What's Going On With This Picture? M3 Related

[wjlapier]

The last two rolls I shot I'm seeing this brighter area in the middle of the picture. Not all pictures show it--it usually shows up in un-cluttered spaces. I'll have to look at my other negs, but so far I've only seen this after the last two rolls. Again, it's not in all pics--look at the second pic and tell me if you see it in that one too.

I purchased the camera not too long ago and have put maybe 20 rolls through it. I doubt it's been CLA'd in a long time, if ever, so it might be time. It was a ebay purchase in close to mint condition. I did test the shutter speeds with the timer when I first got it and eveything worked just fine.

I develop my own B+W film, but I'm new to it. I'm also wondering if this could be developing related.

Any ideas or thoughts would be appreciated.

Thanx--

 

[xayraa33]

it looks similar to uneven agitation in the development tank.
try a lab processed colour film to narrow it down

 

[SolaresLarrave]

Lens used? I had an old LTM Elmar 90/f4 that flared at the most unexpected moments... and it looked a little like your shots.

I agree with Xayraa... To make sure about your own developing, try some color film processed in a lab and check the negatives.

 

[wjlapier]

Another pic from last week at my son's track meet. I didn't see anything similar in any of those pics.

Interesting thought--I've only developed maybe 15 rolls of film ( three sitting on the shelf awaiting their turn ). I do eveything the same, unless the film is different or if the ISO is different. Everything I do is written down. Would banging the tank on the counter be a factor to cause this? What about a different lens? The first two pics above where shot with the Nikkor 13.5cm. This one is from the DR 'cron.

 

[payasam]

Knocking the tank on the counter is standard practice to dislodge air bubbles.

 

[BillBingham2]

Not knowing anything about the type of reels you are using but just a guess, it might be the antihilation (spelling wrong, sorry) backing on the film. This is there to keep light from bouncing back off the pressure plate in the camera and messing up your pictures. As there is a light spot, this would be dark on the negative. The AH layer comes off in the fixer. If your film is touching itself it the AH layer may not get enough fixer to dissolve completely and looking like a dark spot or area. You might find the film will go bald or blind too, check with your mother for which.

If this is the case, it's easy to fix, just re-fix it for an extra 5 or 7 minutes. Your fixer might be week and cause this too.

I'm not to high on the idea of it being a camera problem. Doesn't look like any I've seen. The idea of flair might not be bad, but my money goes with a souping issue (development problem).

You can take a look at the back of the film and see if there is a haze in the area if the negative, a different color from the better shots.

No, I do not see it at all in the second shot.

Hope this helps.

B2 (;->

 

[wjlapier]

Thanx for all the help. This place is great!

I'll look at the negs again. I didn't use the hood for the 13.5cm as it wants to fall off when shooting through cyclone fencing. But I found another hood that screws in so I'll try that one next time. I'll also run a roll of color through it as well just to have peace of mind.

Oh, I use plastic type reels and tank. The film is easy to load on the reels, but once I think they were touching each other and that roll didn't turn out. I was doing two reels and it spooked me to go back one at a time 🙂 It's odd that it would happen on the last two rolls and at odd places too. So, the flare idea is something I'll have to consider and use the hood next time.

Much appreciated all the thoughts and ideas.

Bill

 

[dave lackey]

Hi, Bill....

Looks like you're enjoying the M3...I am mine!

From the photos posted and looking at the direction of the shadows, it appears to be flare. You may check all of your negs/prints to see if there is a trend of flare based on the angle of the sun but it sure appears to be just that.

Try a hood if you like, or,...get really artsy like I did the last photo shoot and get really GOOD (bad?) flare and enjoy it!😛🙄

take care,

 

[Praxis Unitas]

I found that switching from D76 to highly diluted rodinal eliminated this problem for me. The difference, I think, was caused by: 1) slowing down the chemical reaction, allowing for fewer imperfections from rapid, uneven development 2) better mixing of the chemicals (rodinal is liquid already, D-76 has to be prepared from powder under stringent temperature and mixing controls to dissolve properly in the solution) and 3) always filling the tank to the top to prevent bubbles from forming inside. This is just a guess from a guy whose experience is limited to managing a small chemistry lab for a year (I'm no expert, but I have thought about this before).

Take care and good luck!