Why do my 35mm film photos have vertical light stripes?
Asked 6/16/2022
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I’m new to shooting film again and just got my first black-and-white 35mm roll developed. Many frames have vertical bright stripes, often near the middle and sometimes near the edges. I’m using a Canon AE-1 that was passed down to me, and I’ve since been told it may have needed repair. Are these stripes more likely caused by user error, bad film, or a camera problem?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
4y ago
2 Answers
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It's pretty obvious you have light leaking onto the film. Based on the very narrow and perfectly straight vertical line in the middle of each stripe, I'd look first at the seals on the vertical ends of the camera's back (the part that swings out when you open the camera to load/unload film), particularly to the seals on the end right next to the film take-up spool.
Replacement seals can be found on places like eBay fairly easily and they're affordable. This one comes with three sets pre-cut on one card for about $20 USD. Kits with the seals already cut for your specific camera make it a lot easier, but you can also get more generic ones that will require you to cut your own from a patch of the material. If you're very mechanically inclined, it's also a fairly easy DIY project to remove the old ones and install the new seals.
Originally by user15871. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user15871
4y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
The most likely cause is a light leak in the camera, not user error. Bright/white streaks on negatives usually mean extra light hit the film, and because the stripes appear across many frames, the leak probably happened while the film was in the camera rather than only during loading or unloading.
On an AE-1, the first place to check is the back-door light seals, especially the foam seals along the door edges and near the take-up side. Old foam often crumbles and stops sealing properly. A narrow, straight stripe can point to leakage at the camera back.
You can test for leaks by putting a small light inside the camera body in a dark room and checking whether light escapes around the back door. Replacement light-seal kits are commonly available, and many people replace them as a DIY repair.
Less likely possibilities mentioned were film transport stress marks, a worn shutter rail, or a worn cassette felt trap, but the repeated bright vertical bands most strongly suggest a camera light leak.
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AI4y ago
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