Uhh What the heck is this?

[Bobonli]

The images below are from my second roll of film through my new-to me M6 with 35 'Cron. What the heck are the large aberrancies in the frames?

They are not on my first or subsequent rolls and they are not in every image of the roll. I was shooting with a yellow filter. Is this flare from the filter? I've never had this from my SLR, so I'm a little puzzled.

Thanks
Bob

 

[Pablito]

If they appear all on photos taken on a bright sunny day, could be a light leak.

 

[JayGannon]

Yup light leak for sure, not in a place I've seen myself so couldnt tell you where, most likely shutter curtain.

 

[MartinP]

Could be a reflection off a shiny bit of filter, especially the mount, yes. Are you using an effective lenshood over the filter ?

 

[Bobonli]

They are mostly in shots taken in bright light, at the beach or park. I was using the filter with the Leica lens hood. I don't see it on anything indoors or that was shot without the filter.

I've shot outside on Ektar without the filter and haven't seen it.

How can I check to see if it's the light leak? I just bought the camera and it's otherwise pristine. Can I tell by shining a flashlight through the lens mount and what do I look for?

 

[MRohlfing]

Same shape and size in both samples, but in different location inside the frame. If it was a light leak in the shutter, wouldn't it be more likely be in one place?

The sun seems to be left to the camera in both pictures, maybe even a little bit behind the camera. So flare seems not so likely.

 

[kzphoto]

It has a straight edge on one side, could it be from the back door?

 

[kzphoto]

On second thought, it's probably a ghost.

 

[MRohlfing]

Can I tell by shining a flashlight through the lens mount and what do I look for?

Did work for me with one out of three cameras which had definitely a light leak. Try it - if you see light shining out anywhere, you will know the camera has a leak. Try with open shutter and closed back and also with open back and closed shutter in a dark room.

 

[ferider]

A light leak in the back door.

 

[Bobonli]

A light leak in the back door.

Anything I'm doing to cause that?

Is it fixable?

 

[MRohlfing]

Might be the back door. But if your M6 looks anything like my M2, then there is no foam in there that can go bad. Anything bent?

Missing screw anywhere? Maybe in a place you cover with your hand most of the time when holding the camera?

 

[ferider]

Call Sherry or Don, Bob, and ask them what to do. Could be just fixable by foam (some do, others don't have foam). Until it gets fixed, using the camera in a half case might prevent the problem.

 

[MRohlfing]

The images below are from my second roll of film...

If it only happened with that single film, I would not worry about it until you see it again.

Might even have happened outside the camera then.

 

[ferider]

Agree with MRohlfing. Maybe the film got exposed accidentally (when loading/unloading in the Sun, etc).

 

[Bobonli]

Damnit! I think I also see it in the Ektar roll shot later. Again, not every shot but I clearly see something amiss. All of these shots were taken in mostly shade/overcast:

The first is inside a train; area of interest is by the arm of the seat. The second is in a very dimly lit hotel room. Some spectral thingy by the adult's left hand. The next one was taken in shade. It has something by my daughter's right leg; the very next shot it's not there. I may have moved a foot or to the left but looks like I did not change aperture.

My stomach is in a knot. I just got over obsessing that the hood on the lens is 2 degrees crooked and now this! I don't mind sending it to Sherry but will she know what to look for; should I send her the pix?

 

[benlees]

Light leaks will be affected by how quickly the frames are advanced. My dad's old Yashica has a nasty light leak due to old foam but the severity of it was dependent on time; quick succession of shots no damage. Do some tests of this. May help determine where the leak is.

 

[rxmd]

Light leak on the back - on the colour film it appears blue because it was taken through the orange film base.

 

[Bobonli]

Did some more investigating. The splotches are on the negatives too, so that rules out some problem during scanning. Shining light into back and front didn't reveal anything to my untrained eye.

Local camera shop guy seems to think it's the curtain based on what I described to him. Here are pics of the back. Could that little bit of "foam" or whatever it is be the culprit? Sorry the focus is off on the one picture.

 

[coelacanth]

Was the foam supposed to be there on the door on M? I don't remember seeing that on any of the Ms I've used. The door and the body should act as light-trap when closed so the light shouldn't get in there. Maybe the foam is lifting the door ever so slightly and causing light to go in when the camera is under very strong light?? (although the shape of the leak doesn't look like from the door..)