Dave Flash Loc: South Jersey

Please help me with reviewing the attached scans of my first rolls of 120 Porta 400 film that were exposed using my newly acquired Hasselblad 500CM with a 80mm Zeiss lenses. I attempted to gain the correct exposure using the EV setting on the lens but most likely did not hit it completely. Some the exposures appear to be somewhat ok but many have what I suspect could be a light leak on the film. The attached high resolution scans were made by Dwayne's Photo, so I would expect that they are as good as possible. I did work the scans a bit with Lightroom and corrected a substantial amount of level in the exposure, however the attached have not been adjusted.
Thanking the UHH members in advance for your constructive critique.
Dave Flash

Happy Holidays to All

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CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

What type of help are you looking for?

photon-collector Loc: Tampa Bay Area, Florida

I shoot with a Bronica GS-1 (6x7cm) so this reply may or may not be helpful.

First observation: I don't find a sharp focal point in any of your images. I would expect sharper images from a Hassy with Zeiss lens. This could be camera vibration, improper scanning, or lens problem. Try using a tripod and get your shutter speed up above 1/100 sec. Take a few test shots focusing critically on a single stationary object. With age, the "felt" around your focus screen may need replacing, so that the focus is accurate.

Second Observation: Two of your images seem to lack the "light leak," while the others have differences in the location and appearance of the leak. The shots with the bands running down the sides, might be a light leak before (or after) the film was in your camera. With 120 film, always load/unload film in a shaded area, and KEEP the paper pulled tight or light can leak between the spool and the paper...causing uneven streaks down the sides. The shot with the flare near the top, might be lens flare. Check the lighproof seal around your film back (and dark slide if you have one) and replace if necessary.

Third Observation: Your exposures varied widely. Use a hand-held lightmeter or download a free lightmeter app for your cell phone, and shoot manual exposure based on measured values. Even the "Sunny Sixteen" rule will get you close in most cases.

You might also want to try a different photoprocessing shop, just to see if the quality changes. I use the "Darkroom dot com" or Indie Photo lab. Both do an outstanding job with 120 film and scans.

Good luck. Don't give up. Make it an experiment...focus on one issue at a time in a controlled and thoughtful way.

imagemeister Loc: mid east Florida

Check the light seals in the film back - including the dark slide seal.

Dave Flash Loc: South Jersey

Hello Photon-Collector,

Thank you for your quick response to my inquiry; I was concerned that it may be a light leak on the film. I am reasonably confident that the leak did not come from loading or unloading the film which possibly could mean a repair by Hasselblad or some equal repair facility, which I know of none at this time. The camera is a 1970 model and appears to be lightly used, but that doesn't mean much with age on on internal light seals. I am not sure why a couple if the shots do not have the appearance of a light leak. I will , as you suggest, be more diligent in my setup and use a tripod for the shots wile obtaining correct light meter readings. I was expecting much better out of my first rolls of film. Quite a let down.
Thank you,

Dave Flash

Dave Flash Loc: South Jersey

I am interested in you opinion of why some, but not all, have the appearance of a light leak on the film.

Thank you for your reply,

Dave Flash

Dave Flash Loc: South Jersey

For your consideration, a couple more shots of my first attempts. I do not think that they show a light leak, all be it they are not very great. Hand held.

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CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

Dave, remember to use <quote reply> if engaging in a dialog / Q&A responses.

I assuming these 4832x4760 attachments are the original and full-resolution of the scans? There seems to be plenty of pixel resolution for additional LR editing. Similar to the earlier examples, a few things seem to be amiss.

a, The blue sky above the lighthouse (?) seems to have an aberration in the sky.

b, The focus seems a bit soft in the details.

This lighthouse image might be captured a bit 'close' such that you could edit the scan and 'level' the building. I mean too close such that you'll lose aspects of the building when leveling.

Regarding focus, I clicked around and maybe the black railing of the lighthouse and ground-level porch seem in better focus. This might indicate too narrow a depth of field with a wide aperture?

Dave Flash Loc: South Jersey

CHG_CANON,
The scans are high-res from Dwayne’s Photo, nothing touched in LR. I agree the lighthouse is too close, couldn’t get back any farther. The sky is SOC shouldn’t I expect correct color from Porta? My main concern would be the possibility of a camera light leak as possibly shown in previous photos and service on a Hasselblad may be very limited and expensive.
Thanks for your comments.
Dave

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

I'm not familiar with the camera. I'd consider the ideas discussed in the earlier response that point to considerations of removing / handling the film. The 'aberration' I mentioned was a kind of light 'angle' that runs down from the top margin to our right-side view of the lighthouse.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

Did you use a tripod, or a shutter speed of at least 1/500 second for these? Were you using a moderate aperture such as f/8 or f/11?

Did the film back(s) come with dark slides?

It does look like there is a light leak somewhere, or improper film loading technique. I would have to examine the negatives to pinpoint the issue.

If the camera is light tight, and the film magazine is loaded properly with a dark slide on, until the magazine is mounted on the camera, then the negatives should have evenly clear borders on all sides and between frames (with an orange base mask, of course, if they're color negs). Properly exposed negatives will have clearly visible detail in both highlights and shadows.

Proper scans will have details in highlights and shadows. If a part of the scene appears black, it should be near black in the digital file.

These scans have plenty of pixels (about 4760 pixels square), but they appear very soft. Examine your negatives with an 8X loupe magnifier on a light box to see whether they appear sharper.

If your exposures are correct, if your lenses are spotless on both sides, if the camera and film back are light tight, and if the lab does its job correctly, you should have far better results than these. Only one of the scans is close to sharp.

Dave Flash Loc: South Jersey

Hi Bill,

Thank you for your review of my concerns on my issues. I will be more focused on proper technique and see what comes of it. Reviews of the problem on the YouTube channel suggest that the light seals on the dark slide may need replacement. Time will tell.
I enjoy your general commentary on a regular basis.
Happy Holidays,
Dave

MrPhotog

What order were the pictures taken? If the light leak happened on the first one, two, or three images—but not on the last three, then I’d look at the loading procedure.

The paper backing must stay tight with the ends of the film spool. If it comes loose then light can get in at a small gap, but that only affects the first few frames, as the wrappings of paper will protect the inner negatives.

If the light affects the last two or three images, then it is likely from loose paper/film wrapping when unloading the camera, or possible damage before or during processing.

If these light leaks happen on mid roll then you can probably rule out loading problems.

If you removed the lens at some time while the camera was loaded, or walked around in sunny areas for a while with no lens cap and the darkslide removed, then check for a bad seal on the camera’s mirror box. I’d particularly examine any cushioning where the bottom of the mirror rests. While checking that area, look for any shiny areas.

Strong sunlight coming through an open lens can sometimes bounce around inside the camera, reflect off shiny wear spots, or get past worn foam or felt seals.

Last I’d check the film holder for light leaks. If it was not removed for loading, then check the darkslide seals. Usually leaks from the darkslide show up on the edge of the image, not the top, though. But it is possible if there is damage to the seal in the middle of the frame and the back is off the camera. When it is on the camera, unless the camera has a light leak, the darkslide area is covered by the camera.

Since the problem shows at the top of your image, look at the darkslide track along the bottom side of the holder.

Dave Flash Loc: South Jersey

Thank you for your recommendations. I will be sure to check them out.
Happy Holidays
Dave

rehess Loc: South Bend, Indiana, USA

The lighthouse is very white. My experience is that structures like that need to be underexposed - especially if the white part is siding; ‘PP’ can be used later to brighten the lighter parts.