Is this a processing problem or a shutter problem?

R

regularchickens

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Two rolls I shot in my M2 this past weekend exhibited underexposure and some streaks in the left 25% or so of many frames per roll (not all). Do I have some shutter bounce going on, or did I mess up on fixing these? The rolls shared (freshly-mixed, possibly old, but not yet stinky) fixer, but were processed in different developers.

3321449309_6c46987c7d_b.jpg
 
Excercise the shutter. May be a lubing problem that can 'fix' itself. Does it happen with fast speeds only?
I don't think it's a curtain brake or bounce thing, because then I guess it should happen on every frame.
Left on the pic is right in the camera, the start point of the curtain, correct? So it could be a slow starting curtain rather than brake or bounce.

May be time for a CLA if this doesn't solve or gets worse.
 
ah, I see now. I am on a small netbook, with a pretty lo res monitor, so I didn't see them initially. Do any of the images show slight double exposure? I don't know about leica shutters, but any camera I have ever seen with shutter bounce tends to create a bit of double exposure.

Also, if it is only on some of the images, the next time you have a roll to process, don't cut the roll, mark the negs around the sprocket holes where the mistakes appear, put the roll back on the reel, and look to see if the errors correspond with one another that way. If they line up in a noticeable way, it may be a development issue. Do you rotate the canister as you agitate?
 
regularchickens

Was the image cropped?
Was the image composed horizontally or vertically?
If cropped and originally composed horizontally, I'd think of a shutter problem.
If cropped and originally composed vertically, I'd think of a development problem. The regular repetitive pattern suggests sprocket holes.

Arthur
 
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regularchickens...

PS As the photograph has a 3:2 aspect ratio, I suspect it was composed horizontally. The shutter curtains are made of 'rubberized' silk and after +/- 50 years, they may be breaking down and 'leaking' light. I'd take a careful look at them from the front and the back.
 
Yes, the photo was taken horizontally, and it is uncropped. I'm also having light leaks when switching lenses, so it might well be time for a shutter replacement. 🙁

I shot several color rolls the same day, and I will find out whether those were affected when I process those today.

With the number of mechanical problems the M2 has given me in the year I've had it, it has certainly proven its age to me, despite a CLA from Youxin Ye soon after I got it. Makes me wish I'd gone with an M6 or a Zeiss Ikon. If this problem ends up being serious, I think it will be time to find the M2 a new home.
 
I exercised the shutter for a while, then I shot a test roll on most speeds. The only speed that showed that characteristic darkening to the left was 1/1000, and the frame was also seemingly a bit underexposed compared to the others, so maybe I'll try to exercise that one more and see what happens.

It's weird - you'd think after a CLA less than a year ago and my weekly shooting the shutter wouldn't be in need of exercise, but I guess it might need more.
 
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