Ghost images of sprocket holes on negative

[Bogotron]

Well, I suppose the title says it all. I've been noticing this on a few of my images when I get my scans back from my photo lab - it's never on an entire roll, sometimes it's only one shot, sometimes it's a few, sometimes not at all. I was thinking (hoping) at first that it was a scanning issue, until I noticed that these are indeed showing up on the negatives as well (example attached, you can see the aberration along the bottom of the frame).

Is this the result of careless processing, or do you think it can be an issue with the film advance mechanism on my camera (Leica M4)? Anyone ever see this before?

Thanks for any and all suggestions.

 

[xwhatsit]

I'm brand new at this whole developing thing, and as you'd expect I've made plenty of mistakes. I saw something similar to that before I got my changing bag and I was spooling the film onto the Paterson spiral in the closet. I got a light leak onto the film while it was on the spiral. The image was light shining through sprocket holes of the outer layers of film.

It could also happen if you had a light leak around the take-up spool area, would you think?

If it were me (remembering I'm an ignorant newbie), I'd shoot some colour C41 with the camera in bright sunlight (and not in any form of half-case or something) and take it to an ordinary minilab and see if the same thing happens. If all is well then talk to the person who does your silver dev?

 

[Bogotron]

Xwhatsit, thanks for the great suggestions. I actually did shoot scenes around this trolley car in color as well, and there were no sprocket holes to be found. Though it was developed by the same lab, it was developed on a different day than the attached shot (which I guess leads me to believe it's not a light leak in the camera...I am happy about that).

 

[strobesync]

Bogo - check out the cult response. This looks like a changing bag, loading room, or developing tank issue. Tell the lab to keep eyes open in the dark. If it isn't an operator who doesn't know how to use a changing bag or light from under the door, then it is a crappy tank with a bad lid. You'll be getting some free film from this.

 

[jbielikowski]

I had same thing when my darkroom was not enough dark.