RE: Marks on Prints

Hi All,

I have a problem with marks on some (but not all) of my prints.

these first ones were taken about two months ago on my pentax ME super body with the standard pentax 50mm F1.7 lens with a hoya circular poloriser on.






Then loads of other photos in between with no sign of the mark

and then three weeks ago these two






Taken with the same ME super body but with a 28-80 hoya zoom and (i think) a cheap linear poloriser

I have no idea what it is and the photos in between with these lens have been fine (well except for the odd bit of user error !)

Regards
PaulM

I must confess I've never seen anything like this but since you've used two lenses and different filters the fault must lie in the body. Could the transparent orange mark be caused by some foreign body near the focal plane since it is quite sharply defined? Have you checked the integrity of the shutter curtains? I'm whistling in the dark but have you checked the negs? Is it there too?

when dealing with odd problems with film, my system was to start with the most likely culprit....the photofinisher.

are those marks visible on the negatives?
both films from the same lab?
any other damage to the negs?

Hi Guys,

Thanks for the responses.

Gartmore,

I havent checked for anything in the camera body, I will have a look when I get home tonight and report back.

On the first ones of the steps its definatley on the negs, cause I was really dissapointed and I remember checking for it, not sure on the second again I will have a look tonight.

Don,
Not sure if both films where from the same lab I will check out bout yours and Gartmore suggestions and let you know tomorrow

Thanks
Regards
PaulM

Paul, just need some more information to get a notion of the scale of the mark. Are we seeing the full frame in the first two images or is this a crop?

Ken

The pictures are very unsharp and also exhibit signs of lens flare.

Difficult to analyse from these images, but it looks like something is seriously wrong with the camera and/or lens.

The backlighting in the first images won't help the flare either.

Is the lens clean and clear and free of any fungus? Has there been a serious knock that has put the focusing out?

Hi Gartmore

All images are full size I havent cropped them.

Regards
PaulM

Hi John,

The top two images are from a combination of my First camera and lens, since I have had it I dont think I have dropped it, I have had it about 10-15 years, then only new addition was a Hoya poloriser specifically put on for that shot. The unsharpnes of the images could well be down to me not focusing properly as its the same lens, with macro tubes, I used to get the picture of the bees. (https://www.pentaxuser.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=5942)

The thing that confuses me is the lack of consistancy of the mark. The rest of the film was fine with no blemishes / marks on at all?

Regards
PaulM

If it's flare then it will only arise at certain angles to the light. You should be able to see it in the viewfinder if you look carefully and adjust the position of the lens to see whether it changes as you do.

Flare is the result of internal reflections within a lens. Coating reduces but does not always totally eliminate it.

FWIW

Image #1 is very OOF and has a horizontal mark, the foreground is more OOF than the background.

Image #2 is also OOF but trees in middle distance top of frame are sharp but corresponding area at bottom of frame is soft, the mark is vertical in relation to image #1.

Could this be a misaligned lens element and the orange mark is light reflected from the elements edge? Althought I cant really see how this could happen.

Images #3 and #4 are with a different lens and it looks like flare but the light source appears to be behind the camera. Very strange...

Looking at those first two shots, it's interesting that the orange shape is largely horizontal, even though the camera has been moved through 90 degrees. This, I think, would rule out a light leak in the camera, otherwise the shape would be on the same place on the negative, which would mean it would turn 90 degrees when the camera did.

It doesn't look like flare to me, as this tends to be blobs, often showing the aperture shape, rather than a smear like this. It might be a reflection of the front of the lens being bounced off the inside surface of the polariser, but it doesn't look right for that either. Reflections from a filter are here, on the smaller pictures.

So, for me that leaves this: Where you wearing, or was there anything attached to the camera, that had an orange thing on a bit of string?

Can't help but think it looks like something close in front of the lens, especially the second two, as the sunlight could catch such an object just right.

Was the camera on a tripod? Do you look through the viewfinder if it is? Might you stand up and let something orange swing in front of the lens just as you take the shot? That's what the first two make me think of, something swinging across as the shot is taken.

Could well be wrong, but that's my take on it.

Dan

Hi All,

Thanks for you responses.

I had a look at both the lens and the camera body last night.

Both lens look (to my eye anyway) clean and fungus free. The lens used in the first two pics felt free and smooth when I moved the focusing ring and the Iris movement felt positive. Same for the second lens.

The insides of the camera body looked clean and from what I could see there was no marks or bits on the sutters. I have also recently (about 5 months ago) had this body checked serviced and all the light seals replaced.

I looked at the Hoya polorizer I used for the first set of prints and it does look a litle smeary, would that make an orange mark?
The one I used for the second set was brand new and the make is rowi ?

Both marks are visable on the negatives

The first two pictures where taken using a Kodax 400 film the second ones was a 400 but I couldn't see any branding on the negatives (so probably a cheap tescos/boots etc film.)

The first set of pictures occured in the middle of the film (about exp 14-15) and the second set where right at the beginning.

Both sets of prints where developed at boots.

I generally keep the films stored in my camera bag away from the radiators and on a shelf in the house.

I cant think of anything else to add. Other than I am going to have another go at shooting the steps in the first set with the same kit and see if I can re-create then i plan to change out all the lenses / filters and bits and then try it all on my other ME super body

I'll let you all know

Regards
PaulM

have a frank conversation with the staff at your photofinisher.
the closest I've to those marks came from a light leak on a hood covering the chemical bays of a Fuji negative developer. hard to be certian.
it's also possible the printer machine had it's projector lens loose and it got bumped.....depends on the equipment ...I'm talking really old stuff here.