What is my M6TTL doing to these frames?

[aterlecki]

Can anyone tell me what is causing the problems with the attached image. This was taken with my M6TTL.

The problems are twofold.

Firstly there is a distinct darker vertical band to the right edge of the frame. Examining all the frames in the roll I note that the 9 frames that form the sequence of images (frames 6-14) I took of this scene all have this darker band where as the earlier and subsequent frames in the roll of different scenes do not. I cannot remember shutter speed info but I imagine all these were taken with the same (and fast) shutter speed where as subsequent images may have had a different (and slower) shutter speed. My initial guess is that there may be some sort of shutter travel problem where it is momentarily slowed at the problem point causing a slight overexposure there. This however is wild speculation as I don't know how a Leica shutter works.

Secondly, there appears to be light leak into the top of the frame from the film sprocket holes. Again it is only confined to the 9 frames and is less prominent in many of those.

This is C-41 film which I developed myself in my Jobo. I think I can rule out (although correct me if you think I'm wrong) any sort of developer drag with the sprocket hole issue as the drums are oriented in such a way as the chemicals do not run in that direction (and besides there was continual agitation during development). Also, because the vertical band is in the same spot in each troublesome frame, I don't think that problem either has anything to do with the actual development (or even loading) of the film but rather a physical problem during exposure.

Any ideas? I'm a bit annoyed it has happenned and really would like to try and get any potential problem sorted.

Cheers,
Tony

 

[markinlondon]

Can you post that as a negative, Tony? It looks like incomplete fixing, but it's hard to be sure from a positive image.

Mark

 

[aterlecki]

Can you post that as a negative, Tony? It looks like incomplete fixing, but it's hard to be sure from a positive image.

Mark

Here's the neg. I made the mistake of under-fixing once a long time ago when I messed up my chemicals but I'm pretty sure this isn't the problem. The neg has none of the milky quality you would expect from insufficient fixing (it was actually a combined bleach/fix step). Also such an issue would have affected every frame where as the problems described only affect the 9 frames of this particular scene.

Tony

 

[jaapv]

I would speculate about a problem with the continuity of the shutter-curtain speed as well, Tony. Maybe the camera is overdue for a CLA?

 

[aterlecki]

I would speculate about a problem with the continuity of the shutter-curtain speed as well, Tony. Maybe the camera is overdue for a CLA?

Not sure how old the camera is but it hasn't had a hard life so I'd be sad if it needed a CLA. I bought it about 2 years ago and I'd be suprised if the previous owner had shot more than 5 rolls with it. I've probably only put about 30 rolls through it (it's a 0.58 viewfinder so doesn't get anything like the use of my 0.72).

I've emailed CRR in Luton with the pic so I'm hoping they can shed some light onto it. I hate it when this happens as I'm now reluctant to shoot with the body until I know what's wrong.

 

[Ken Ford]

I would remove a variable by shooting a roll of C41 and having it developed commercially...

 

[Gabriel M.A.]

I would remove a variable by shooting a roll of C41 and having it developed commercially...

I agree. The curtain does seem like a suspect; the curtain travels left-to-right, if you're looking at the camera from the front (if I remember correctly; I've got film loaded on mine, right now, and my lysdexia kicks in ocassionally).

If you flip the negative the way it should (upside-down) when taking the image on the camera, one can intuitively feel that there's got to be something wrong with the curtain travel. 🙁

That said, I'm no mechanical expert.

 

[Ronald M]

There are really 8 vertical bands, one corresponding to each sprocket hole. You are seeing only the worst one on the right. The left one is pretty bad too but the darker neg area covers it.

This is a film development problem.

Films are senistive to uneven initial agitation, specially C41 with short development time. If you are not using the lift, you must. Keep the film speed up high for the first 30 seconds and it must be on high as the developer is introduced.

The larger 2500 series drums work better than the small ones. I gave up on the small ones for C41 due to developer marking. They work fine for E6 and Black and white.

Film must be imersed evenly and smoothly without stopping and retreating or using a motion to cause the wet line to stop or it will mark. Developer going thru the sprocket holes is causing increased flow in some areas thus increasing density.

Send a roll of even toned exposures out for development. It is not the camera.

 

[aterlecki]

Ronald (and others), thanks for your thoughts. Upon examining the other frames and doing a few extreme curves in PS I can definitely now also see some minor edge sprocket hole effects on other frames which would indicate development issues. Do you honestly think though that the one very strong band on the right is also simply down to development? It's just strange that the one obvious dark band the full length happens at the same point on each of those 9 frames. I would expect it to not follow such a pattern which led me to believe there is also a camera problem.

I do use a CPP2 on fastest rotation speed with the lift and the 1500 series tanks. I'll use my 2500 tanks for C41 from now on and see how it goes. I'm wondering if this issue doesn't happen though when the lift is raised to empty the developer. This would seem like the prime time where the developer, as it empties, would streak across the width of the film in a manner which would cause the sprocket effects shown?

Regardless, I wish those tanks would fill and empty a bit quicker (even using the lift). For a 3 min 15 sec processing time the percentage of time it takes filling and emptying is much higher than with other processes.

Cheers,
Tony

 

[Ronald M]

The heavier bands may correspond to reel design/construction.

You don`t get marks removing developer, it is the initial wetting that seems to be the culprit.

I hope you are pouring in the developer as fast as it will go.

Also flush the funnel well so there are no residual chemicals from the last run.

A shutter problem is possible, but not likely. Do a roll in a stainless tank, black and white or color. Drop the loaded reel in the tank in the dark. Do not fill from the top.

You can also use the Jobo if you have the proper caps for hand inversion as they fill nicely bottom up where stainless ones spill developer over one section of the film as it comes from the light baffle in the lid. That is why you drop the loaded reels in to the liguid. Emptying is not a problem and fix goes to completion so it is not a problem. Everything is initial imersion of film.