Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1997/08/24

[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]

Subject: Re: A question
From: Colin <colinmi@fast.net>
Date: Sun, 24 Aug 1997 23:39:24 -0600

Gary J Toop wrote:
> 
>         Hey group!
>         I have a feeling that someone out there can probably help me to
> diagnose an intermittent problem with my (beloved) M-3, which has been
> spoiling a certain number of shots.  What is does is to leave a horizontal
> band of over-exposed film near but not up to the  top the frame.  Usually
> the band is slightly wider at the left end of the final print than the
> right and the amount of over-exposure across the band is not even but
> increases as you move towards the top of the frame.  The amound of
> over-exposure varies from being barely visible to being enough to
> seriously obsure the image.
>         Does anyone  have any ideas?  At first I thought that it might be
> due to the curtain notsweeping the picture evenly, but that doesn't
> seem consistent with the fact that there  is always correctly exposed film
> on both sides of the band.
> 
> Gary

Gary,

A horizontal overexposed band sounds rather strange in a camera with a
horizontally running shutter.  Are you sure it couldn't be a light leak?
A large hole in the second curtain is a very long shot I suppose,
assuming it is your practice to cock the shutter immediately after each
shot.  It sounds to me more like flair or a leak.

Good luck,

COlin