Re: [Leica] iiif + elmar 50, 3.5 + delta 400 = !

["Henning J. Wulff" <henningw@archiphoto.com>]

At 4:42 PM -0800 9/10/99, Guy Bennett wrote:
>lug- and other nuts,
>
>just got back the proofs of the first roll of film (delta 400) taken with
>my 'new' iiif + elmar 50/3.5. first impressions: the elmar is a fantastic
>lens! it's sharp, but seems to be less 'clinical' than the current
>summicron i use on my m6; the 'bokeh' with the latter lens when shot wide
>open is definitely more pronounced, more 'poetic,' however, and really
>makes a portrait pop against the soft blur of the background. for the most
>part, i had no trouble with exposure: for the majority of shots, i metered
>off my m6 as i wanted to make sure shutter speeds were on - which they
>certainly seem to be. only in a couple of cases, when i had to shoot at 100
>instead of 125 or at 25 instead of 30, did shots seem slightly over
>exposed.
>
>that said, i did experience one problem: on some seven or eight shots,
>there are what appear to be streaks running horizontally across the frame,
>as if the film were being wound over something, or as if a roller were
>being rolled over the film. in those shots, there are a series of visible
>horizontal lines that seem to run in groups, like a musical staff, across
>the picture. they are visible, both on the proof and in the negs,but arenot
>so pronounced as to obscure the image completely. obviously, however, they
>are unacceptable and i'd like to get rid of them.
>
>when i looked over the notes i took when making those pictures, i noticed
>that all of the shots in question were taken out of doors at either 1/500
>or 1/1000. none of the other images, shot at slower shutter speeds, were
>affected. does any one have any idea what this might be? could it be
>possible that the shutter curtain is making contact with the film as it
>opens and shuts? i can't imagine what else it might be since frames right
>next to the streaked ones are totally clean, no lines whatsoever. i suppose
>that if had something to do with the film being advanced, or what-have-you,
>those lines would appear over more of the shots, or, if not, at least not
>only over those shot at 1/500 and 1/1000.
>
>has anyone else experienced this problem? thanks in advance for any
>ideas/suggestions/solutions you may have.

Sounds like you have uneven edges on your shutter curtains. If they are not
straight and smooth, you will get uneven exposures at the highest speeds.
Dirt or worn bits can be the culprits. If the streaks are dark in
negatives, it means there are worn bits in the edges of the curtains; if
they are lighter, then  dirt is attached to the edges and projects into the
image forming space.

   *            Henning J. Wulff
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