Light leaks with a really old camera

[Marc Estalella]

Hello everyone!

Recently I shot one roll of 120 film on a camera I found at a jumble sale. The camera is the "Zeiss Ikon Nettar 515/2".

All the 8 photos have the same light leak. I don't think it is from the bellows because you only can see it within the frame.

Here you have some scans, photos of the camera and the negatives.

Any idea of what happens?

Thanks!!

 

[Dan Daniel]

Bellows.

Since the bellows are in front of the framing mask, the rest of the film is protected. It is leaks from the back that go everywhere.

Place the negative back in the camera as it was shot. This will show you the area to focus your search on. Looks to me like a light leak from 'upper right' of the negatives you show. The area without a leak is probably shaded by some internal part, maybe another bellows fold.

 

[Kino]

Yes, I would suspect the area of the bellows that attaches to the front standard, as they appear a bit rumpled. However, light leaks come from the most surprising places!
That is a very fine camera and is worth the effort to chase down and repair the leaks. A bit of patience and careful repairs will give you a very capable camera!

 

[gone]

Take the camera into noon day sun, point it at it (w/ the shutter closed), and put an eye into the film chamber to see where the leaks are at. You can take your free hand and move it around the bellows and lens to make sure you know where the leak(s) is. That is one huge light leak you got there, shouldn't be hard to find it, but it could be coming from multiple places.

Or, bring the camera and a flashlight into a dark closet, and if you shine the light into the film chamber and move it around you should see the leaks light up like a Christmas tree.

 

[grat]

Honestly, a light leak that bad should show up easily-- put the camera on a tripod, open the back, extend the front, and shine a bright flashlight around the bellows, especially where it attaches at each end. Daylight, night time, closet, back yard-- this should show up obviously. I'd guess the bellows has separated from the frame somewhere, but that's a guess.

 

[nosmok]

Each of those bright spots is an individual leak, most likely. If you're feeling like giving an Xmas present to yourself, Sandeha Lynch in the UK makes excellent replacement bellows for 6x9 folders (he makes all sizes IIRC, but I have one he did for my Agfa Ventura and it's great). I do what Momus suggests above if I'm going to try to patch the bellows.

 

[bernard_L]

Re: leak: what the others wrote.And yes, the Nettar is a fine camera well wort some effort to bring to a usable state.
About practicalities of posting. No need to upload images 2500 pixels wide; you can perfectly provide the information to the readers with images, say, 600 pixels wide. And the jpeg (.jpg) format results in smaller files and faster uploads than the png format for continuous-tone images such as the ones you show.

Once you find the leak. If the bellow is unstuck from the frame, just re-glue it properly; beware of extra glue that might glue together two folds of the bellows. If it's a hole, you need a material that is light-tight and thin enough not to create stress when you close the camera. Maybe some rollfilm backing paper, although I have never tested this myself; not authentic, but might be effective.

 

[AnselMortensen]

I had a Kodak 120 folder that had a leaky bellows.
Leaving the camera with the bellows extended, I made a cover for the bellows with black construction paper and black masking tape.
Cheap and easy low-tech "fix" that made the camera usable.

 

[250swb]

If you can find the leak and it's in the bellows, like a corner that has worn through, use liquid electrical tape to repair it. There are people that can make new bellows but it's worth trying the old tech fix first, it can last for years.

 

[RalphLambrecht]

Hello everyone!

Recently I shot one roll of 120 film on a camera I found at a jumble sale. The camera is the "Zeiss Ikon Nettar 515/2".
In cases like this, I try to hide a white LED attached to a 3 V battery inside the camera and set it into a dark room. After a while looking at it closely it becomes apparent where the light leak happens to be.
All the 8 photos have the same light leak. I don't think it is from the bellows because you only can see it within the frame.

Here you have some scans, photos of the camera and the negatives.

Any idea of what happens?

Thanks!!

View attachment 293930

View attachment 293931

View attachment 293932

View attachment 293933

View attachment 293934

View attachment 293935

 

[shutterfinger]

I have tried several means of finding light leaks in cameras and a bright light inside the bellows in total darkness is the best. Anything other than black is a leak.
Golden Heavy Body Artist Paint #1040 Carbon Black diluted no more than 1:1 painted on the inside of the bellows in thin layers works extremely well. The paint remains flexible when dry and does not flake off.
https://www.goldenpaints.com/products/colors/heavy-body Perhaps a similar artist paint is available in your area.
Black rip stop nylon bonded with flexible fabric glue will patch holes/tears the cost with the paint.
To check the back for leaks set the aperture to f4.5, lock the shutter open on B, then in total darkness shine a bright light in through the lens while observing the camera's back edges.

 

[Dan Daniel]

Along with the black acrylic paint that shutter finger recommends, I'll mix it with a little white glue (Elmers to Americans). About a 'lentil' of white glue to a 'pea' of black paint.

For seam holes (not corner holes) I'll often paint a thin coat of black. Then put a piece of thin black masking tape. Most art stores will have it, and it is a thin flexible paper-based tape. Shape in into the seam, then another coat of black paint. I usually do this on the outside. Keep pressing it into the seam. Maybe another thin coat or two. Let it dry for half an hour, close the bellows up for a few minutes, open and let dry. Keep repeating so the repair shapes to folding and unfolding, but don't let it sit closed until after a day or more so the repair material doesn't bond to itself and make a new mess.

I'll often apply a thinned coat of the black paint and glue mix to the inside of the bellows to stop dust and particles flaking off onto the film and creating holes in the image. A light coat swabbed around with a q-tip reduces this problem with some cameras.

One thing to watch out for with bellows holes is that sometimes the hole is a one-off. And sometimes it is simply ahead of the curve of a set of bellows decaying away. And as time goes on you will have more and more holes and crease gaps, etc.