anoldsock
Established
It was nice weather yesterday, so a group of friends and I spent the day around town. I dropped the Leica in my pocket and was off to test out my new camera.
There were some pretty interesting shots, and I wanted to see how they would come out. At the end of the day, I rewound the film back into the canister, popped off the bottom, and went to the nearest Wolf Camera Store (They have always done an excellent job while processing my film or digital prints). The lady at the counter and I chit chatted about the camera I was shooting with, and the both of us couldn't wait to see the results. Everything went wrong when I went to go pick up the roll...
...maybe I didn't load the film correctly, or maybe there were light problems with the camera body, but the film came back completely exposed.
I'm going to try another roll this week. Hopefully it was user error, either during loading or while running around town shooting. Anyone have any thoughts or comments on this?
There were some pretty interesting shots, and I wanted to see how they would come out. At the end of the day, I rewound the film back into the canister, popped off the bottom, and went to the nearest Wolf Camera Store (They have always done an excellent job while processing my film or digital prints). The lady at the counter and I chit chatted about the camera I was shooting with, and the both of us couldn't wait to see the results. Everything went wrong when I went to go pick up the roll...
...maybe I didn't load the film correctly, or maybe there were light problems with the camera body, but the film came back completely exposed.
I'm going to try another roll this week. Hopefully it was user error, either during loading or while running around town shooting. Anyone have any thoughts or comments on this?
T
tedwhite
Guest
Are you sure it happened in camera? Possibly the film was defective before you loaded it? Was it store bought or a hand load?
Of course it you left the bottom plate off I could understand it, but I'm sure you didn't do that...
Of course it you left the bottom plate off I could understand it, but I'm sure you didn't do that...
srtiwari
Daktari
Was it completely exposed , or completely blank (as in shooting with the cap on) ?
Thats a bit odd. It would seem that to get complete uniform exposure you would have to unravel the film out of the canister ! Any leaks from the curtain, seals, etc. would be "spotty" areas. Maybe the film was already exposed before you put it in the camera ? Maybe a problem with the developing ?
Curious to see what others think.
Thats a bit odd. It would seem that to get complete uniform exposure you would have to unravel the film out of the canister ! Any leaks from the curtain, seals, etc. would be "spotty" areas. Maybe the film was already exposed before you put it in the camera ? Maybe a problem with the developing ?
Curious to see what others think.
Luddite Frank
Well-known
Did you notice whether the rewind knob was turning as you advanced the film from one frame to the next ?
If the leader slips out of the spring-clip on the take-up spool, then you can wind-up shooting on "no-film"... and you'll probably eventually notice that you've shot an unusual number of frames on one roll: usually when you reach the end of the film, the advance knob tightens-up while you're winding-on to that 27th or 38th frame...
Unless the shutter is hanging completely open, it would be very unusual for a whole roll of film to be completely, evenly fogged. Are the negatives completely black/dark or completely transparent ?
Try removing the lens from the camera, then operating the shutter (shutter set on "Z"["bulb"] ) and then winding-on: you should see the first shutter curtain in place before pressing the release; then press and hold the release: the first curtain should open completely, and you should be looking at the black pressure plate; then release the shutter button, and you should see the second curtain close.
Then try progressively faster shutter settings, watching to see if the curtains "hang-open"... when you advance the film, the two curtains should travel toegther, with no opening, as the shutter rewinds.
My third roll ever through a Barnack got snagged in the gate, due to a sloppy trim-job on the leader (my own fault), the the film split and half of it went on the take-up spool, and the other half got wrapped-up in the shutter curtain !
That was my worst loading experience...
Hopefully your situation is the result of something simple/ easily corrected.
Good luck !
Luddite Frank
If the leader slips out of the spring-clip on the take-up spool, then you can wind-up shooting on "no-film"... and you'll probably eventually notice that you've shot an unusual number of frames on one roll: usually when you reach the end of the film, the advance knob tightens-up while you're winding-on to that 27th or 38th frame...
Unless the shutter is hanging completely open, it would be very unusual for a whole roll of film to be completely, evenly fogged. Are the negatives completely black/dark or completely transparent ?
Try removing the lens from the camera, then operating the shutter (shutter set on "Z"["bulb"] ) and then winding-on: you should see the first shutter curtain in place before pressing the release; then press and hold the release: the first curtain should open completely, and you should be looking at the black pressure plate; then release the shutter button, and you should see the second curtain close.
Then try progressively faster shutter settings, watching to see if the curtains "hang-open"... when you advance the film, the two curtains should travel toegther, with no opening, as the shutter rewinds.
My third roll ever through a Barnack got snagged in the gate, due to a sloppy trim-job on the leader (my own fault), the the film split and half of it went on the take-up spool, and the other half got wrapped-up in the shutter curtain !
That was my worst loading experience...
Hopefully your situation is the result of something simple/ easily corrected.
Good luck !
Luddite Frank
anoldsock
Established
My first thought was that there must have been some light leaks from the curtain or seals, but i did think it was odd that it was exposed evenly across the entire roll. I'm sure it wasn't the developing because when I came to pick up my roll, they showed me what happened after they developed the film and I saw that the entire film was exposed, except for the very end where I didn't shoot the last couple of shots.
Also, the first thing I did when I bought the camera was take off the lens and examined the shutter curtain and did not notice that it was hanging open.
Anyway, I'm shooting a second test roll and see if I get the same results. Hopefully, I did something wrong, and it wasn't the camera. =)
Also, the first thing I did when I bought the camera was take off the lens and examined the shutter curtain and did not notice that it was hanging open.
Anyway, I'm shooting a second test roll and see if I get the same results. Hopefully, I did something wrong, and it wasn't the camera. =)
Luddite Frank
Well-known
When loading your camera, after dropping-in and seating both the take-up spool and the cassette, gently turn the rewind knob in the direction of its arrow, until you feel/see it take up the slack against the take-up spool. This also helps seat the film over the sprocket.
Then, install the bottom plate and lock it down, and wind-on your couple of blank frames, watching the rewind knob as you advance the film: it should turn opposite the direction of its arrow, indicating that film is indeed being drawn out of the cassette, and wound onto the take-up spool.
Hope you have better luck with roll # 2 !
LF
Then, install the bottom plate and lock it down, and wind-on your couple of blank frames, watching the rewind knob as you advance the film: it should turn opposite the direction of its arrow, indicating that film is indeed being drawn out of the cassette, and wound onto the take-up spool.
Hope you have better luck with roll # 2 !
LF
bmattock
Veteran
Exposed? No, I don't see how that could happen 'evenly'. If the camera had been malfunctioning, you would have seen 24 or 36 black rectangles, with the clear areas over the sprocket guide area and between the frames. If the film was entirely clear (except for the base color of the plastic) with no differentiation between frames and sprocket area, etc, then you mean the film was UNexposed.
This could happen if the film was not correctly loaded and therefore was not dragged through the camera as you took photos. I've had that happen to me as well, which I figured out when I got to shot #40 or so.
Did the film advance lever stick when you got to the end of the roll? When you rewound the film, did you feel the drag and tension on the cartridge as it sucked the film back into itself?
I am doubtful that your film got 'entirely exposed' by your camera - it very nearly could NOT have done such a thing. If the film was entirely exposed, I'd suspect that the lab had mucked it up.
This could happen if the film was not correctly loaded and therefore was not dragged through the camera as you took photos. I've had that happen to me as well, which I figured out when I got to shot #40 or so.
Did the film advance lever stick when you got to the end of the roll? When you rewound the film, did you feel the drag and tension on the cartridge as it sucked the film back into itself?
I am doubtful that your film got 'entirely exposed' by your camera - it very nearly could NOT have done such a thing. If the film was entirely exposed, I'd suspect that the lab had mucked it up.
anoldsock
Established
I didn't finish the entire roll, so it would not have stuck on me. However, when I rewound the film into the cartridge there was indeed drag and tension on the cartridge. In fact, I was being overly cautious about the tension on the cartridge because I remember thinking to myself that I didn't want to damage the film.bmattock said:
I continued to put more pressure on it until I felt the pressure gave way, which I assumed was the film coming away from the take up spool.
LeicaTom
Watch that step!
This sounds like a loading problem, the roll didn`t load at all, or the rewind lever was engaged to R
(I ruined a roll of crossprocessed once in one of my Half Races that way - when the levers are loose fast shooting with the "index finger" method can jar the rewind lever if it`s not tight enough)
An entire roll was exposed *blank* when it came back......sigh! Nothing though that the CLA didn`t take care of
Tom
(I ruined a roll of crossprocessed once in one of my Half Races that way - when the levers are loose fast shooting with the "index finger" method can jar the rewind lever if it`s not tight enough)
An entire roll was exposed *blank* when it came back......sigh! Nothing though that the CLA didn`t take care of
Tom