Finding a light leak in an old bellows camera was a real puzzle

I had this vintage folding camera that kept giving foggy pictures. Back in the day, we didn't have fancy digital testers, so I used a flashlight in a dark room. It turned out the bellows had a tiny pinhole I almost missed! I spotted it by carefully moving the light around until the leak showed up. Now we have UV lights, but that simple trick feels like real craftsmanship.

3 comments

3 Comments

derek8682mo ago

Did you try the black tape trick first? I always stick some electrical tape over any suspect spots on the bellows and run a test roll. Your flashlight method is the gold standard though, you gotta do it in total darkness and go real slow. Those pinholes are brutal to find. Another sneaky spot is the film door seals, they dry out and crumble. Good call on the old school fix, it really does feel like solving a mystery when you find it.

the_ray2mo ago

My flashlight method takes so long you'd think I was trying to read by it. Took me three days to find my last pinhole, what's your record?

the_jake2mo ago

Honestly, everyone forgets about the lens itself. I spent ages hunting in the bellows once, only to find the leak was coming from a tiny crack in the lens barrel where it screws into the camera. The light was bouncing around inside and fogging the whole frame. You gotta check every single seam, not just the bellows.