Is this a light leak, or dodgy development?

TheTimeChamber

TheTimeChamber

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All the other films shot at the same time came out perfect, but this roll of B&W came out weird. Every frame is like this, so I do not know what caused it. I don't think it is a light leak as the is a smear in the middle of the frame...

I think it is either an incorrectly loaded film, a light leak or something was up with it being developed...


What caused this? by Sectionate, on Flickr
 
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I'm inclined to agree with you about it not being a light leak, for the same reason, that bright patch just right of centre. I think its a developing issue, but I'm fully prepared, indeed expecting, to be corrected :)
 
I've had similar marks in the middle of frames from a bit of water on the lens.

If the central mark is in the same place on every frame then it's unlikely to be a dev issue as the fluid movement is too random to give repeating patterns like that.
That only leaves a light leak, can you upload a picture of the negative itself?
 
robhooley167 said:
I've had similar marks in the middle of frames from a bit of water on the lens.

If the central mark is in the same place on every frame then it's unlikely to be a dev issue as the fluid movement is too random to give repeating patterns like that.
That only leaves a light leak, can you upload a picture of the negative itself?
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Oops, didn't read that bit :S
 
robhooley167 said:
I've had similar marks in the middle of frames from a bit of water on the lens.

If the central mark is in the same place on every frame then it's unlikely to be a dev issue as the fluid movement is too random to give repeating patterns like that.
That only leaves a light leak, can you upload a picture of the negative itself?
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I will upload a few more in the morning, they'll show that the patterns are totally random. I'll try and take a photo of the negative.

Here is another one from the roll. you can see a similar pattern not he right hand side, but no central mark. I don't think it is a light leak, as it doesn't match up to a previous light leak I have had with another camera...

IBuZ2DXjjN8x2RbqvZV3wK3H9zpWoxPRs1r0S0cNPpc
 
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The edge marks look like a light leak to me. Either in camera, when the film was being rolled up or in dev.

I'm not so sure about the other mark though...
 
It could be a light leak and another completely separate problem. The edge fogging is very likely to be light leakage though - what camera and film format is this?
 
I do not know what this could be,but,there is a similar effect in show us your film shots thread page 283 post 11293, horse rider head.
May be the same or not. o_O
 
dev issue was my first thought .the light area ( circle ) to the right would have had the developer on it longer than the darker part of the neg ,and has had a chance to build up the density for longer ,,the light areas to the left and right of the frame would have been in the middle of the frame rather than along the outside edge ,,so i wouldnt have thought light leak for that .

sorry ignore that i was having a horizontal transport moment :confused:
 
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I think i will bung another roll through the camera over the weekend and see if the same thing happens again. I am also going to have a look at the camera tonight as I have read that the Yashica's are known to leak there oil onto the back surface of the lens...
 
The edges deffo look like light leak and is probably from storage post exposure as it is on both side of the frame. As for the middle bit, I am stumped but it is a rather interesting conundrum!
 
If it is on all the frames then it is likely to be a camera light leak I think. Light leaks at loading, unloading and storage are more likely to be over the first few frames. The other possibility is uneven development of the edges if you are using a technique that doesn't give much agitation.
 
It's 120, it could be a light leak because the roll wasn't adequately tight before being taken out of the camera rather than a light leak in-camera. 120 can be quite prone to unfurling sometimes, important to make sure it is wound tight.
 
freecom2 said:
It's 120, it could be a light leak because the roll wasn't adequately tight before being taken out of the camera rather than a light leak in-camera. 120 can be quite prone to unfurling sometimes, important to make sure it is wound tight.
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Interesting, I have always wound them tight, but never thought it could be the problem...The frame posted is the last frame on the roll, which could explain the extra 'over developed' patch
 
Sectionate said:
Interesting, I have always wound them tight, but never thought it could be the problem...The frame posted is the last frame on the roll, which could explain the extra 'over developed' patch
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Even when you wind them tight, they sometimes can be susceptible to light edge fogging due to storage, due to slow unwinding whilst waiting for development, or if there was a slight amount of light exposure whilst the roll was being prepped for development (did you develop these yourself?).
 
Sectionate said:
Interesting, I have always wound them tight, but never thought it could be the problem...The frame posted is the last frame on the roll, which could explain the extra 'over developed' patch
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Yeah, not only do you need to be careful about how tightly you wind and handle your rolls of 120, but you have to hope that your lab is careful as well.

One lab I used to use for developing my C-41 would always have problems with the very last frame on any rolls from my old GA645. I ended up fixing the problem by switching labs... and then ditching the GA645. ;)
 
I have a plan to burn a test roll today and have it developed over the weekend and see what is what.

I am hoping it was just an iffy roll and not the camera :(
 
That's a real puzzle, as you have got pieces of conflicting evidence. On the negatives there is hardly any evidence of fogging in the gap between the frames, suggesting that it's not a loosely wound film on the take up spool fogged after after removing from the camera. I say hardly as there is just the one bit between the frames (second picture, top row). If I had to guess, I'd say that it was as a result of badly mixed developer, resulting in wildly different concentrations. I wouldn't bet my house on it though.
 
Ran a test roll through and managed to get it developed in 20 minutes at my local Snappy Snaps (shout to the Surbiton Branch), and there isn't sign of light leakage.

I am going to either put it down to the lab, or something I did when loading, or unloading the film.
 
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That sounds like good news Nick ..... Obviously time will tell but to run a full roll through with no signs of the same problem sounds like it's not a camera issue imo
 
In the roll with fogging, were they taken in a sunny environment? I had a Hassy back with bad seals, but I had no idea the seals were bad until I shot a roll in bright sunshine - before then, it had always been typical UK weather so there was never enough bright light to fog the roll!
 
It was very sunny conditions, but then 5 other rolls were shot in it. And they didn't have any fogging...

Edit - the last three shots where in UK overcast weather, and they fogged too (unless the sunny conditions affected the roll somehow, or the airport x-ray...)
 
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Could be a bit of haze added to the mix?

The pink mark on the film does suggest something has gone awry in the devving, probably insufficient fixing.
Then again, there are a lot of variables in this...
 
so is this a happy ending ? i like happy endings :)
 
It is certainly a development fault. Probably a problem with their machine.... causing very uneven development.
The one piece of fogging in the sky looks like an internal reflection into the next frame, Perhaps sun in the shot..

You have another problem that is with the camera, as the gaps between the frames are uneven which is usually a sign of wear. but at least they are not overlapping so it should not be a problem..
 
Terrywoodenpic said:
It is certainly a development fault. Probably a problem with their machine.... causing very uneven development.
The one piece of fogging in the sky looks like an internal reflection into the next frame, Perhaps sun in the shot..

You have another problem that is with the camera, as the gaps between the frames are uneven which is usually a sign of wear. but at least they are not overlapping so it should not be a problem..
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Cheers. There is some wear on the camera as I have had one roll come back that was overlapped slightly. I put that down to not loading the film right.
 
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