Post #4411082
2026-08-06 07:52 UTC
Good morning to all analog photography enthusiasts!
I’ve been experiencing a strange issue with bright overexposed areas appearing on some of my photos. The three images below were taken with a Zenit 12 XP and a Helios-44M-4 lens.
The bright patch always appears in the same place, but only on some frames. Sometimes it is more noticeable, sometimes less. In these three examples, it is quite prominent on the left side. I don’t think it’s lens flare, because its position does not change. It’s probably not a shutter curtain issue either, since the effect is vertical while the Zenit’s shutter travels horizontally, and there is also a mirror in the light path. It also doesn’t seem to be a light leak from the back of the camera, as it does not extend beyond the frame boundaries on the film, and the seals are new and properly installed.
So what could be causing this? Is it possible that the lens, when hit by light at a certain angle, consistently produces this effect in the same spot?
#analog
#analogphography
#believeinfilm
#analogfilm
#35mm
#filmphotografy
#photography
Replies (2)
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@tmcfarlane@toot.community 2026-08-06 08:17
@p357@mastodon.com.pl if it doesn't move at all it is unlikely to be a lens flare. Could it be a bit of the internal flocking/ paint inside the body has come off and so you've got a shiny bit in there?
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@kraks@pixelfed.de 2026-08-06 13:43
I haven't had this myself, but since the leak looks white, I would assume it's on the front of the film. That would leave the lens, viewfinder (as already mentioned in the thread) and body as the most likely culprits. If testing for light leaks through the viewfinder doesn't help, you might have to consider if there could be leaks in the body itself, e.g. around the lens mount or through some small crack.