Oh no! Blank negatives!

[Negative]

So i just got my FED2's test rolls back from the pharmacy, and I only got a few pictures out of 72 exposures! The negatives themselves are just blank, which makes me think that they haven't been exposed at all, with some pictures interspersed throughout.

The pictures that I DO have are full of camera shake, even though I'm quite sure i didn't use a low shutter speed. They look cool in an abstract way, but that's not what i wanted or needed

Help! What could have happened?

 

[ZeissFan]

If they're blank, either the shutter is running too fast, or it didn't open at all.

Open/remove the back, remove the lens and check that the shutter opens at all speeds and seems to be running roughly accurately. It should be a moving slit at the higher speeds.

Also, not to be sarcastic, but you didn't leave a lens cap on, did you?

 

[Negative]

If they're blank, either the shutter is running too fast, or it didn't open at all.

Open/remove the back, remove the lens and check that the shutter opens at all speeds and seems to be running roughly accurately. It should be a moving slit at the higher speeds.

Also, not to be sarcastic, but you didn't leave a lens cap on, did you?

Haha, no, of course not. I forgot to mention that.

And yeah, my shutter moves at every speed, but is slow coming back when I set it to B. I didn't use bulb mode for any of these photos...

 

[pakeha]

What frame numbers did you get pictures from? interspersed at start of roll, even throughout or at the end? regards

 

[Al Patterson]

Well, I had that happen once with my CL. Turns out that I hadn't threaded the take up reel correctly, and when I was at picture 28 on a 24 neg roll of film, I rewound in something like 2 seconds, and was still dumb enough to have the film developed. 🙁

Anyway, whether a brain fart loading, or a camera that needs repair, it is a definite bummer.

 

[pakeha]

QUOTE
Well, I had that happen once with my CL. Turns out that I hadn't threaded the take up reel correctly, and when I was at picture 28 on a 24 neg roll of film, I rewound in something like 2 seconds, and was still dumb enough to have the film developed. 🙁

Yeah thats where i was heading, done myself -and left the cap on :bang:

Now, is it possible that if Al patterson`s theory is correct could the shakey images come from the film being loose - shutter fires - film shakes?
just thinking.[ or maybe not]

 

[Negative]

What frame numbers did you get pictures from? interspersed at start of roll, even throughout or at the end? regards

On one roll, there are pictures on 6, 7, 8, 9, 13, 14, 15, 16, 18, 19, 25, 26, and 33.

On another, I have them on 4, 5, 6, 7, 12, 13, 14, 17, 19, 23, and 24.

So, interspersed throughout.

Also, I followed the loading instructions and put the film leader in the little clip on the takeup spool, etc

 

[pakeha]

ok, if it was happening to me i would be inclined to look at the film advance, and if it was an SLR i`d just open the back and run a dummy film through, thats a bit harder here but can be done.I made a false bottom plate to hold spools in place - pretty low tech, peice of wood with a couple of bolts centered where the spools sit in the camera. I have not used a fed 2 - do you have to trim the leader?

 

[Negative]

ok, if it was happening to me i would be inclined to look at the film advance, and if it was an SLR i`d just open the back and run a dummy film through, thats a bit harder here but can be done.I made a false bottom plate to hold spools in place - pretty low tech, peice of wood with a couple of bolts centered where the spools sit in the camera. I have not used a fed 2 - do you have to trim the leader?

no, it loads from the back, not the bottom

 

[Al Patterson]

Well, my problem was most likely a brain fart or general ignorance of the way my camera worked. Mr. Negative have a different issue entirely. I hope someone can help him figure it out.

Good luck!

 

[Negative]

Thanks, Al... I think I'll need it :/

 

[Sparrow]

I don’t know the camera, but it sounds like light getting in somewhere, hole in the shutter maybe? or not fully closing

 

[spiderfrank]

too cold and sticky curtains, perhaps?

 

[raytoei@gmail.com]

hi,

my first fed-2 which i liked very much had an issue where only about 1/3 of the photos got exposed. the exposed pictures were fine but it was frustrating to lose shots. It was somewhat unpredictable, a roll could have a good first 10 pictures, then lose the body and only some of the tail roll got developed.

After another 1 or 2 rolls to confirm the problem, i threw it away in anger, contacted the Ukranian seller and bought another one with the understanding that he tested the cameras first. A long shot, but the next 2 I received worked well AND very aligned horizontally / vertically.

PM me if you want the name of the seller on ebay. I know it sounds wasteful, but the Cameras weren't expensive to procure ($70 incuding shipping for a fed-2 and fed-5 with lens, caps and case) and not worth the effort to have it professionally fixed.

raytoei

 

[Negative]

Sent you a message.

This is a shame. I really don't want to send it out to fedka for 70 dollars, but I've grown so attached to this little thing

 

[fidget]

Is there any possibility that the missing shots were taken at say, a 500th and that only the lower speed shots came out.
Have you done the shutter test as in the sticky?

 

[Negative]

Is there any possibility that the missing shots were taken at say, a 500th and that only the lower speed shots came out.
Have you done the shutter test as in the sticky?

... you know what? that might be it. I do remember having it set at 500 for most of my photos. Why would setting it to 500 do this and when is it appropriate to use 500?

I am not aware of the shutter test sticky. I remember seeing something about testing it against a CRT television, but I don't have any CRT televisions...

 

[ZeissFan]

If one of the curtains is running fast, it's possible that it's closing so that you don't have a slit -- just two curtains running from right to left with no gap.

And that would explain why you have so many blanks.

That's why I suggested removing the lens and opening the back and checking the shutter on all speeds.

 

[FallisPhoto]

So i just got my FED2's test rolls back from the pharmacy, and I only got a few pictures out of 72 exposures! The negatives themselves are just blank, which makes me think that they haven't been exposed at all, with some pictures interspersed throughout.

The pictures that I DO have are full of camera shake, even though I'm quite sure i didn't use a low shutter speed. They look cool in an abstract way, but that's not what i wanted or needed

Help! What could have happened?

Sticky shutter syndrome strikes again! Are the curtains opening? Probably not. If you open the back of the camera, look at where the back of the lens is and trip the shutter, you should see a flash of light through the lens every time. If not, then your shutter curtains are sticking somehow. That you're getting camera shake at 1/500 second this makes this even more likely to be the culprit. I think a CLA is your most likely cure.

Edit: Oh, and light getting in, or the shutter sticking open, would give you black, not blank, negatives.

 

[Negative]

Sticky shutter syndrome strikes again! Are the curtains opening? Probably not. If you open the back of the camera, look at where the back of the lens is and trip the shutter, you should see a flash of light through the lens every time. If not, then your shutter curtains are sticking somehow. That you're getting camera shake at 1/500 second this makes this even more likely to be the culprit. I think a CLA is your most likely cure.

Edit: Oh, and light getting in, or the shutter sticking open, would give you black, not blank, negatives.

I don't know, man... I'm looking through my lens, just like you said, and I do see light flashing through-- at every speed.