Nikkor SW 120 mm flare or am I missing something?

[mircea nicolae]

Hello,


I just developed two shots I made with my new 120 mm Nikkor SW.

The images show what I believe to be significant flaring.

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At first I thought there might have been something wrong with the chemicals during development.
Then I noticed how geometrically well-defined the image burning is in the first image and I concluded it has to be some sort of flare.

I was taking these two shots with the sun almost directly at my back, towards the right side.
Also, I was using wide angle bellows.

I read some posts on the forum talking about flare caused by having the sun behind you while using a large format lens.
Is this what happened to these images?
If so, what should I do to remove the flare?

I checked the bellows with a lamp in the dark, and they seem to be light tight.
Also, the whole setup seems to have no leaks whatsoever.

I was not using any sort of hood while taking the shots.
The second photo has a smaller amount of flare.
I guess this is because the back was shifted 6 cm to the left, decreasing the amount of exposure.

On the lower edge of the image there is no flare.
This might be caused by the fact that I was using some rise on these images, and the flare hit one of the inner frames of the back, causing some shadow.

Have any of you experienced something like this?

What did you do to remove the problem?


Thanks.

[Bob Salomon]

Use a proper compendium.

[vinny]

If the sun was hitting the back of the camera, there's no way the lack of a hood would cause this much flare. Could be an improperly seated holder too. I've had it happen. Are you processing in a jobo expert tank?

[Jim Becia]

That is not lens flare. And the distinct line at the bottom is not from too much rise, it would not be that distinct. My guess is that this is some type of fogging, but not sure from where it comes. That line has me thinking it might be something with loading or unloading your film, or something with your development procedure.

[Nathan Potter]

I concur with Jim. Lens flare does not show as such a distinct straight line/s. More likely processing or light leak phenomena incurred somewhere along the image taking/processing path.

You'll need a systematic trouble shooting effort to locate a culprit. You checked for bellows pinholes but how about the lens board seating properly?

Nate Potter, Austin TX.

[Gem Singer]

It doesn't look like lens flare. No type of lens shade can correct the problem.

Having used a Nikon 120SW for many years, I would look for a light leak around the lens board.

That particular lens has a huge rear element. It could be displacing the lens board, especially when you use front rise.

Remove the back of the camera, put a strong light in front, and look for a light leak.

[Andrew]

processing problem... ?

[Daniel Stone]

I'm guessing a light leak during processing, exposure, loading or unloading, or a pinhole in the bellows(and a rather large one at that)


-Dan

[Kirk Gittings]

It doesn't look like lens flare. No type of lens shade can correct the problem.

Having used a Nikon 120SW for many years, I would look for a light leak around the lens board.

That particular lens has a huge rear element. It could be displacing the lens board, especially when you use front rise.

Remove the back of the camera, put a strong light in front, and look for a light leak.

ditto

[pierre506]

I don't believe there were the flaring due to the shadows' direction.
Please check your camera and holders.

[Bernice Loui]

+1

On the light leak. Check the holders, bellows, standards to bellows connection, at the film back and anywhere else light can enter the camera.

Quick camera check would be to set up the camera, remove the front lens board, darken the room and shine a small flash light inside the bellows moving it all around inside then look very carefully for light popping out of the camera bellows or any where else.


Bernice

[mircea nicolae]

@ vinny

I am using a Jobo 3010 tank.



@ jim becia

Loading or unloading of film might be responsible for this, I'll have to try again and see what happens.


@ nathan potter

I tried to spot some lens board problem after reading your post. It seems unlikely, there was no light leaking when I looked at it.
Also, the lens is stiff in its screw, so it could not have moved / unscrewed due to rise, as someone else suggested.


It seems indeed that I will have to take the shot again and try to see what happens.




Thank you all for your input.

[john_6267]

You may have already re-shot your image with better luck.

One thing I noticed with my present set-up is when shooting in brighter light rather than around sunset, it is best to remove the darkslide cover the darkslide opening by shadowing with the dark slide or quickly and carefully cover the camera with the focusing cloth then make the exposure after only a few seconds altogether.

My previous style was to remove the dark slide and then wait for the perfect moment even if it were a few minutes later. This apparently increased the risk of light leaks with my present camera.