M6 possible light leak?

[Captain Kidd]

Recently got a test roll developed from my new (recently bought) leica M6. On the 36 frame roll there are two pictures that look like they have been affected by a light leak. Picture 25 on the roll and picture 36.

Ive attached the two examples, has anyone any experience with this? Seems odd that its only affecting 2 pictures in the entire roll. Also I must add that the pictures were printed terribly, I asked another printer to print 2 shots and they came out much better, so I have my doubts about the original printers methods, Im hoping the mistake is on his end when developing the film.

Apologies for the terrible scans, its the best scanner i have available to me but you can see the light affect.

Any ideas and help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Captain Kidd]

and to add, the light leak, or whatever it is, is also on the negative for these two pictures.

 

[Livesteamer]

Does the leak go between the frames on the negative or is it only in the frame? Joe

 

[Captain Kidd]

Thanks Joe, unfortunately I dont have the negatives with me to check, I dropped them in to another printer to get the entire roll printed again, he printed two for me which were so much better that I asked him to print the entire roll, so I wont be able to see the negatives unil tomorrow.

What would either of those scenariois point to, leak between frames or only in the frame?

Thanks

 

[Captain Kidd]

Ill also be able to check when I get home if the the two pictures were taken at the same shutter speed. Someone in the camera whop thought that might have something to do with it, though i dont know how? Is it common for a leak to be visible in only 2 shots out of 36?

 

[Livesteamer]

If there is leakage between the frames it suggests the leak is in the back of the camera. If the leak is only in the frame then it most likely comes from the front of the camera. I think. Others here can offer more expertise on this. Remember also the image is projected up side down so the leak is on the left side of the camera. Good Luck. Joe

 

[Captain Kidd]

Good point, thanks Joe.

 

[Livesteamer]

It could be something called banding where the shutter curtains run at uneven speeds but could also be a shutter curtain bouncing at the end of its travel and the brake needs adjusting. Joe

 

[Captain Kidd]

Thanks Joe, Appreciate your help with this, hopefully someone might recognise the problem as something they experienced themselves before. Ive heard of people sending camerras with light leak to be fixed only for them to come back with the same problem.

 

[Captain Kidd]

Also just to point out, I never changed the lens in mid roll.

 

[De_Corday]

in my experience a capping shutter makes for a darker edge, not a lighter edge...

 

[Captain Kidd]

Thanks De, thats great to know, the negatives definitely had this streak on them too, do you think this affect could possibly be produced through developing the negative? The fact that it seems blue is odd to me.

Thanks

 

[De_Corday]

I'm much more experienced in black and white developing than I am in color work, so I can't say for certain. Once we can see the rest of the negative, I think we'll be able to weigh in more substantively. In the meantime, take your camera into a dark room with a flashlight and see if you can find a leak. It's not 100%... I had a top-of-the-rear-door leak that didn't show up this way, but it should at least tell you how light-tight your shutter is.

 

[Captain Kidd]

Thanks De Corday, I'll try that, though every other image came out fine, could a leak only affect 2 in 36 images?

 

[Larry Cloetta]

Thanks De Corday, I'll try that, though every other image came out fine, could a leak only affect 2 in 36 images?

If you shot all the other, unaffected frames in reasonably quick succession a small light leak would not have time to damage those frames. If the aberration you are seeing on these two frames coincides with the only 2 times where the camera was left unused for a protracted period of time, then, yes, you could get a roll where only two frames out of 36 were affected, if that makes sense.

 

[Captain Kidd]

Thanks Larry, looking at the pictures, the largest leak or whatever it is would have stayed for the evening until I wound it on to take the next picture the following morning, though the other picture, it must have only been a minute or two before I wound it on and took the next picture.

 

[Larry Cloetta]

Thanks Larry, looking at the pictures, the largest leak or whatever it is would have stayed for the evening until I wound it on to take the next picture the following morning, though the other picture, it must have only been a minute or two before I wound it on and took the next picture.

I dunno, then. Sounds odd. Someone here will figure it out, usually.

 

[Captain Kidd]

I hope so, and any idea if it could possibly have happened when processing the negatives? That something in the process made it as opposed to it occurring inside the camera?

 

[Huss]

Was it a fresh roll of film?

 

[Captain Kidd]

Yeah, it was fresh, portra 400, and said it was expiring in 2018 I think. Though I bought it from a shelf, as opposed to a fridge, if that might make any difference.