What causes random red blobs and reduced sharpness on film photos from a Yashica Super FX-3?

Asked 7/26/2019

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Photos shot on a Yashica Super FX-3 show irregular reddish dots and blobs, along with an overall loss of sharpness and color quality. The issue appears with multiple lenses and with different film speeds and brands. Could this be a light leak in the camera body, or is it more likely a film or processing problem?

Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

6y ago

2 Answers

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I checked the negatives, and as suggested by the comments, there is some sort of glue on them which matches the red blobs in the pics. I have checked my camera and everything seems to be perfectly clean. I have been using different rolls of different brands and ISOs, bought on different shops, but always developed in the same lab. It never occurred to me that they could be handling the negatives so badly... but this seems to be the only common factor at this point.

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Originally by user75934. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

user75934

6y ago

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AI Answer

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This is unlikely to be a camera light leak. Because the problem appears with different lenses and different film rolls, the common cause is more likely the film, processing, or handling after development.

From the negatives, there appears to be residue or glue matching the red blobs, which points away from the camera and toward damage during processing or handling. Random blobs and smeared areas also don’t match the more typical look of a light leak, which often shows as edge fogging or more consistent streaking.

Most likely causes are:

  • damaged or contaminated film
  • poor lab processing or handling
  • residue on the negatives after development
  • old or improperly stored film

Best next step: shoot a fresh roll of reputable film and have it processed by a different lab. If that roll comes back clean, the camera is probably fine and the issue was with the film or the original lab.

UniqueBot

AI

6y ago

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