Black horizontal streak on scanned film negatives

Hi, I'm new to film photography so there are still lots of things I've yet to learn in this medium.

I've been shooting 35mm film with my Pentax MX that I got recently and I've noticed that I keep getting black horizontal streaks on my scanned negatives. They appear white on the negatives themselves.

These streaks appear in the exact same place (around the middle of the frame), running horizontally throughout the frame. I've had a look at the negatives themselves and I can't see these streaks appearing between the frames. They seem to only appear on the frames themselves.

The streaks are more prominent on the left side but then start to fade towards the right side of the frame.

I've shot with three different film stocks (FujiColor 100, Fuji Pro 400H and Fuji Superia Premium 400) and I have had them developed at the same lab (I currently live in Japan so I've gotten them developed at a camera shop chain that does film development called Camera-no-Kitamura)

I've tried looking for answers elsewhere but I haven't had much luck, which is why I'm posting here.

This is my first post so I'm sorry if I haven't made things clear.

Any help would be much appreciated!

P.S. The scans are very poorly done by me as I have tried scanning the negatives myself through the DSLR scanning method using my mirrorless camera.

You also have verticle banding, especially in the first shot. The other two have an angular checkerboard look. DO you have these on the film or only from the scan?

Regarding the black mark, since you only have it on the film in the exposed area, that would indicate some sort of leak or shutter problem.

You also have verticle banding, especially in the first shot. The other two have an angular checkerboard look. DO you have these on the film or only from the scan?

 

Regarding the black mark, since you only have it on the film in the exposed area, that would indicate some sort of leak or shutter problem.

Thanks for your reply!

Yea the vertical banding and checkerboard effect is only on the scans, I've had a look at the negatives myself but can't see any sign of it as far as I'm aware.

I suspected that it might be either a leak somewhere or problems with the shutter. What would be the recommended thing to do in this case? I'm assuming sending it somewhere for a repair?

A light leak would be light or white, not dark.

What camera are you using?

If the camera has a horizontal-running shutter, then it could be a trailing thread from the cloth on the leading blind.

But if you have a perfectly good digital camera, why are you wasting time, money and natural resources using film to get inferior results?

The MX has a horizontally running shutter. Apart from the streak, your pictures are much darker towards the left. This means that the shutter is tapering, that is, the gap between the two curtains changes as they travel across the frame, causing uneven exposure. I guess you were shooting at a fast shutter speed, which is when the gap between the curtains is at its smallest. The camera really needs a service to adjust the tensions on the curtains, or stick to 1/125 or slower.

The streak is probably caused by some kind of foreign object on one of the curtains as Joe says. You should be able to see it when operating the shutter with the back open. Again it will be more noticeable at fast shutter speeds.

The streak is rather diffuse

But if you have a perfectly good digital camera, why are you wasting time, money and natural resources using film to get inferior results?

Probably true, but some people like film, and using legacy cameras.

The mark is diffuse, indicating the streak is something obstructing light in the camera some distance from the film. A loose thread in the cloth shutter is a plausible root cause.

Probably true, but some people like film, and using legacy cameras.

Hi, I'm new to film photography

Just trying to understand the attraction of film to people who obviously have no historic or nostalgic attachment to the stuff.

Is it just a passing fad? Fanned by an internet meme or peer pressure. Social media 'influencers' or what? And why would anyone wish to continue its use after getting such poor initial results?

Do they think it's somehow magically going to improve by several hundred percent with the next roll?

Or get cheaper and more convenient?

Improve their eye for a picture?

Turn them into a 'real' photographer?

What?!

Just trying to understand the attraction of film to people who obviously have no historic or nostalgic attachment to the stuff.

I have this cupboard full of film cameras that I enjoy using, and there's no other way.

Thanks for your replies, I'll have a look at my camera and check the shutter curtain.

Just trying to understand the attraction of film to people who obviously have no historic or nostalgic attachment to the stuff.

 

Is it just a passing fad? Fanned by an internet meme or peer pressure. Social media 'influencers' or what? And why would anyone wish to continue its use after getting such poor initial results?

Do they think it's somehow magically going to improve by several hundred percent with the next roll?

Or get cheaper and more convenient?

Improve their eye for a picture?

Turn them into a 'real' photographer?

What?!

I guess the reason why I got into it was that I had seen quite a few pictures on social media that were taken on film cameras and I liked how the colours looked and the grainy aspect of it.

Of course you can replicate those qualities through the usage of editing software, but I quite enjoy the experience of taking photos with my film camera also. Dropping the roll off at the lab and waiting till the next day to see the results is quite exciting for me.

My first rolls haven't been the greatest success but I'd like to keep trying rather than just giving up so early into it. I'm not expecting this to make me a better or 'real' photographer, it's just another format that I've taken interest in. Although I haven't had the best of results so far, I'm enjoying the experience!