Film exposure issue?

theSixtyEight · 06-20-2015, 02:06 AM

Hey guys, I just started to do some film photography and I have this problem shown on picture. Either my frames come out complete dark or complete transparent,
Could oyu please explain to me whats the cause of this? Light leaks, bad shutter, or both?
Thank you!

**mattt** · 06-20-2015, 02:39 AM

What camera? Do you keep a notebook annotating exposure info?

theSixtyEight · 06-20-2015, 02:52 AM

Camera is Pentax Me SUPER, I shoot with automode only.

**seventhdr** · 06-20-2015, 03:53 AM

Originally posted by theSixtyEight

Hey guys, I just started to do some film photography and I have this problem shown on picture. Either my frames come out complete dark or complete transparent,
Could oyu please explain to me whats the cause of this? Light leaks, bad shutter, or both?
Thank you!

The ones that appear dark on the negative are over exposed. They have received too much light.

The ones that appear light on the negative are under exposed. They have received too little light.

The fact that the ones that are either too dark or too light show no other details indicates that they are grossly over or under exposed.

Try using the ME Super on Auto and see what the shutter speed is. Then switch to Manual, leave the aperture on the lens the same, and adjust the up and down buttons till neither the over nor under light are lit. The shutter speed value should be the same.

If not, there may be problem with the Auto exposure system.

Also try using the camera on manual to see how the exposures come out.

Also listen to the sound of the shutter. Listen to whether it is sounding too long or too short relative to the indicated shutter speed.

Regards

Chris

theSixtyEight · 06-20-2015, 04:15 AM

@seventhdr thank you!
I checked the auto-> manual settings and it shows/suggests same shutter speeds in manual as in auto mode.
Can it be problem with shutter? (shutter not responding to electronics very well)

**mattt** · 06-20-2015, 05:51 AM

As a newb film user there is a couple other possibilities. Is the aperture on the mounted lens snappy? If it is oily / slow it can cause over exposure for frames that had small apertures.
Is there a possibility the blank frames are fired of with a cap on in your bag? (hate it when that happens)

Painter · 06-20-2015, 07:07 AM

Before you load more film try opening the back of the camera and firing off a few frames while watching the shutter and aperture action. The lens should stop down and the shutter should open and close snappily. You may need to try this with some slower shutter speeds to be able to discern if it's behaving as it should.

theSixtyEight · 06-21-2015, 03:31 AM

@matt its not possible for it to shoot while in bag (i dont even use lens cap), lens aperture is snappy so I guess that wont be a problem here
@painter I tried this many times eveerything seems to work (to me) shutter opens always so I can see light coming through it

Painter · 06-28-2015, 09:06 AM

Originally posted by theSixtyEight

@matt its not possible for it to shoot while in bag (i dont even use lens cap), lens aperture is snappy so I guess that wont be a problem here
@painter I tried this many times eveerything seems to work (to me) shutter opens always so I can see light coming through it

But is the aperture changing at the time you trip the shutter? Is this happening with more than one lens?

theSixtyEight · 06-29-2015, 12:48 AM

:O Aperture changes aswell while shutter is being released?

06-20-2015, 02:06 AM	#1
theSixtyEight New Member Join Date: Jun 2015 Posts: 8	Film exposure issue? Hey guys, I just started to do some film photography and I have this problem shown on picture. Either my frames come out complete dark or complete transparent, Could oyu please explain to me whats the cause of this? Light leaks, bad shutter, or both? Thank you!

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06-20-2015, 02:39 AM	#2
mattt Site Supporter Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Niagara Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 3,907	What camera? Do you keep a notebook annotating exposure info?

06-20-2015, 02:52 AM	#3
theSixtyEight New Member Join Date: Jun 2015 Posts: 8 Original Poster	Camera is Pentax Me SUPER, I shoot with automode only.

06-20-2015, 03:53 AM	#4
seventhdr Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Christchurch, New Zealand Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,452	Originally posted by theSixtyEight Hey guys, I just started to do some film photography and I have this problem shown on picture. Either my frames come out complete dark or complete transparent, Could oyu please explain to me whats the cause of this? Light leaks, bad shutter, or both? Thank you! The ones that appear dark on the negative are over exposed. They have received too much light. The ones that appear light on the negative are under exposed. They have received too little light. The fact that the ones that are either too dark or too light show no other details indicates that they are grossly over or under exposed. Try using the ME Super on Auto and see what the shutter speed is. Then switch to Manual, leave the aperture on the lens the same, and adjust the up and down buttons till neither the over nor under light are lit. The shutter speed value should be the same. If not, there may be problem with the Auto exposure system. Also try using the camera on manual to see how the exposures come out. Also listen to the sound of the shutter. Listen to whether it is sounding too long or too short relative to the indicated shutter speed. Regards Chris

06-20-2015, 04:15 AM	#5
theSixtyEight New Member Join Date: Jun 2015 Posts: 8 Original Poster	@seventhdr thank you! I checked the auto-> manual settings and it shows/suggests same shutter speeds in manual as in auto mode. Can it be problem with shutter? (shutter not responding to electronics very well)

06-20-2015, 05:51 AM	#6
mattt Site Supporter Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Niagara Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 3,907	As a newb film user there is a couple other possibilities. Is the aperture on the mounted lens snappy? If it is oily / slow it can cause over exposure for frames that had small apertures. Is there a possibility the blank frames are fired of with a cap on in your bag? (hate it when that happens)

06-20-2015, 07:07 AM	#7
Painter Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Canada Photos: Gallery Posts: 348	Before you load more film try opening the back of the camera and firing off a few frames while watching the shutter and aperture action. The lens should stop down and the shutter should open and close snappily. You may need to try this with some slower shutter speeds to be able to discern if it's behaving as it should.

06-21-2015, 03:31 AM	#8
theSixtyEight New Member Join Date: Jun 2015 Posts: 8 Original Poster	@matt its not possible for it to shoot while in bag (i dont even use lens cap), lens aperture is snappy so I guess that wont be a problem here @painter I tried this many times eveerything seems to work (to me) shutter opens always so I can see light coming through it

06-28-2015, 09:06 AM	#9
Painter Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Canada Photos: Gallery Posts: 348	Originally posted by theSixtyEight @matt its not possible for it to shoot while in bag (i dont even use lens cap), lens aperture is snappy so I guess that wont be a problem here @painter I tried this many times eveerything seems to work (to me) shutter opens always so I can see light coming through it But is the aperture changing at the time you trip the shutter? Is this happening with more than one lens?

06-29-2015, 12:48 AM	#10
theSixtyEight New Member Join Date: Jun 2015 Posts: 8 Original Poster	:O Aperture changes aswell while shutter is being released?