Are Yashica TLRs susceptible to light leaks?

attack_donut · Joined: 06 Apr 2012 Posts: 20 Location: East Coast

I just put 3 rolls of film through my nearly mint condition (with working light meter) Yashica 124g TLR and the results I got back were horendous!
1st off, it's difficult to find a film lab in town here, 2ndly it's damned expensive to get developed, and takes weeks to get, so I don't shoot it much, but it's never let me down before (nor, might I add, have any other of my Yashicas, A, C, D, 44LM)

I was doubly annoyed as one of the shots was going into a magazine for publication, and now I'll miss that.
All the pics that came back from the developers have massive dust, dirt and digital artifacts from the scanning (which can be cleaned up in PhotoShop), but worst of all, they look like this:

http://fc06.deviantart.net/fs44/i/2009/093/f/0/Stock___Film_with_light_leaks_by_whothennow24.jpg

I took my TLR into a pitch black room, ran a flashlight into the taking lens wide open, and saw no leaks anywhere.
Before I raise holy hell with the developer; I want to know if anything else could have caused the problem.
Thanks in advance for your help.

luisalegria · Expire: 2018-01-18

Light leaks are an individual camera problem.
Any camera can have problems with seals, etc.
I doubt very much that Yashica 124 TLR's have a particular weakness that way.
As a type they have been in heavy professional use for decades, which is not an application where such weaknesses would be tolerated for long.

Now, because of the nature of 120 film, it is possible to let light leak with poor handling. If the roll isn't tight, or permitted to loosen and partially unroll, or is mishandled during processing, you could easily get effects like you have shown. If the effect of the leak is random and not consistent it points to a problem handling the film. A light leak in the camera would usually show a pattern, as each frame would be exposed in the same way, though to a greater or lesser degree.

If you are in the US - A fine and rapid film development service, and cheap too - develop only is $4.49 a roll.
They are fast. I have had great luck with their quality. Not so hot on high-res scanning, as they don't do high-res scanning AFAIK. Their photo CD file size for 120 is good enough for online posting, but thats it.

http://www.dwaynesphoto.com/

attack_donut · Joined: 06 Apr 2012 Posts: 20 Location: East Coast

Thank you, the results are somewhat consistant, but not entirely. So I can't rule out mishandling the film on their end, or possibly on mine...

dof · Posted: Fri May 18, 2012 1:08 am Post subject:

Yashica TLRs have light seals and most any camera with light seals can have light leaks.

Nesster · Expire: 2014-02-20

Now that I'm seeing the sample: WHAT THE HELL!?

is that the backing paper + large light leak imprint on the film? This isn't likely to be the camera: unless not only is it leaking but the pressure plate is broken and you get no tension in the frame advance. This is more likely someone not having the roll tightly wound and taped & dropping the damn thing on the floor in daylight and having the paper+film spring loose on the reel.

attack_donut · Joined: 06 Apr 2012 Posts: 20 Location: East Coast

I got the time to upload the pics, here are the actual shots as I got back from the developer

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j284/attack_donut/ruined/FH000007.jpg
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j284/attack_donut/ruined/FH000005.jpg
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j284/attack_donut/ruined/FH000004.jpg

I've been asking around about this, and general consensus is xray damage, which blows my mind as they've not gone through the airport, AFAIK anyway...

Nesster · Expire: 2014-02-20

Much to my surprise I can see photobucket images at work!

These do look like there's something awry in the camera itself - the pattern is the same though at different intensities.

For a clue as to where all to look: When I got my Diacord, it was missing one foot. I shot a roll of film anyway... guess what, the hole for the foot leaked light in the bottom of the camera! A bit of electrical tape on the inside cured it.

img301sm by Nesster, on Flickr

Apart from the bottom and the edges of the back, you'll need to check all around the camera - anything that looks like there should be something in it but isn't is suspect... also in the front, the focus extensions, try at different focusing distances to see of that ever forms a gap.

dof · Posted: Mon May 21, 2012 2:14 pm Post subject:

I would replace the light seals on your Yashica as a first action.

attack_donut · Joined: 06 Apr 2012 Posts: 20 Location: East Coast

Turns out the film, after being exposed, but before being developed, was flown to the developer, and in the process, x-rayed with too strong a scanner, thus ruining the film.
Got my money back tho