Annoying Zorki-6 light leak

[AndersG]

Hi,

My new Zorki-6 suffers from an annoying and hard to track down light leak. The damage occurs as as a wide vertical bar across some frames (see the attached example) always close to the left edge of the frame.

After the first film I replaced the light seal yarn with foam but the problem was still there on the next film. Then I tried to sealthe upper and right side of the back with black electric tape - but no, the leak was still there.

Now, from the attached example where damage has occured after the last frame of the film it seems the problem is more or less directly below the viewfinder. The top cover actually has a dent there but I have not manage to see any visible leakage there using a flash light
(but the top cover is imperfectly sealed elswhere along the back - where this film damage can't have occured so I've assumed that that is normal and that the edge of the back seals below the top cover).

Any ideas on what's wrong?
Could it be the left hand light seal? I didn't change that because it looked ok and I thought it was unlikely that light would propagate around the film canister.

All suggestions are welcome! Thanks!

Cheers,
/Anders - confused and a bit annoyed. It's such a nice camera to use..

 

[doubs43]

Your negatives make it appear to be a shutter problem: the curtains are not capping properly as you wind on to the next frame.

Remove your lens, open the camera back and slowly wind the shutter while looking through the lens opening at a strong light. If you notice any light where the shutter curtains join, you've found your problem.

If that's the case, you will require an adjustment of the curtains. Until then, simply put the lens cap back on the lens before winding to the next frame. Then remove the cap and shoot.

Walker

 

[AndersG]

Thanks!

That might be it, with the lens on I can't see any light leaking through but with the lens removed and a flash light pointing into the camera the shutter looks really iffy (but OTOH so does the shutter in my FED 2 and 3 too and with them I have never experienced such a bad leak - is that test to hard?).
And would a shutter problem cause damage all the way to the edge of the film?

/Anders

 

[kiev4a]

It does look like one shutter curtain is stopping before it gets completly closed--not hole in the curtains but a gap between the two curtains. The fogging does not look like a body light leak.

 

[AndersG]

I think Walker was spot on. The shutter curtains seem to overlap during the whole winding stroke but in the darkroom and with a flash light inside the lens mount it is possible to see a faint line of light during part of the winding stroke, in particular when looking at the curtains at an angle from the right. I didn't think a leaky shutter would affect the film all the way out to the edge but apparently it does.

Lens cap on, it is then. (I already do that most of the time, anyway.)

Thanks!

Cheers,
Anders