Fuji 690BL question

<p>I recently purchased a Fuji G690BL with 100mm f3.5 Fujinon lens.<br /> I've just run 2 rolls through it, a 120 Portra and a 220 Portra BW (C41). The images from the 120 are great, 2 examples of which are below. But all the images from the 220 show a band, most severely as seen in the third image; other frames are as badly or somewhat less badly affected. <br /> What could be causing this problem? Is it an issue with 220 film transport in the camera (I was careful to change the film plate on the back to 220 and to change the film selection dial to 220 before shooting with the roll). Is it just a problem with the roll - it is long expired, and I don't know about the veracity of the seller's claims of cold storage. Could it be a light leak that only affects the 220 - seems farfetched, but as you can imagine, I'm grasping at straws.<br /> Have any Fuji G690 owners experienced similar issues?<br /> Thanks in advance for your help/advice!<br /> Raj</p><div></div>

<p>120 roll, image 2</p><div></div>

<p>220 roll, example frame</p><div></div>

<p>Since 220 film does not have a paper backing (except at the very beginning and the very end) a light leak can severely affect several frames simultaneously. An old Kowa 66 of mine had this problem. If I shot a roll of 120 very quickly, no problem. If I shot a roll of 220 at a leisurely pace, the frames were ruined. New foam solved the problem.</p>

<p>If it only affects 220 film, that would indicate that the light leak is on the backing side of the film. 120 has backing paper, and didn't fog, but there's no backing paper on 220.</p>

<p><strong>Professor K</strong> and <strong>John</strong> - thank you.<br>

I shot both rolls within about the same space of time, in one afternoon. Both rolls were in wrappers prior to use. I imagine that the lack of backing paper in the 220 is the cause. I did load the 220 'in the field', admittedly in a corner with subdued light, but that, combined with the lack of backing paper, might have led to the issue.</p>

<p>The light leak on the 220 frame is much too large to be caused by loading in daylight. Did you change lenses during a roll? Since the 690BL has a leaf shutter in the lens, a curtain must completely block the film plane while changing lenses.</p>

<p>That's good to know.<br>

No - I didn't change lenses mid-roll.</p>

<p>Try switching the camera to 220, put shutter on time and keep it open, open aperture to wide open, make a black mask out of foam core or something to fit a small but powerful flashlight to lens (or straight into the body. Take into a dark room and look for light leaks. I found a leak in my 6x9 Bessa this way, putting a small LED headlight inside the bellows.</p>

<p>Kent in SD</p>

<p>I don't mean to dodge the question, but how much 220 have you got in the freezer? As far as I can tell, no more is being produced, and we are all limited to whatever dwindling residual supply of it that merchants/auction sellers have on hand. If the big Fuji needs only an easy DIY fix, good; but if it's found to require a (paid) professional repair, only to enable 220 usage, that seems not worth the cost.<br>

<em>--Dave</em></p>

<p><strong>Kent</strong> - there are no light leaks I can detect, and the shutter moves smoothly with no hesitation/jerks at all speeds.<br>

<strong>Dave</strong> - I don't have a lot of 220, probably <10 rolls. I got them for a good price, and just wanted to try them out on a couple of my MF cameras that accept 220. I've shot one of the rolls on my Bronica RF645 with no problems. I agree with you that if the Fuji works fine with 120, I'll just shoot 120 in it, and save the small number of remaining 220 rolls for the Bronica. Given the good price I paid for the Fuji, it is definitely not worth spending a lot on repair just to restore its 220 functionality. The camera also has a hesitant dark slide (that is used for changing lenses mid-roll), but rather than pay to have this repaired, again I'd prefer just to change lenses between rolls, at least when I eventually get a second lens! :)</p>

<p>At risk of repetition, it must be a light leak in the back, which is blocked by the backing paper in the 120. It seems to be in the upper left side of the camera (lower right in the picture).</p>

<p>Check carefully the foam seals in the area that corresponds to the outer border of the the light leak in the negative. It should be an easy fix that you can probably do yourself; a short string of black wool could do.</p>

<p>These leaks may be hard to detect with lights, because you would need to put a light in the position of the film itself. Easier just to reinforce the affected area in the seal. Best would be to change the whole set of seals, because foam tends to deteriorate with time.</p>