6x17 film exposure issue

[swmcl]

Hi,

I have just received a roll of film back from being processed and it has a strip right through the centre that is maximally exposed. It is a completely clear section on the Velvia.

It came out of a Shen Hao 6x17 holder and it looks to me as though I've left the little window at the back (for viewing the frame number) open at some stage. 3 of 4 photos are completely ruined.

I can't understand how this has happened. If I had loaded the film with the paper to the lens I'd get no images ... Its got me beat. I wonder if shooting with the dark slide out has anything to do with it ...

Obviously, I'd like to not repeat this !

Can someone please let me know what I did wrong ?

Much appreciated.

Steve

[Lachlan 717]

Hi, Steve.

Have you checked the film against the holes? Don't forget that the film needs to go in upside down...

You mention 3 of 4 images were ruined, so I'm guessing the film wasn't 220. You also wouldn't have had numbers to go by without backing paper...

Was the non-ruined shot taken when the other 3 were?

Can you post a shot of the images?

[swmcl]

G'Day Lachlan,

Yes all 4 photos taken somewhere west of Hobart.

Not 220 but 120.

Piece of strip shown in attachment. The lit part goes all the way to the end.

I hope I'm not inventing a new way to stuff things up !!

Cheers,

[swmcl]

Oh, there are 4 images on the strip ...

3 have that comet trail.

Its as though I took the first photo then in shots 2, 3 and 4 I left the little window open whilst winding the film on. BUT that's what you have to do to read the numbers !

6 rolls went through the film holder and only this one has this issue.

I am stumped.

[Lachlan 717]

Got me buggered!!

Got to be due to the rear window, but I can't explain it. The inconsistancy of the issue is where I get lost.

I can't tell what the image was. Could you have been taking night shots and shining a torch into the film window as you wound on?

[Cesar Barreto]

Hi, Steve.

Maybe you have some light coming from the side of back, if it isn't closing as it should.
I had a similar problem with a Da Yi panoramic camera after dropping it in the ground and it was an easy fix, since you can open the whole thing with screwdriver.

[swmcl]

No not night shot. Just a forest scene in mid morning light. The scan wasnt done with the transparency light working.

It must be something to do with the little window but ... how?! It is not just an overexposed strip either. There is absolutely no evidence of any image at all in the 'comet trail' it is so thoroughly exposed.

The 4 shots are of a reasonable exposure - away from the 'comet trail'.

Anyway, perhaps a little more observance of my technique in the field will sort it out. I'm very glad it didn't happen with the other rolls !!

Rgds,

Steve

[Lachlan 717]

As I said, got me buggered.

I'm sure that it's a window issue, but how this could be, I have no idea.

Does it line up with the 617 window? My film back has one slide for all 3 windows (612, 615 and 617), confusing things some more...

[john wood]

This is a stretch, but is there a tiny LED light on the inside that illuminates the paper when you open the window? And did the red plastic that is meant to minimize harm from that light still in place? In other 617's there's often a small light that flicks on when you open the window, then shuts off when you close...
In your image, as Lachlan notes, it's clearly the window, as there is a string of circles burnt in. Hmm...did you use a little pen light to view the window after the 1st image? This one's a puzzler...but not a fun one.

[swmcl]

It lines up pretty well with the window. One window one format. I have a different film holder for the 6x12 and 6x9.

Hi John, absolutely no LEDs or power on this baby ! This is one very agricultural piece of Chinese machinery.

I have a poor memory of the event but I think I must have loaded it in the dark tent the wrong way round and was winding for some time before I realised I wasn't seeing numbers (it isn't that easy to see them), taken it out, reloaded, then shot all 4 exposures anyway.

I do sound a bit vague to be an LF photog but please realise the trip was a 2 week mad dash around Tasmania ... after about a year of not using the equipment.

This is the only explanation I can come up with. I only remember being cross at myself for something and forcing myself to take the photos on a different roll also. It turns out I have 3 reasonable exposures of the same scene.

Oh for an automated camera! My brain and me are incompatible.

[rguinter]

It lines up pretty well with the window. One window one format. I have a different film holder for the 6x12 and 6x9.

Hi John, absolutely no LEDs or power on this baby ! This is one very agricultural piece of Chinese machinery.

I have a poor memory of the event but I think I must have loaded it in the dark tent the wrong way round and was winding for some time before I realised I wasn't seeing numbers (it isn't that easy to see them), taken it out, reloaded, then shot all 4 exposures anyway.

I do sound a bit vague to be an LF photog but please realise the trip was a 2 week mad dash around Tasmania ... after about a year of not using the equipment.

This is the only explanation I can come up with. I only remember being cross at myself for something and forcing myself to take the photos on a different roll also. It turns out I have 3 reasonable exposures of the same scene.

Oh for an automated camera! My brain and me are incompatible.

Steve:

If you accidentally loaded the film upside down and wound for several frames before realizing, I'm wondering how did you rewind the roll in order to start over? Do you recall?

Myself I have one camera that is very quirky and sometimes I fail to reset the counter properly to zero before reloading. Then when I load and start winding I realize my mistake. But these rolls are usually wasted since I've never figured out how to rewind the film successfully and start over. Probably could do it if I was at home with my loading tent but in the field I usually just trash the roll and start over.

So I'm wondering what method you tried to re-roll? Bob G.

[swmcl]

Bob,

The Da Yi film holders are very basic. No film counters to speak of. One would unclip both spools and rewind the original by hand and then re-set into the film holder. It means you have roll film flying everywhere inside the dark tent generally.

The film holder has a rachet to stop rewinding on the take-up spool. That is why you have to completely dismantle the whole thing.

I must have gone into denial about the event because I can't think of how else it must have happened. The trip was quite film-eventful because I was loading in the dark tent which has a great many difficulties (hence the other post about loading). On one occasion it took me 45 mins to load a film because of various stuff ups !

It didn't help to have such an agricultural device either. I have, upon my return, filed away bits and pieces of both roll film holders so that I can load much more successfully.

The camera is still in the shakedown mode and so is the photographer !

Cheers,

Steve