Light Area in Image

[Bubba]

I need the experts to help me figure out what is going on here. I recently went out of town for my sister-in-law's wedding. I shot a bunch of shots with the Bessa R and Color Skopar 35/2.5. The film I used was Kodak BW 400 (C-41). On several images, I notice an area on the right side of that appears as a white blowout (I don't know how else to describe it). This doesn't happen on all images, but on just a few. I saw this effect on a couple different rolls. I bought the film from Walmart (I know, the horror, but B&H was on holiday and my local pro shop charges nearly 3 times as much for the same film). We did fly and the film went through the x-ray machines at the airports. I did not have prints made when the film was processed and the images were scanned with a Minolta Dimage Dual Scan IV.

Any ideas of what most likely caused this and what I can do to prevent it in the future?

As always, Thanks for your help.

Bubba

 

[rover]

Is it a new problem, have you noticed it on all rolls since you have had this camera?

 

[back alley]

i think that's called the bride!

seriously, i'm not sure what you are seeing as a white blowout on the right.
maybe another example.

joe

 

[Kris]

Joe, have a look at where the table ends on the right hand side. There's a bright patch there.

Bubba, have you checked the negatives? Do this bright patches exist on the thin borders between the frames? If no, it might be caused by lens flare. If yes, it isn't caused by the lens. Camera body not light tight, X-Ray, processing lab are few possible causes.

 

[Bubba]

Joe, the bright area near the table on the right is what I'm talking about.

Kris, I have never noticed this before. Usually I shoot 100 speed slide film and have never noticed this type of phenomenon. Unfortunately, I don't have a light table and loop to closely examine the negatives. With the naked eye it looks like it is on the negative. But, then again, I'm looking for it and I am possibly seeing something because I want to. My first inclination was to blame the x-ray machines at the airport, but if that were the case, I would expect to see it on more frames. This frame is pretty much right in the middle of the roll. The frame after also exhibits the same thing on the right side. These shots were indoors with the lens pretty wide open and the shutter pretty slow (I think it was 1/15s). I have a shot or two from a different roll under different lighting conditions (I totally blew the exposure on these shots) where I see the same thing on the right.

If it is lens flare, would it be more noticeable with faster film under low light conditions? I have taken other low light shots with this film without noticing it. Maybe I'm making too much out of nothing. As with most things in life, sometimes stuff happens for no apparent reason.

Bubba

 

[back alley]

are you sure it not the actual lighting in the church? like a small spotlight or something like that?

joe

 

[rover]

I was just thinking the same thing Joe.

Bubba, look at the two pictures, the light spot is in the exact same spot in the church.

But it does seem there is person on the right edge in the second one....

 

[pshinkaw]

You were using a very slow shutter speed. Could you have picked up the light from another photographer's electronic flash?

-Paul

 

[Bubba]

I originally thought that it was just a strong light over on that side, but then when I saw it again on another roll I thought that maybe I have a problem. This image is from a different roll (please ignore the bad exposure) that caused me to start wondering what was going on. In this photo there is a window to the right that had a fair amount of light coming in. I don't remember what the exposure settings were, but I think that I accidently metered on the bright light coming in from the front. I'm pretty sure I had a fairly fast shutter speed for this shot.

 

[pshinkaw]

I don't think this is a good situation. It doesn't look like lens flare to me unless you were shooting directly into the sun. If it bleeds over into the space between the frames, you could have a back or body leak. If it is confined to the picture area only it could be a shutter leak. There are of course other esoteric possibilities, but I don't think any of them would account for this being normal behavior.

-Paul

 

[back alley]

bubba, you might laugh at this but when i got my r and 35/2.5 set up, my first few rolls had this same thing.
i was convinced i had bought into a cheap set up and that this cv stuff was crap.

...it was my own finger, getting in the way of the lens.

the camera was so light and small, compared to the mamiya 6 i had been using, that i was getting in my own way.

just a thought.

joe

 

[Rich Silfver]

I thought shutter problem but it's always in the same spot to the right. Shutter problems tend to give light banding effects.

I'm tempted to guess light leak in the body.

 

[Bubba]

You know, Joe, as soon as I read your response I grabbed my Bessa and held it to see if there is something in the way that I'm holding it that would allow my fingers to get in the way. My left hand naturally supports the camera from underneath the lens. There is a distinct possibility that light reflected off the top of my finger towards the lens. I would think that the little hood that is on this lens would help eliminate this. I'm sure that in the spur of the moment, my finger could definitely be the culprit. I once thought I had a broken point and shoot camera because the bottom half of my photos were cut off. Only to discover that the flap from the case tended pop up in front of the lens. I will pay more attention to my hands the next time I'm out shooting (great, something else for me to have to think about <g>).

If there is a body light leak, what would be the best way to test this? Take a photo with the lens cap on in a very bright area? If it is a body light leak, is this something that is difficult to repair?

Thanks for all the help and expert advice.

Bubba

 

[Bubba]

Paul, I just went back and looked at the negatives again and it doesn't appear that the bright spot spans across frames. The line between the frames is pretty clearly defined.

I'm starting to think that Joe is probably right; my fat fingers are getting in the way.

 

[pshinkaw]

If it doesn't span the frame lines, it is occuring in front of the focal plane. That should eliminate a body leak. In front of the focal plane can also mean in front of the lens. I've done it myself with the ever-ready case flap and the finger, although fingers are usually dark.

-Paul

 

[rover]

Oh no, fingers could be light. I have caught mine a couple times recently. Good catch Joe.