nksyoon Posted April 28, 2005 Share Posted April 28, 2005 Hi all, I have a problem with some of my negatives that were processed by a pro-lab - there is a whitened area on some frames. They are approximately in the same location on all the affected frames - just above image center. But not all frames on a roll are affected. The problem has occured on both color and b&w film. All the affected rolls were processed on the same day. Camera: Mamiya 6 Film: Kodak 400NC, 400VC, Fuji Reala, Kodak BW400CN (all 120 format) Questions: 1. Is it a camera light leak problem? 2. Could it be a leaking dark slide curtain on the body? (used when changing lenses) 3. Is it a lab processing problem? Samples can be seen here: http://tinyurl.com/8y4y2 Thanks for your help, Nick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aoresteen Posted April 28, 2005 Share Posted April 28, 2005 Nick, I looked at the photos and my gut tells me it's something in your camera. Shoot another roll. Change lenses every 3 frames. Send the film to a different lab. If the white banded area is there then it is your camera that needs repair. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ben conover Posted April 28, 2005 Share Posted April 28, 2005 Hi, if your light seals need replacing you can do it yourself, buy a repair kit online for $10 : jgood1967@aol.com I repaired the light seals on my Fujig690bl. I repelaced the foam on the camera door as usual, but also added foam on the camera back, since there was a groove there for it, as on a Nikon f4, it gives twice the normal protection from light, dust, rain. Cheers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve_levine Posted April 28, 2005 Share Posted April 28, 2005 My guess is that the shutter may have issues. In my experience, light leaks are usually more uniform in shape and location. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aoresteen Posted April 28, 2005 Share Posted April 28, 2005 Steve, I thought about that but it's a Mamiya 6 with LEAF shutters in each lens and a blocking curtian to shield the film when changing lenses. The light area has a definate straight horizontal line area to it. Impossible to do with a leaf shutter. But the blocking curtain might be leaking light in the same area, which could cause a horizontal image. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shaughn_robinson Posted April 28, 2005 Share Posted April 28, 2005 I also use a Mamiya 6. I would think that if it was a curtain leak, it would be in almost exactly the same place since the curtain is pretty close to the film plane. Try putting the curtain in place, remove the lens and open the back. With a strong light source shining in from the front, you should be able to see any holes sufficient to cause such a large washout area. Another possibility might be a bellows leak, although this seems unlikely. Another possibility I can quickly think of: the back is not closing properly. The definite horizontal aspect of the washout is puzzling. Another idea is to advance the film after an exposure, draw the curtain, remove the lens and again shine a strong light source into the camera for say about 30sec. Put the lens back on, leave the lens cap in place, click the shutter and check that frame after development. Doing this for 3 frames should help isolate if the problem is with your camera. Good luck. Shaughn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nksyoon Posted April 29, 2005 Author Share Posted April 29, 2005 Guys, Thanks for your advice. I sent the samples to the local Mamiya distributor and the technician said it's probably a light leak. I'll take it to them with the lenses for them to have a look at. I bought the body and one lens from KEH, the other 2 lenses locally. KEH has a 60 day warranty, but I'd have to send the body back to them and pay for shipping both ways (I think). So if I can get it fixed it for not much more than shipping it to KEH, I'd rather get it fixed here. KEH might just send me another body with other potential problems! Cheers, Nick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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