Flare? Ghosting? What?

R

RML

Guest
It seems there's something rotten in the state of my Leica M2.

See the attached scan.

What is that bright spot?

Is it flare? I don't think so because it happens in exactly the same place in a handful of shots on different rolls, with different lenses, and different orientation.

Is it ghosting? Is it light the gets reflected internally? Or is it the shutter curtain?

I'd like to pinpoint when it happens so I can avoid it. It would be nice if it could be remedied but I don't really want to send the M2 on another trip to Germany for an overhaul.

So, any ideas?
 
Check your shutter curtains - looks like a pinhole of some kind - at least that's the logical explanation, since the streak is parallel to the length of negative, i.e. to the curtain travel.
Remove the lenst, point the camera towards bright light, and see if there are any piholes or "bright" (worn out) patches on the curtain material.

For a DIY repair in such a case, you could just use some black "paint" - check the archives on photo.net, I think I saw some advice there regarding "patching" light leaking curtains with something they call "liquid electrical tape" and other stuff.

Denis
 
Denis, thanks for the swift reply.

I'm just wondering, wouldn't a pinhole show up in all shots?
It seems like quite a big streak so the hole would have to be quite big as well, I reckon.

Nevertheless, I'll check the curtains.
 
RML said:
Denis, thanks for the swift reply.

I'm just wondering, wouldn't a pinhole show up in all shots?
It seems like quite a big streak so the hole would have to be quite big as well, I reckon.

Nevertheless, I'll check the curtains.
Click to expand...

I don't know what else it could be. Maybe some internal reflection? I don't think so. The "flare" would look different. This one is a "strip" of lighter exposure across the whole negative.
"Leaky" curtain is the most probable answer, given the photo you posted, and the nature of horizontal-moving curtains.
BTW, it doesn't have to be an actual "hole" in the curtain - it could be that a patch of the curtain has gone "threadbare", i.e. thin.
As to why it does not appear in all shots, maybe it's more pronounced under certain angles of light? Check the other photos in which the problem appears, and note the direction of light.
As I said, the best thing to do is to check the curtains carefully against a bright light. If you find a brighter spot, you've found the source of the problem.
I really don't know what else it could be.
On the other hand, I'm not much of an expert, so you could also try photo.net Leica forum for more suggestions.

Denis
 
I had something very similar---a fairly faint and fuzzy vertical line of light---along the edge of a photo on my Bessa R2. It affected (so far as I can see) only one photo...or so it seems so far. Surely a pinhole puncture wouldn't affect only one?
V. puzzling, slightly alarming...
 
Sorry to reply to myself, but you can actually see the light effect at the very edge of the photo in my gallery called 'home work'. I cropped the rest of the effect. I'd paste the photo in here but haven't quite figured out how.
yrs in confusion, M
 
Well, this streak goes all the way across the image in the same direction of the shutter travel. Drag on a Pink Leica? (shutter drag that is, uneven exposure.) The other possibility is a light leak along the edge of the film back. Suggestion: Get a fitted case for the Leica. If it is a leak, the fitted case will cut most of it off. If it is shutter drag, send it back to the repair shop: They messed up. If it is shutter drag, get a case anyway. Leica M series cameras are known for light leaks and a case helps "plug it up" and cover pink leather at the same time. That is why Leica chose Black Leather in the first place, it absorbs photons before they can get into the camera...
 
WRONG I AM! It does not go in the direction of the shutter, should have looked at the pictures orientation!

It is probably a light leak. Try a fitted case, about $10 on EBay.
 
Is the sight of that pink leather on a Leica getting to your head, Brian? It must be a shocking sight for the true Leicaphile. :)
 
Brian could be right but before you get a case test the shutter like Denis describes after you finish your current roll of film.

If it's in a few shots on different rolls then it may not be a leak, but a dodgy shutter curtain.
 
I'd say definitely a light leak. Probably along the top edge of the rear camera door. Light leaks are usually colored like this, pinholes in shutter curtains usually look like the effect used in Star Trek while beaming up, shutter curtain overlap or capping looks like half or part of your picture is black. Light leaks are usually reversed in the printing process ie. leak on right side by hinge will show up on left side of picture, leak at top will show in bottom of photo. Trust me, with all the old cameras I've been testing lately, I've had several light leaks exactly like this one.
 
P.S. Not meaning to give anyone a free plug, but Jon Goodman who sells on E**y as "interslice" has an excellent fix for this for a reasonable price.
 
Also check the negatives, the area in between pictures. A light leak will fog those areas as well. I usually use fitted caes on all of my old cameras. It protects them, guards the edges against dents that could lead to leaks, and stops light before it can leak into the camera. The M series "back door" is more susceptible to leaks than most other camera backs that enclose the entire film path. Just looking at it in broad daylight would make me worry. Having the fitted case over it provides "peace of mind" for me. Pink leather, Snakeskin, or original Black Vulcanite, if that film door leaks you get these streaks.
 
Examination of the negatives of the several rolls might be interesting... To see if there's some consitent effect along the whole length. If so, I'd consider the possibility of a problem at the lab. Old chemicals, or low quantity of chemicals in the machine, maybe.
 
On the Topic of (n)ever-ready cases; I have a reprint of an old Pop-photo article with one of the last pictures taken of Robert Capa. His Contax IIa was in its ever-ready case, top-down, and a vented shade on the lens. Where did the idea come from that pro's never use them and they were a sign of an amatuer?
 
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