Help needed - light leak

[ChrisN]

Camera is a Mir (similar to Zorki 4 but no slow shutter speeds).

I'm having trouble trying to fix a light leak. Attached photo was taken with the lens cap on 😱 but is at least useful to show the leak! Am I reading this right - the light is entering at the top of the camera, and from behind the shutter?

Any suggestions?

 

[Grumblepunk]

I am pretty much completely repair ignorant, but it looks like one of your shutters is dragging, a bit.

 

[pvdhaar]

That's a light leak alright, can't be dragging shutters when these are from a shot with the lens cap on.

My bet is that the light leaks in along the back, both top and botton. Should be fixable with sealing foam along the edge of the back.

 

[ChrisN]

I think you are right, pvdhaar. I've had a look at the negatives, and the light bleeds all the way to the edge through the sprocket holes, and I doon't think it would do that if the light was coming past the shutter. My camera has no sealing material (foam or felt) in the channels where the back meets the body - is this normal for the Zorki's? Luckily I've got one of John's light seal kits on the way!

Chris

 

[pvdhaar]

Having no felt/foam can be intentional. But when it's not there, the fit of the back on the body should be perfect. Given the origin of the camera, the fit may be 'somewhat less than ideal'.

Another cause may be that some dirt/sand/linen has ended up in the channels, that prevents the back from closing properly. So I'd check that first, even if you're going to use a light sealing kit. Also check for nicks/dents on the edges along of the back..

 

[AndersG]

Hi,

Check the edge along the right side also. A leak there would have the possiblity to cause damage vertically accross the film.

If you have several damaged frames try to figure out when and where they were damaged: for example damage from a pinhole in one of the shutter curtains is more likely to show up on a frame that were located behind the shutter for some time (before or after its exposure) while the camera were handled in bright sunlight or similar. The same would hold for leaks along the top or bottom, while leaks along the right edge would show up one or two frames previous to when the camera was exposed to bright light.

/Anders

 

[Grumblepunk]

Oh dur. I missed the part about the lens cap being on. In my defense, it was way past my sleepy time. 😛

I am seeing more and more light leak issues, with our beloved Soviet Steel™. Although the felt and the sealing kits will fix a lot of these problems, is it simply a band-aid fix? If I recall correctly, none of these cameras left the factory with any sort of light seal in the channels and with their dep grooves, there really shouldn't be a be a need.

I'm not preaching against the kits or anything, it just seems that there could be a more permanent fix for the issues, on a general basis. Feel free to slap me up-side the head, if I am way off base.