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Stefano Ricciardi
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, February 23, 2004 - 02:07 am: | 
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Hi everybody,
I have a problem with my Nikon FG-20, which I think it might be caused by light leaking.
You can see a sample photo at the following link (400KB): http://xoomer.virgilio.it/sterioma/Temp/Temp.html
I have checked the negative, the black spot goes all the way from the frame limit to the film edge.
These are the notes I kept when taking this shot:
- Camera: Nikon FG-20 (buy used on Ebay 6 months ago)
- Lens: Nikkor 50 f/2 AI
- Exposure: 1/250s @ f/16
- Filters: Hoya HMC UV + Hoya Linear Polarizer (stacked)
- Film: Fuji Superia 400
I think I was using the lens hood, but I am not 100% sure.
Other pictures from this and other rolls present similar spots (usually around one or both upper corners).
Any idea? |
Jon Goodman
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, February 23, 2004 - 08:09 am: |
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Buon giorno, Stefano! Yes, you have a light leak. For only $6 + 80 cents postage, I can send you the seal you need to fix it. (if you live in Italy...in America, I charge no shipping) To see the kit, please go to E-Bay and search "by seller". Enter my ID...Interslice.
When looking at light leaks, please remember one important thing: the image you see on the developed picture was upside down when it was projected onto the film. So, a spot in the upper right hand corner really means the camera was leaking at the lower left hand side. A line across the bottom of a picture means the camera was leaking at the top. Also, please remember a leak at the hinge end will pollute film after the picture has been taken, a leak at the latch end will pollute film before the picture has been taken, and a leak along the upper or lower film door edge can pollute film either before and/or after a picture has been taken. It does not take a large leak to ruin a picture. Hope this helps.
Jon |
Charles Fallis
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, February 23, 2004 - 06:51 pm: |
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uh...Jon, I don't have the .html version this guy is using, and so I can't look at his photo, but does this apply much to light leaks? The lens projects an image upside down and backwards, but aren't light leaks usually around the door in the back of the camera? |
M. Currie
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, February 23, 2004 - 07:29 pm: |
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"The lens projects an image upside down and backwards, but aren't light leaks usually around the door in the back of the camera?"
Since we must turn the film upside down to view it correctly, the original source of the leaks will also be reversed. |
Stefano Ricciardi
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, February 24, 2004 - 04:57 am: |
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Jon,
thanks for your suggestions.
I have a question, though: how can I be 100% positive that the leaking is caused by the foaming, and not, say, by some deformation of the back of the camera? Is there any (visual) test that I can perform to identify the cause?
Thanks again! |
Jon Goodman
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, February 24, 2004 - 07:40 am: |
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Hi, Stefano.
Light leaks can also be from mechanical reasons, yes. Usually the film door will leak if it has been bent, and you can see this by studying how it sits in the channel. If it forms a bow in the middle, maybe somebody tried to close it while something was stuck in it and they forced it. Who knows? One person told me he bent his door loading the camera at night. A pull cord from his jacket got stuck between the door and body and he kept trying to close it by pushing harder. It should sit straight across the back. At the hinge end, it is important not to use a material that is much too thick or too dense or both...geometrically speaking, this is the easiest part of the camera to bend (by forcing a material that is too thick to act as a light seal), and the first part that is likely to show leak problems. At the latch end, I have noticed some Yashicas (principally Electro 35 models) and a Minolta or two where the latch end does not engage and pull fully into place. To remedy this, you must remove the interior sliding latch plate and bend the tang inward slightly. A defective latch plate will also prevent the film door from sealing at the ends of the long thin slots...they won't quite pull in far enough, either. From the looks of the picture you showed us, I would say your leak is occurring at the latch side, and toward the bottom of it. Normally one would expect the worst leaks to come at the top of the camera, and they often do, but a leak anywhere in a camera will ruin pictures. At the latch end, things change from a seal standpoint. Many cameras use a simple ledge on which sits a small strip of foam. Some use no latch seal at all, but rely on an overlapping labyrinth to stop light leaks, others use a fabric strip that slides between the two surfaces as they are closed, and a few use a combination of both. On your camera, here is what I would do. Look at the latch end first...see if it pulls in far enough when it closes. Can you push it in further? How much? Second...see if there was originally any seal material used there. If so, what was it and how was it designed? Was it foam or fabric? I'm sure we can solve the riddle. Please let us know.
Jon |
Haig Hovaness
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, March 05, 2004 - 09:06 pm: |
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It is probably the light seal on the side of the body at the hinge part of the back door that is leaking. Before you get into the messy business of scraping off the old seal and fitting a replacement, try cutting a strip of black electrical tape to the right shape and putting it over the seal in the hinge area. This may do the trick. If not, you have got to do it the hard way. |
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