Figured out my light leaks were my own fault after 4 rolls of Portra

Kept blaming my old Canon AE-1 for light leaks on the left side. Took it to a shop in Portland, they checked the seals, said they were fine. So I started paying attention to how I was loading film in bright sun. Turns out I was letting the cassette sit out while I messed with the rewind knob. Took the 4th roll to realize the film door wasn't clicking shut all the way because I had a strap hanging over it. Now I check the latch every single time before I shoot. Anyone else had a dumb handling habit ruin shots for way too long?

1 comments

1 Comment

riverknight26d ago

That's on the camera, not you... those AE-1 latches are finicky and a strap shouldn't be able to block a properly designed door. Four rolls is just the price of learning to distrust a flawed design, not a handling mistake on your part.