What went wrong w/ this image?

[Bill58]

I took this w/ my Nikon F2. Several came out this way w/ varying amounts of black at the top on one roll, but some had none. Anybody got any ideas?


Seoul Color Scan 2013-1 007 by wrs111445, on Flickr

 

[Chris101]

Looks like the mirror is getting hung up on something and not flipping all the way up on some exposures. I would inspect the mirror box for a bit of foam coming loose.

 

[Chris101]

Rethinking ... look at the BOTTOM of the mirror box.

 

[Pablito]

was this developed in a tank?

 

[nikon_sam]

If it's hit or miss on the same roll then it's mechanical...my first thought is the mirror not getting out of the way in time...try slower shutter speeds then as fast as you can go with proper exposure...record all your setting and see if there's a pattern...

 

[Chris101]

If it's hit or miss on the same roll then it's mechanical...my first thought is the mirror not getting out of the way in time...try slower shutter speeds then as fast as you can go with proper exposure...record all your setting and see if there's a pattern...

That's what I thought, but it's at the top of the picture. Therefore at the bottom of the projected image that hits the film. Am I thinking this correctly? Or is the camera being held upside down?

 

[George Bonanno]

Sticky mirror...

Sticky mirror...

Maybe it's a South Korean thing. Try it out of country and report back.

 

[nikon_sam]

I had to look at the shutter of my F2...so, I may have to rethink my last post...shutter curtains run horizontally...it's possible that it could still be a slow/sticking mirror...
I'll still say try different shutter speeds...the frames with longer shutter speeds may not show this problem as bad as a faster shutter speed would...

 

[Bill58]

Many thanks, guys. That was my suspicion too.

 

[John Hermanson]

Image when it strikes the film is upside down, so problem is at the bottom of the frame. Open back, remove lens, fire shutter on B multiple times or fire at 1 second or half second. look through back as you do it and see if anything falls in the way. John

 

[Dwig]

Step #1 with an issue like this is ALWAYS to check the film's edge print.

Obvious points:

• It is not a mirror problem unless you were holding the camera upside down.
• It is not a shutter curtain problem as the F2's shutter runs horizontally.

If it was tank development, it could be that there was an insufficient quantity of chemicals in the tank and the film wasn't covered completely. If it was a continuous feed machine it still could be a processing fault, though less likely. A check of the film's edge print will provide evidence. If it is present on the edge on the side where the image is missing then it is not a development problem. If the edge print is missing then there was a processing problem.

If the edge print is fine it then called for hecking the body for an obstruction along the bottom of the mirror box.

 

[DNG]

Yup, Mirror stickiing most likely

Remember, in ALL cameras.... the image is recorded upside down....
The Pentaprism is added to flip it upright, so you can view it right side up...

Look through a Waist Level, or on a Ground Glass.... the image is upside down.

Digital Cameras flip the image with software, that use EVF and LCDs as your viewing aid.

Should be a cheap repair.

 

[ronnies]

Yup, Mirror stickiing most likely

No. As has already been pointed out a sticky mirror would block the bottom of the image.

Ronnie

 

[bobbyrab]

I take it you don't wear a baseball cap with a large skip?