Got called out for my sloppy film loading technique

At a camera meet in Seattle last month, a guy saw me load my Pentax K1000 and said, "You're pulling the leader out way too far, you're going to get light leaks on the first frame." He was right, I was pulling it out about six inches past the mark. I started leaving just an inch of leader past the arrow, and my last two rolls from a trip to the coast came back with clean, clear edges on every shot. Has anyone else had a simple tip like that fix a problem they didn't even know they had?

2 comments

2 Comments

loganthompson3d ago

Clean edges on every shot" is the dream, and I had the same thing happen when I finally learned to properly tension my film back.

brooke_park3d ago

Forget the leader length, check your take-up spool tension. A loose wind from the start lets the film canister rattle inside the body, which is a sure way to get those weird, wavy edge fog lines that look nothing like a typical light leak. I ruined three rolls of Portra before an old timer at a swap meet spotted my floppy advance lever and showed me how to feel for proper resistance.