Film Keeps Coming Out Blank

Hey everyone,

 

I'm new to the film camera family and I just bought a used Canon AE-1 35mm SLR film camera. The owner claimed that it worked perfectly, but my film keeps coming out blank.

 

I have tried multiple rolls of film but they all come out blank. I have checked and the film was loaded correctly and is advancing correctly. I have also checked my shutters and they are opening fine, this is what I did to check my shutters: I opened the back of the camera (without film in it), cocked the camera’s shutter, and looked through the lens plane while I clicked the shutter button. I could see a brief circle of light appear and disappear.

 

Does anyone have any ideas on why this could be happening?

Please don't be offended if I ask a few basic questions--1) Are you using the light meter to get proper exposure? 2) Did you set the proper ASA/ISO for the film that you were using? The AE-1 is what used to be called a "shutter priority" automatic exposure camera. 3)Did you have the shutter set on 1/1000 (1000 on the shutter speed dial) and attempt to take pictures in a dimly lit room? 4) Do you have the lens set on A or to a particular f/stop? If set at f/22 indoors, this could account for your results. If the shutter is firing you must have a working battery, so that isn't the immediate problem. If you don't have the instruction manual, this is readily available on line, and would be useful if you're just getting started. Please get back to us with a little more information and I'm sure someone will have the answer to your issue.

"but my film keeps coming out blank."

is the processed film completely clear or black or are there some lines, demarcations showing?

Edited May 1, 2020 by inoneeye

Is the processed film clear or black?

And who processed the film?

Photo film features edge printing. This will be frame numbers, emulsion batch numbers, other marks and likely manufacturer's name. Edge printing is applied using light. If after processing, you see this edge printing, likely the problem is with the camera. If the processing is at fault, the edge printing will be void or nearly void. Tell us about the edge printing on this film.

Does anyone have any ideas on why this could be happening?

 

The standard way to start troubleshooting this is to look at the actual film to see if any development took place. Disregard the camera for the moment. Since you shot 35mm film you know that at least several inches of the film was out in the daylight, meaning that part was almost certainly exposed (you were looking right at it when you loaded the camera, right?).

 

Now, negative film that is NOT exposed, after processing, should be nearly clear. Actually, color neg film will have an orange color but you can see through it. If negative film IS exposed (and processed) it will darken; the part you saw while loading it should be so dark you can't hardly see through it at all.

 

So, assuming this is not slide film, you are expecting to find at least some very dark, and some nearly clear parts of the film. If you see this then it pretty well establishes that the developing part was done, and that no gross processing errors were made. If this is the case, then the most likely thing is that you didn't get it properly exposed in the camera.

 

The most common such error with such a camera is not getting the film properly started on the takeup spool - the end of the film can then come loose and it never gets wound forward by the camera. So consequently it will be blank after processing. That is, blank except for the several inches you used while loading the camera. And... if you look at the edges of the film you expect to see some numbers, etc., along the whole length. If these are present it is further proof that the film has been developed.

 

Now, what if the film processing was bad? The most common mistakes by amateurs are to use developer that has gone bad, or to accidentally use fixer instead of developer. If this happens then the entire length of the film will be blank (clear), without any edge numbers nor dark part at the beginning.

"I'm new to the film camera family and I just bought a used Canon AE-1 35mm SLR film camera. The owner claimed that it worked perfectly, but my film keeps coming out blank."

 

If you did not develop the film then its going to come out blank...

So . . . As noted earlier, the first to look at is the edges of film. There should be bar codes, an identifier for the film stock and numbers. If there is not, you have a processing problem. The most common of which is that you have mixed up or mislabeled your developer and fixer so that you are fixing the film before development.

 

If you have edge markings, the most likely is, again as noted earlier, that the film is not advancing through the camera. How are you determining when to rewind the film? Are you just shooting the 24 or 36 exposures and rewinding? Or, are you waiting until the advance lever will not complete its motion and then rewinding?

 

These are mistakes that we have all made and learned about the hard way.

 

Beyond these suggestions, we need input from you.

Photo film features edge printing. This will be frame numbers, emulsion batch numbers, other marks and likely manufacturer's name. Edge printing is applied using light. If after processing, you see this edge printing, likely the problem is with the camera. If the processing is at fault, the edge printing will be void or nearly void. Tell us about the edge printing on this film.

"I'm new to the film camera family and I just bought a used Canon AE-1 35mm SLR film camera. The owner claimed that it worked perfectly, but my film keeps coming out blank."

 

If you did not develop the film then its going to come out blank...

It wouldn’t be the first time. I heard about someone else doing this, thinking when you’ve finished the roll, you open up the back, and lo and behold, there are your pictures. So, to the OP, just in case this is th problem, there is a stage beyond that, involving a chemical process, to turn your negative images into positive ones. Google developing a film.

I also can't figure out if the OP had the film developed or loaded properly. Many years ago, before digital, my mother was going on a vacation. She wanted to take photos so I bought her a nice 35mm point and shoot camera. When she came back, all the developed films, except the first one that I loaded, were all blank, clear with strong edge makings. She was used to her old Instamatic camera where she only had to drop the 126 cartridge in the back and that is what she did with the 35mm film, drop it in and close the cover. It was my fault for not showing her how to load the film.

Some years ago, in the near pre-digital days, I gave my son a somewhat cheap 35mm camera

to use for a photography class. It seems that for this one, you have to be especially careful

to get the film in the take-up spool, or it falls out. When he used it for the class, the

instructor loaded it, but not carefully enough.

 

For all 35mm cameras, it is good to check the rewind knob to make sure that the

film is moving, even though with most I never have any problems. For my FM,

I always try to get the film way into the slot, so it doesn't get loose.

 

I am remembering, though, some Canon cameras with the QL system, with no slot

to put the film in, but just at the right spot. I don't remember if the AE-1 had

that system. As well as I know, QL works pretty well, but I always wonder

more than with an actual slot.

Sherice has left the building...