Re: [Leica] Camera or development fault?

["Dan Post" <dwpost@email.msn.com>]

Well, as a Labrat I can suggest that the scratches are due to the fact that
most labs extract the end of the film from the cassette, tape it to a leader
card, and put it in the film loader box of the processor. The processor
pulls the film out of the cassette through the felt lips of the light trap.
If there is any grit whatsoever in the felt, it can scratch the film- right
to the bitter end. I always put my film back into the plastic can when I
finish to keep the felt from picking up trash in the camera bag, pocket, or
purse ( when I can get She Who Must Be Obeyed to carry my exposed film...) I
always suggest to customers to keep their little cans for the same reason,
and if they request extras, I am more than happy to oblige.
I have had scratched rolls, and with our Fuji processor, The felt is the
only logical culprit as our transport and crossover rollers are double
tapered so only the edge of the film contacts any part of the machine.
The light streak like marks between frames, as you say they are, must be
from the camera- it would be well night impossible to get the processor to
mark a customer's film exactly between the frames. If I remember correctly,
it's been 18 years since I sold my M2!, there is no foam for light sealing
like in the 'more modern' SLRs, including the Rs. I would suspect some type
of leak there, but how to pin it down, I'd have to defer to some more
experienced Lugger!
Good luck! The M2 and M3 were (are) really nice cameras- Quiet, discrete,
and relatively easy to get fixed if there is something wrong! I wish you the
best!
dwpost@msn.com