to know about the issues with older mechanical cameras in the cold. I have a couple of those so I’ll watch out for that in the future.

 

mikheilrokva and John seems like you guys are right and this is a problem with the horizontally running shutter :( The shots were taken at high shutter speeds as you mentioned. I’ll take my camera in to get checked out this weekend.

 

Thanks for the help!

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Yes, it looks most likely to be a shutter problem.

 

Since we don't know from the picture which way the shutter goes, or which way the film goes, it is hard to say more.

 

Lab problems with film in a tank and not enough chemistry, could cause a similar effect in the top of the film.

But that would be for all shots on the roll. It would be top or bottom for film transport right to left.

Side to side for vertical film transport.

 

But more usual for labs is continuous moving film through a system of tanks, which would not cause this problem.

-- glen

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  • 2 weeks later...

I had exactly the same issue with an old Zenit camera, it was even the same area of negative not exposed. On that camera if film advance lever movement is not done smoothly, e.g. lever movement stopped in the middle and then continued, then shutter curtains may end up in wrong position and don't open properly when shutter is released (part of the shutter curtain remains in closed position).

 

I agree with Paul, try to open back of the camera and play with the shutter to see if you can reproduce the problem. That's exactly how I managed to find my problem.

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