As you’ve already realised, those black streaks along the edges of the negative aren’t quite what the designer had in mind. I reckon it’s not so much down to your makeshift exchangeable bag, but rather the camera letting light in where it shouldn’t. I’m no expert, but to me it looks like the back cover seal has come loose. Have a go at opening the back plate and have a look in the groove at the top and bottom where the back plate ‘slots in’. On most cameras, this is lined with a foam seal. On older cameras, this tends to break down into a sticky black mass. You can fix the problem yourself, though I must warn you that it’s no walk in the park, as you first have to scrape the sticky old mass out of the groove using a solvent (isopropanol), then carefully re-stick a suitable seal in place, which requires a fair bit of patience and dexterity :) Pre-cut self-adhesive seals are available online, for example
here.
If you can’t be bothered with the fiddly work and, as a poor student, can’t afford or don’t want a professional repair, you could try taping black fabric tape along the outside of the rear panel (i.e. after inserting the film and closing the rear panel), perhaps in combination with an existing camera bag base (Never-Ready-Case) as a temporary fix until you can get it properly repaired. However, you’ll then be running the risk of bits of the sticky, disintegrating sealant ending up on the film or, even worse, getting into your shutter and ruining it...
Unfortunately, I can’t check that right now as the camera is still loaded. But I can well imagine that the seals are no longer in perfect condition. Once the film has been exposed (it will probably show some light leaks then), I’ll have a closer look at the whole thing. As I still have an Olympus OM-1 where the seals are really just ‘black goo’ now, I’ll probably order a few new seals.
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Oh, one more thing – is the film pre-loaded? Or do you load the cassettes yourself from roll film?
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No, I don’t use roll film. I did toy with the idea, but given the cost of the equipment etc., it’s hardly worth it.
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I think the seal sets from the supplier linked above are good – I don’t feel they’re overpriced either; it’s handwork combined with very small orders... but it doesn’t seem as fiddly as it’s portrayed on the (rather odd...) website; you can cut it to size yourself, though it won’t be quite as precise – it’s definitely a bit fiddly. In any case, I’ve managed to get the odd camera watertight again using this method (for which €12 simply wouldn’t have been worth it). I once got the material from eBay UK; I don’t know if it’s still available, you’d just have to have a look – for a single camera, it’s not much cheaper either.
As for the replacement bag: turn off the lights and combine it with a jacket bag; that should work even if the jacket isn’t 100% watertight and the room isn’t 100% dark.
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I’ve had a quick look at the linked page and, separately, read up on the subject.
The differing opinions and reviews online can probably be attributed largely to the individual craftsmanship of each person. However, it’s unfortunately not clear to me to what extent the various materials touted (and whether with or without adhesive tape, etc.) have a relevant influence on the function of the seals and their durability.
As I don’t wish to spend any more time than necessary on this matter, I will probably order from Kameradoktor, provided I can find some safety goggles to protect my eyes from long-term damage whilst placing my order.
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Thank you for your time; I really appreciate it.
