What is this?

[photobizzz]

Just got this scan back, looks like I have pinhole light leaks in the bellows of my Bessa I, but cannot find them for the life of me. I have taken the camera in a completely dark room and shined a light in the bellows but cannot see any leaks whatsoever. Thanks for any help.

 

[coelacanth]

Are you talking about those tiny white spots on the scanned image? Are you sure that's light leak? I don't think pinhole on bellow will result in actually "pinhole" marks like that. Can they be just dusts on negative or developing mishap?

Do you see the dots on the exact same spot on all other shots?

 

[binky]

bad scanning? could be dust, so check the negatives. If the negatives show spots (not dust) as coelacanth mentioned, then it's probably the lab's fault (bad developing?)

 

[oftheherd]

Have to agree. That doesn't look like light leaks from a bellows. There is an overall low contrast, but that could be the light, the development, focus, or even the scan. But if there isn't dust (and that doesn't look like dust either), I would look for something else. Perhaps your scanner, or bad development. Is this on the whole roll?

 

[colyn]

They look like dust specks to me..

If they are not in the same location on other frames I wouldn't worry..

 

[photobizzz]

No it is on the negatives, it could be bad developing but I was very careful (developed it myself). I used Kodak HC-110, dilution E at 7 min, 68F, agitated for 30 sec, and then 10 sec every min, Kodak indicator stop bath, fix for 10 min, rinse in 68F tap water, light Foto-Flo and hang dry overnight.

The spots correspond to black dots on my negative, and they are not particles on the negative (just checked). It was on two of the negatives that I shot outside. The ones I shot inside dont have them...

Hmmmm

 

[BillBingham2]

Are the spots in the same place on every frame? Can you run a test with the same lens, etc. so we can rule in/out?

B2 (;->

 

[photobizzz]

Yea I will run another roll through the camera and see what happens. It was only on two of the frames, and they were both shot outside during the day. That is what makes me think it was not my developing habits, or I would have seen it on other frames. I will update you all when I get it done. Thanks for your ideas.

 

[BillBingham2]

Were other frames shot outside? After your last shot did you go directly inside? If not then the frame after those two should be speckled too. Is there a difference between the size of the speckles? Are they in the same spot? Can you show us a scan of it?

B2 (;->

 

[photobizzz]

Well the shots I took that have the speckles were shot outside, and the shots I took inside don't have them. The shots were the last two on the roll, I was finishing it up so I could develop it. It was my first roll through the camera and was only a "test" roll to check for problems and light leaks...

Here are shots taken inside and the ones with the speckles taken outside. These are scans of the negatives BTW, I had them done at a local pro lab since I don't have scanner.

Outside

Outside

Inside

Inside

Actually after looking at the first inside scan closer there are some of the spots on it too. I am at a loss, I guess I will have to shoot another test roll to see what happens.

 

[Dwig]

...I have taken the camera in a completely dark room and shined a light in the bellows but cannot see any leaks whatsoever....

Did you examine it very, very carefully while collapsing and un-collapsing the camera? The pinholes may not reveal themselves when the bellows are extended, opening only when the pleats are tightly folded.

 

[newsgrunt]

No experience with bellows on folders but when I had a bellows leak on my Wista 4x5, I would get soft edged leaks that look ed like flare. Can't imagine bellows pinholes would give you tight, sharp spots like yours.

What film were you using ? I'd be inclined to say film defect.

 

[FallisPhoto]

Just got this scan back, looks like I have pinhole light leaks in the bellows of my Bessa I, but cannot find them for the life of me. I have taken the camera in a completely dark room and shined a light in the bellows but cannot see any leaks whatsoever. Thanks for any help.

Those are not light leaks. Spots from light leaks have fuzzy, ill-defined edges. If you look very closely at the little white dots, you will notice that each one has a dark border. See them? I think there are two possibilities here, and the first one mentioned is the most likely. White spots with dark edges is what typically happens when your film is wet and has beads of moisture on it when you are shooting photos. Did you take it out of the freezer and put it right into the camera in a location with warm moist air? Were you going inside a warm moist house and outside and back with it in cold weather, in conditions where condensation can form on the film? Did the film somehow get wet? Something similar can happen if you use a powdered developer and don't mix it until it is completely dissolved before using it.