? Light leak leak through X1D view finder?

[Chriscove]

I have had 2 situations in the last 8 months where I have had light leak during long exposures. In each case I was using the X1D, 21 XCD, Wine Country Filter holder and a Breakthrough 10 stop ND filter. I haves used this combination over 20 times and twice I have seen this happen. I have attached a photo below. I have tried to reproduce this effect and have been unable to so. I have done a 21' exposure and no light leak but when I see it happen it can happen as short as 45". When it happens I checked and double checked that everything is correct. I have tried draping cloths over the corners of the holder and it does not help. I have contacted both Wine Country and Breakthrough and they each don't have any ideas.

My question to the group is could this be light leak through the view finder? I know that EV's should not allow light it but I have never covered the view finder when it happens and since it happens so intermittently there is no way to test it.

[BillW]

I seriously doubt that you could have light leak through the viewfinder since it is electronic. I would guess it is leaking between the lens and camera mount.

[rent]

Doubt the electronic view finder would leak light. My bet would be on the filter contraption. Proving it is another matter though since it's occurring intermittently.

Has this ever happened without the filter/holder in place?

[Chriscove]

I seriously doubt that you could have light leak through the viewfinder since it is electronic. I would guess it is leaking between the lens and camera mount.

I have tested long exposure without any filters and I have not be able to reproduce this at all. I tired every combination and cannot  get it recur. When it happens I remove all filters and it goes away but cannot get exposures over 30" because it has happened at mid day.

[Chriscove]

Doubt the electronic view finder would leak light. My bet would be on the filter contraption. Proving it is another matter though since it's occurring intermittently.

Has this ever happened without the filter/holder in place?

No it has not. It's very strange because I went 6  months and everything was  fine and then it showed up again. This time I had to pack up and leave so I did not have time to test it on site.

[Bill_Evans]

I've never had a light leak through the body with my x1d but I had similar looking leak on mirrorless camera through the ports or card doors. I'd do a lens cap test at a high iso under a bright desk lamp. Kind of standard procedure for me with most new camera lens combo.

[Chriscove]

I've never had a light leak through the body with my x1d but I had similar looking leak on mirrorless camera through the ports or card doors. I'd do a lens cap test at a high iso under a bright desk lamp. Kind of standard procedure for me with most new camera lens combo.

Thanks , I did a 21' exposure with lens cap on shining a light around the camera and nothing showed up. I am testing now and I think it related to the filters. Today is the first day I have reproduced the effect. I am testing now.

[fotophil]

When using high density ND Filters (10 stop) in bright sun with my Techart Adapter I have noticed light leaks around the lens release pin and an area of the mounting flange. Covering the area with a thick black cloth solves the problem. I now routinely use a black wrap around the entire adapter when using the 10 stop ND Filter. Your flash light may not be bright enough to develop the leak - try full sun.

[Bill_Evans]

When using high density ND Filters (10 stop) in bright sun with my Techart Adapter I have noticed light leaks around the lens release pin and an area of the mounting flange. Covering the area with a thick black cloth solves the problem. I now routinely use a black wrap around the entire adapter when using the 10 stop ND Filter. Your flash light may not be bright enough to develop the leak - try full sun.

Or max out the iso and set your camera under a desk lamp.

[fotophil]

Sun light is more collimated than a desk light which may affect the leak path. Anyway my sunlight test helped me find my leak and you indicated that your test wasn't able to find your leak. Long exposures under bright lighting conditions can be a challenge.

[Vieri]

This definitely looks like a by-product of the holder / filter combination. It is possible that there is either a leak in the Wine Country contraptions (too much complication, if you ask me, not to mention the bulk / cost etc), or a problem with the filters themselves causing light to bounce around in less than straight ways. Whatever it's causing it this kind of leak and the colour it presents, it looks like light coming in at an angle on the filter rather than straight. By the way, the colour in the leak shows that the filters are not really colour neutral but present a distinct magenta cast: sometimes, I had a similar problem using my filters on a non-Formatt-HItech adapter (don't want to badmouth any brand here), and the leak was similar to yours in shape but always white in colour.

My suggestion would be to get a different holder, carry it with you and when you see the phenomenon happen try a equally long exposure with a different holder and see if the problem persists.

Hope this helps, best regards

Vieri

[MGrayson]

This definitely looks like a by-product of the holder / filter combination. It is possible that there is either a leak in the Wine Country contraptions (too much complication, if you ask me, not to mention the bulk / cost etc), or a problem with the filters themselves causing light to bounce around in less than straight ways. Whatever it's causing it this kind of leak and the colour it presents, it looks like light coming in at an angle on the filter rather than straight. By the way, the colour in the leak shows that the filters are not really colour neutral but present a distinct magenta cast: sometimes, I had a similar problem using my filters on a non-Formatt-HItech adapter (don't want to badmouth any brand here), and the leak was similar to yours in shape but always white in colour.

My suggestion would be to get a different holder, carry it with you and when you see the phenomenon happen try a equally long exposure with a different holder and see if the problem persists.

Hope this helps, best regards

Vieri

Except for Wine Country, of course... 

Unable to decide on a filter system, I tried both Wine Country and Formatt-Hitech Firecrest Ultra. Speaking only about usability, the WC, although heavy, are easier on filter handling. The F-H, even after loosening the slots, are very tight. I'm afraid of breaking the glass when I slide in a filter. My solution is simply to leave the 10 stop in place. It's possible I'm worrying too much and that the tight fit is what prevents light leaks.

Any advice on using the F-H system would be welcome.

Matt

[Vieri]

This definitely looks like a by-product of the holder / filter combination. It is possible that there is either a leak in the Wine Country contraptions (too much complication, if you ask me, not to mention the bulk / cost etc), or a problem with the filters themselves causing light to bounce around in less than straight ways. Whatever it's causing it this kind of leak and the colour it presents, it looks like light coming in at an angle on the filter rather than straight. By the way, the colour in the leak shows that the filters are not really colour neutral but present a distinct magenta cast: sometimes, I had a similar problem using my filters on a non-Formatt-HItech adapter (don't want to badmouth any brand here), and the leak was similar to yours in shape but always white in colour.

My suggestion would be to get a different holder, carry it with you and when you see the phenomenon happen try a equally long exposure with a different holder and see if the problem persists.

Hope this helps, best regards

Vieri

Except for Wine Country, of course... 

Unable to decide on a filter system, I tried both Wine Country and Formatt-Hitech Firecrest Ultra. Speaking only about usability, the WC, although heavy, are easier on filter handling. The F-H, even after loosening the slots, are very tight. I'm afraid of breaking the glass when I slide in a filter. My solution is simply to leave the 10 stop in place. It's possible I'm worrying too much and that the tight fit is what prevents light leaks.

Any advice on using the F-H system would be welcome.

Matt

Matt,

sorry about that, I didn't think that mentioning what to me are just facts, such as Wine Country being more complicated, bulkier and more expensive than every other filter holder out there could be considered badmouthing, it wasn't my intention and I apologise for that.

About the Firecrest holder, loosening the slots will help a bit, but the thing is that the holder has a built-in gasket for the ND filter closer to the lens, to prevent light leaks. The gasket-to-filter connection of course needs to be light-tight, which in turn requires for the filter to put at least a slight bit of pressure against the gasket. You'll find that using it will help making it easier to slide in / out, because the gasket will slowly get compressed a bit. Of course, leaving the ND in place will solve the problem, but I don't find that practical since I often need to use different NDs.

A participant to my Workshops found an ingenious solution for that: he bought a second holder and left a 10 ND in one, and a 6 ND in the other, labelling them. So, all he needed to do was replacing the holder and voilà Of course, it would be great if the slots were both easier to use while keeping the filter/gasket light tight, and I hope that FH will come up with a modification soon that takes care of that.

Hope this helps! Best regards,

Vieri

[MGrayson]

This definitely looks like a by-product of the holder / filter combination. It is possible that there is either a leak in the Wine Country contraptions (too much complication, if you ask me, not to mention the bulk / cost etc), or a problem with the filters themselves causing light to bounce around in less than straight ways. Whatever it's causing it this kind of leak and the colour it presents, it looks like light coming in at an angle on the filter rather than straight. By the way, the colour in the leak shows that the filters are not really colour neutral but present a distinct magenta cast: sometimes, I had a similar problem using my filters on a non-Formatt-HItech adapter (don't want to badmouth any brand here), and the leak was similar to yours in shape but always white in colour.

My suggestion would be to get a different holder, carry it with you and when you see the phenomenon happen try a equally long exposure with a different holder and see if the problem persists.

Hope this helps, best regards

Vieri

Except for Wine Country, of course... 

Unable to decide on a filter system, I tried both Wine Country and Formatt-Hitech Firecrest Ultra. Speaking only about usability, the WC, although heavy, are easier on filter handling. The F-H, even after loosening the slots, are very tight. I'm afraid of breaking the glass when I slide in a filter. My solution is simply to leave the 10 stop in place. It's possible I'm worrying too much and that the tight fit is what prevents light leaks.

Any advice on using the F-H system would be welcome.

Matt

Matt,

sorry about that, I didn't think that mentioning what to me are just facts, such as Wine Country being more complicated, bulkier and more expensive than every other filter holder out there could be considered badmouthing, it wasn't my intention and I apologise for that.

About the Firecrest holder, loosening the slots will help a bit, but the thing is that the holder has a built-in gasket for the ND filter closer to the lens, to prevent light leaks. The gasket-to-filter connection of course needs to be light-tight, which in turn requires for the filter to put at least a slight bit of pressure against the gasket. You'll find that using it will help making it easier to slide in / out, because the gasket will slowly get compressed a bit. Of course, leaving the ND in place will solve the problem, but I don't find that practical since I often need to use different NDs.

A participant to my Workshops found an ingenious solution for that: he bought a second holder and left a 10 ND in one, and a 6 ND in the other, labelling them. So, all he needed to do was replacing the holder and voilà Of course, it would be great if the slots were both easier to use while keeping the filter/gasket light tight, and I hope that FH will come up with a modification soon that takes care of that.

Hope this helps! Best regards,

Vieri

Vieri,

Alas, a lighthearted tone is difficult to transmit in a posting. I happen to agree with everything you said.

Using two holders is a great idea, as the holders themselves are quite light.

Thank you,

Matt

[Chriscove]

This definitely looks like a by-product of the holder / filter combination. It is possible that there is either a leak in the Wine Country contraptions (too much complication, if you ask me, not to mention the bulk / cost etc), or a problem with the filters themselves causing light to bounce around in less than straight ways. Whatever it's causing it this kind of leak and the colour it presents, it looks like light coming in at an angle on the filter rather than straight. By the way, the colour in the leak shows that the filters are not really colour neutral but present a distinct magenta cast: sometimes, I had a similar problem using my filters on a non-Formatt-HItech adapter (don't want to badmouth any brand here), and the leak was similar to yours in shape but always white in colour.

My suggestion would be to get a different holder, carry it with you and when you see the phenomenon happen try a equally long exposure with a different holder and see if the problem persists.

Hope this helps, best regards

Vieri,

After much testing in direct sunlight the problem is the filter. The Breakthrough 10 stop ND filter does not have a foam gasket on it. My 3 stop Breakthrough does have a from gaskets on it. When I stack the filters with gasket filter first I get no leak. When I reverse it the leak reappears. What is strange is that in real use the leak is much worse than I can reproduce with testing and it occurred not shooting into direct sunlight. The only way I can reproduce it is to shoot into direct sunlight. I have found a gasket and order it and will test it.

I have been tempted by the 85 mm HiTech because of it's size but have all 100 mm Filters and don't want to buy a new set at this time.

One other thing I should mention is that the people at Breakthrough have been so helpful and willing to work with me. The Wine Country people just looked at the images and said "It's not the holder".

Again I really appreciate all the help and will repost when the gasket comes.