strange lines on my slides… is it my camera?

[kosta_g]

I've got an issue with some strange dark marks on my slides, which is fairly consistent across several rolls.
first i thought it was my scanner but then I was considering it was my camera… although other recent films don't show the same issues…

Any advice whether this is a side affect of X-rays or debris in the camera would be great.
**edit… on looking up Kodak's site on X-ray effects, it doesn't appear to have fogging, which leads me to believe there may be debris in the camera.**

Thanks,

Kosta

 

[x-ray]

It's definately not x-Rays. I'm certain your camera is scratching the base side. Check the pressure plate. It's a tiny particle or rough spot. If you reload it's possible that you have dirt in the felt trap of a cassette. If you send film out for processing to the same place each time it's possibly the processor but most likely your camera.

 

[kehng]

I had something similar once. Turned out to be stray bits of film that had been broken off in the chamber

 

[Pete B]

How did you rule out your scanner? Turn he slide through 90 degrees and rescan to see if the lines still run in the same direction .
Pete

 

[rjstep3]

I had similar, but it turned out to be the scanner software - an old version of Vuescan made a line through my scans at certain resolutions, changing to EpsonScan got rid of it, and now VS is ok too.

You can't eliminate it ...

rjstep3

 

[mfogiel]

This runs along the direction of the film. It could either be something inside the camera ( if it looks the same on various films developed in different labs) or it could be the developing machine in a specific lab.

 

[x-ray]

Take a loupe and examine the base for a scratch.

 

[Ko.Fe.]

Attaching images at this tiny size is not going to help.

 

[Bob Michaels]

I had that same situation frequently reoccurring in the past. But the scratches were only on slide film processed by a pro lab and never on the b&w film that I processed at home. I visited the lab and asked them to help me diagnose the problem. They showed me their processor which could not have caused the problem.

Then, the lab asked me how I handled my exposed film. I told them that I simply stuck all exposed and rewound rolls back into my pocket. They showed me their process for unloading the film cans that involved pulling the exposed film back out through the felt light trap. They said it was probably grit that got stuck in the felt light trap while the exposed film was in my pocket. That made sense because I always open the metal canister of b&w film rather than pulling it back out through the felt light trap. They suggested that I put the exposed film back into the plastic canister before returning to my pocket to eliminate the problem of grit in the light trap. I never had a scratch on a slide after that.

 

[V-12]

The lines are very soft edged to be scratches, is it a cloth shutter curtain leaking?

V

 

[kosta_g]

Thanks for all the advice guys.

It is scratching - i'd suggest it's from some debris because it lasted a few rolls and then hasn't appeared since. might have been some sand as it got my first few rolls of black and white and first roll of slide in the camera. ouch!

It's not scanning as it appears on the slides and negatives.

Wouldn't be a light leak on the curtain otherwise they would appear brighter, not darker.

I'll have a look at my camera but the subsequent rolls came out fine (thank goodness because i shot about 30 rolls!)

Cheers

 

[kosta_g]

They suggested that I put the exposed film back into the plastic canister before returning to my pocket to eliminate the problem of grit in the light trap. I never had a scratch on a slide after that.

Thanks Bob, I am usually a roll in the pocket kind of guy too. may have been some leftover sand or something from the beach?

I'll keep that in mind for future, too.

 

[joeswe]

I had the same issue with a IIIf at 1000th of a second, but more exaggerated. I was told it could not be fixed and eventually sold the camera.

Excellent point. What you see is likely the frayed edge of the shutter curtain that is blocking part of the light at the highest shutter speeds like 1/1000 and 1/500, when the gap between the curtains during exposure is extremely narrow. I had the same problem with my IIIf and the repair guy (ex Leitz technician) couldn't help, but thanks to some clever folks at LUF I was put on the right track. All I had to do was carefully clean up the edge of the curtain from any frayed material ... and the problem was gone. So the million dollar question is ... what camera are you using, kosta?