What Kind of Problem is This? (Canon 7sZ)

<p>Attached is an exposure from yesterday. This is in my Canon 7sZ using a Serenar 50mm f/1.9 with Tmax 100. The shutter speed was either 1/500 or 1/1000. On this roll, there are about 5 frames like this, which are split right down the middle with a different exposure on each side. Since they are interspersed on the roll, I don't think it is a light leak. I an "pretty sure" that each of the 5 has a shutter speed of 1/500 or 1/1000. I know there are several frames on the roll with 1/125 speed which do not show this trouble. I have heard of something called "shutter drag." Could that be what is happening at the higher speeds?</p>

<p>I love this camera, and I never had this trouble in the past. Any help is appreciated.</p>

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<p>Definitely looks like a shutter problem, some hitch in the curtain movement.</p>

<p>Canon RF titanium shatters are problematic. Sometimes it is cheaper to buy a new camera than to fix them. But not in this case. The "Z" is a rare camera and worth repairing. After I got my Canon 7s about 8 years ago, I wrote to Stephen Gandy at Cameraquest and asked if his tech could fix it. Stephen said yes. If this is no longer the case, DAG can do it.</p>

<p>A 7sZ is a forty-something year old camera, and its problem could simply be a need for fresh lubrication and cleaning by expert hands. Apart from this aging issue, what makes metal-curtained Canon RF shutters particularly problematic? I have three bodies with these coated stainless steel (not titanium) shutters, a Canon VI-T, P, and 7, and they operate very reliably.<br>

If you enjoy your camera by all means service it-- the devil that you know is better than the one you don't, and who knows what ills a replacement body might bring?<br>

Gus Lazzari and Mark Hama are quality guys with Canon RF experience. </p>

<p>Looks like 3 votes for a shutter problem. I really like this camera. It is one of only 2 LTMs I have, so I think it is worth repairing. I've a local technician who did nice work on my older SLRs, and I will try him first, and see if he is retired yet.</p>

<p>Or I could get a can of 3-in-1 and squirt it around in there and see if it loosens up? Just kidding.</p>

<p>It looks like the shutter is not capping correctly. I have had this problem with a few Leicas. It is caused by the second curtain of the shutter not properly covering the first curtain after exposure. A little light can slip through the gap between the curtains after the exposure, and the smearing comes from when the film is advanced and the shutter is cocked...The problem can be fixed by servicing the camera to lube the shutter and make sure it is properly tensioned. </p>

<p>Oh I think that it's capping properly, but one shutter curtain isn't moving smoothly. A CLA should fix it. You might even fix it by winding and releasing the shutter a few hundred times, but a great camera that old deserves a CLA anyhow.</p>

<p>Looks more like a light leak to me. But it isn't if the dark stripe on negatives doesn't extend over the edges of the frame. In that case I would vote for a capping problem: if the curtain were dragging during exposure, it wold just increase the exposure on the affected area but this looks like a uniform additional exposure.</p>

<p>Anyway, this problem is no doubt easily fixed. I do have a Canon P and 7 whose titanium shutters gave out. My Canon 7s, VT, and new 7 are still going strong. Hope against hope. </p>