shutter curtain colours?

[mooge]

after seeing that red curtain Leica oddity...

1. RFs have this problem of the shutter curtains burning... wouldn't this be reduced if the shutter curtains were white? it reflects, rather than absorbs light- I suspect that black burns faster than white cloth.
but what would be the tradeoffs though? that reflected light must go somewhere...

2. do stores (online?) sell different colours of shutter curtains? (would make for a funny custom camera!)

3. would a felt-lined... thing in front of the shutter, crate around the back of lens... reduce noise/be advantageous somehow?

cheers!
Dragunov

 

[Mr_Flibble]

The problem, I expect, with anything different than black curtains might be reflection. Light reflected from the edge of the curtains will influence your images.

I'm told the Leica IIIc's with red shutter curtains suffer from a tinge of red when shooting color film. I expect white curtains would be worse.

 

[ClaremontPhoto]

I heard the M8 has magenta shutter curtains, and that these may cause some problems also.

 

[Al Kaplan]

The light reflected off of the curtains is reflected back off the rear element of the lens. This would be more of a problem with an uncoated lens, less with a mult-coated lens.

 

[payasam]

White curtains might be translucent rather than opaque; but the layer of rubber, whatever its colour, should take care of that. Has to be reflections off everything to which the film is exposed. Can't be an accident that all manufacturers of cameras, including different designs, seem to have gone with black.

[edit] For "everything" please read "anything".

 

[mooge]

if I ever find white curtains... I'll make a write up.