Light leak, developing error, or...?

[xia_ke]

I recently had a roll developed that was taken between the end of last summer and beginning of winter. On this one particular roll I had 4 shots that show what appear to be a light leak. The shots were taken at different times over the course of the roll, they are not 4 frames in order. I have not had this issue on any roll shot before or since, just this one roll and just these shots, and I have shot in harsh midday sun for hours without issue. These were shot with a Leica IIIg and a Thorium Summicron on Ektachrome E100g. The film was developed and scanned by The Darkroom. It looks like a light leak issue, but again I have had no issues on other rolls shooting in midday blazing sun for extended periods. This particular roll did spend a few months in the Leica which does have the radioactive lens, but shots are not together on the roll, not that the lens would likely cause an issue anyway. The film was fresh with a 2014 date and the camera was CLA'd last spring and has caused no other issues. Any thoughts?

Moderators, please feel free to move this if need be. I posted here as the most logical culprit seems like it would be a light leak under the right circumstances.

 

[Dez]

No chance this has anything to do with the lens. It certainly does look like a light leak. Conceivably it is in the cartridge, or happened during development. In any case, it is odd that this only happened for these frames. You didn't by any chance take the film out mid-roll, and afterwards put it back in? For these three frames, did the camera stand idle for a very long time before or after without winding?

If I were you, I would try shooting a quick test roll outdoors in bright sunlight, although that is likely scarce in Maine at this time of year. Expose the camera to sunlight at all angles, and then have it developed somewhere else, to see if anything similar happens. If it does, the camera needs service, if it doesn't, no problems.

Cheers,
Dez

 

[xia_ke]

Hi Dez,

Thank you for chiming in 🙂 I have shot rolls since then in harsh midday sun. It's actually quite easy this time of year. Picture blue bird skies combined with lots of snow. If there were light leak issues, they should have shown under these conditions, but I have had no problems. This image was from the same roll and was taken in some pretty harsh light as well:

This particular shot was taken during a 2 hour walk on the beach. I had been shooting mostly b&w for a while in my Nikon, so my Leica wasn't seeing too much use as this roll was in it and I didn't want to remove it mid-roll.

 

[Dwig]

Examine the film and see if the flaw spreads onto the film's edges around the sprockets. If not, then the light came through the film gate. If it spreads outside of the image area then the like camera into the body by another method. Since it was sporadic, it is unlikely that it occurred in the cassette or during development. Also, since it is neutral gray/white it most likely struck the emulsion side rather than coming from the rear and through the base.

 

[xia_ke]

Thanks Dwig!!! Forgot to even check that as they are mounted slides. I'll take one apart when I get home and I'm sure that will help solve the mystery.

 

[David Hughes]

Hi,

Light leaks can take a while to register on the film if very slight. Meaning the time between shots counts as the exposure time. And, of course, a case can stop the light. The same thing happens with pin holes in the blinds. You seldom get them the same on each frame as the lens cap needs to be off for the "exposure" time and then off for the same time on each frame.

On yours the light appears to be in the same spot on the frame, which suggests a light leak.

Regards, David

 

[xia_ke]

Hi David,

The thing that perplexed me was that I have shot other rolls that I know would have been exposed to just as much if not more light and with higher speed film, but have seen no trace of it other than with this roll. Also, given the pattern of the leak and unfamiliarity with the construction of the IIIg, I'm having a hard time understanding where the leak is coming from. Light leak issues I have had in the past have always been easy to diagnose, such as bellows leaks or bad seals on an SLR film door.

 

[jordanstarr]

I'm going through the same problem with my camera. Same spot, but no rhyme or reason as to which frames are destroyed. Some sunny days, some hazy days, some one 125iso film and not on the 400iso film. I'm trying to diagnose mine, but have done two tests with no conclusion. Good luck and just keep trying every corner of logic until you find it.

 

[Moto-Uno]

This may be completely irrelevant, but my iskra had a few strange leaks that I ended up
correcting by taping the inside of the camera where the film spools are. Thin black electrical tape was all it took ( did I mention cheap?) Peter

 

[xia_ke]

Okay, I popped open one of the slide mounts and the light leak is all the way to the edge of the film, but seems like the source is coming is coming from within the film gate as evidenced by the sharp edge and it being not quite as pronounced along the edge. Sorry, scanner died so I can't show the edge of the film 🙁