David Bulger wrote:
> A recent batch of prints came back with a faint red stripe on the prints,
> running across the long dimension of the frame about 1/3 of the way up from
> the bottom.
> Does this sound like fogging due to a light leak in the body or a pressure
> mark of some sort? I'm leaning towards fogging as the stripe is fainter or
> non-existent in some frames and very evident in others (indicating how much
> time the frame spent outside of the film canister) but can't quite figure
> out how it would only be a stripe 1/3 of the way up from the bottom.
>
If the mark is a thin line that's perfectly horizontal and always in the same
place, even if it fades in and out, something is scratching your film. I've
never seen a light leak that resulted in a narrow line of any sort -- they're
always fuzzy and diffused.
Check both sides of the negatives very closely -- you can see scratched emulsion
fairly easily but check the shiny (base) side of the negatives, too. Look at
the light relfected off the base side for the scratch as well. Nothing in the
camera should ever touch the emulsion except the film rails, and the only thing
in the camera that touches the base of the film is the pressure plate. If the
mark is on the base (shiny) side of the film, the pressure plate is probably
dirty.
I'd start by scrubbing the pressure plate with lens tissue damp with alcohol or
acetone (fingernail polish remover). Be careful not to get any on the sprocket
or take-up -- acetone will mark them! Then you can check for scratches by
taking a fresh roll of film (any cheap, out-of-date roll will do), loading it
into the camera, then winding and firing several frames. Rewind the film,
leaving the leader out of the cassette. Remove the film and pull the leader out
a few inches. If you look closely at the same place where your other rolls have
been scratched, you should be able to see the line.
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