Seeking Light Leak Advice

[andrew vincent]

Light Leak on a grafmatic - identical leak on first two images shot. Can anyone who's had this before diagnose it from the image? The film isn't fogged over the surface at all, it's just a tiny bit at septum notch side.

[robert fallis]

looks like the film holders not seated properly, check there's no grit or dirt in it and that the holder is seated properly in the camera back.

bob

[Hiro]

Although you may have noticed if either was the case...

#2 The magazine was not pushed in all the way after advanceing the film.
#3 Dark slide was pulled out a little in removing the holder.

[andy bessette]

Bad taping on the film holder.

best, andy

THERE'S MORE TO OPTICS THAN MEETS THE EYE

[KenM]

Bad taping on the film holder.

It's a grafmatic, there is no tape on it...

I would agree with the suggestion that the holder isn't seated correctly. What camera are you using? Certain backs (for example, on Cambo/Calumet's) there's a cable release holder on the back that interferes with grafmatics, and pushes them away from the back, causing a light leak (not to mention, substantially shifting the film plane).

[Emil Ems]

Andrew,

If you look at the archives, we had a discussion about this some years ago. My conclusion at that time was, based on my own experience with light leaks, the following:

Since this happened to me only, when the sun was shining on the part of the Grafmatic where the handle is, the reason most probably lies in an unsufficient light buffer at that end. Light enters there, when drawing the magazine out for getting the next septum ready, bounces along the darkslide and reenters the cartrige on the opposite side. If done repeatedly on the same site, the first film will have received the most exposure and be the most fogged, albeit only locally at that end.

Let's hear your best guesses, friends. Maybe we can now arrive at the best explanation.

[Louie Powell]

Has this grafmatic worked correctly on this camera before?

There is a thin strip that aligns a film holder to the back of the camera. In modern cameras, the ridge protrudes from the film holder, and fits into a groove in the camera back. I have a very vague recollection that older cameras had this reversed - the protrusion was on the camera and the groove was in the holder. If this was your first experience in using this graphlex back on your camera, is it possible that you have a generational mix that results in the holder sitting slightly proud of the camera back surface?

[andrew vincent]

Thanks for everyone's helpful comments. Emil, I did look up that older thread before posting here, and this was taken in bright light. It was actually my first two shots with this grafmatic (any grafmatic, for that matter) I've always been spoiled and used the Fuji Quickloads, which have never had a problem. I have yet to do more tests, since I've been too busy, and since the two grafmatics I juse purchased seem to be in good shape, I'm thinking I probably just seated them incorrectly, or pulled too hard on something. I'm using a very late model Super Technika V from around 1976, when the started making the Masters and crossed over for a year or two. The grafmatic fits very well inside - more solidly than the quickload, I feel - and since the Technika's light traps are all good and the bond seems very good, I'm thinking it was something that occurred when I was pulling out / pushing in the dark slide or advancing the film mechanism. Something like what happened to Emil, perhaps.