david_smith35 Posted July 3, 2003 Share Posted July 3, 2003 Has anyone suffered from static problems when using a Bronica SQAi in the western states of the US? I travel to the US every year for my holidays, and inevitably a small percentage of the transparency films arrive back from the processors with a vertical row of whitish blue 'pin prick' type marks on the emulsion which I can only attribute to static. This has never been a problem at home (I live in the UK)so I think it may be due to the hot dry conditions of the desert areas that I visit. Sometimes a complete roll of film is affected, another time just one or two frames. I have found that winding the film crank very slowly does reduce, but not eliminate the problem. It would be interesting to know whether other Bronica (or Hasselblad) users suffer from the same problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richardcook Posted July 3, 2003 Share Posted July 3, 2003 Maybe its not the camera. Were you in Area 51? ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david_smith35 Posted July 3, 2003 Author Share Posted July 3, 2003 I have never been anywhere near Area 51! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gavin martin Posted July 3, 2003 Share Posted July 3, 2003 I've had my hasselblad out & about in various conditions & can't say that I've had the problem so far, lots of differences in the transport mechanism from the Bronica though. Are you sure it's not coming from the processing? Or perhaps even dust? Failing that you can look into various was of dealing with the static including standard technicians grounding equipment(most high spec computer shops will stock) or even treatments for some of the camera parts. Good luck on your quest & please post the results here, I'd be interested in hearing more. Gavin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scott_walton2 Posted July 3, 2003 Share Posted July 3, 2003 Been in and out of Nellis AFB (51) with no problems! The air is very dry out there and it is advisable to wipe your camera down regularly with an Ilford Anti Static cloth! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david_m Posted July 3, 2003 Share Posted July 3, 2003 Maybe the source of the static is you holding the camera. Try releasing the static on something else metal before picking up the camera. Or wear shoes with different type soles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curt wiler Posted July 3, 2003 Share Posted July 3, 2003 Area 51 jokes aside, this doesn't sound like static electricity in the camera. The Space Program pretty much solved that problem in the 1960's - and I haven't seen it since winters in New England before that. It was always a random pattern of fogged film (litle lightning bolts, about 3/16-inch long), not physical damage. "Pin pricks" sound like a processing problem, or maybe it is happening in handling. I will say that dust - particularly fine sand, can be a real problem in the Southwest. I usually carry compressed air to clean out the cameras regularly in that environment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
q.g._de_bakker Posted July 3, 2003 Share Posted July 3, 2003 I remember vaguely, not well enough to be sure, but maybe someone here knows: do (some of) the Bronicas have Nylon gears? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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