DPR Forum

Welcome to the Friendly Aisles!
DPRF is a photography forum with people from all over the world freely sharing their knowledge and love of photography. Everybody is welcome, from beginners to the experienced professional. Whether it is Medium Format, fullframe, APS-C, MFT or smaller formats. Digital or film. DPRF is a forum for everybody and for every format.
Enjoy this modern, easy to use software. Look also at our Reviews & Gallery!

G1 problem partial exposure of the frame at small apertures

Sometimes my G1 seems to expose only part of the frame. I shot a test roll recently with my G1, all the lens caps were put in the camera bag before the test. The results are
1. G21mm F2.8 to F11 OK, F22 not exposed at all
2. G35mm F2.8 to F5.6 OK, F11 partially exposed.
3. G45mm F2.8 to F8 OK, F16 exposed most of the frame
4. G90mm F2.8 to F8 OK, F16 not exposed

The apertures not listed above weren't tested.

So it seems to me that the problem is at small apertures. The shutter speed is around 1/125s µ½ 1/15s.

Any suggestion? Thanks.
 
One s&le to show the problem with G35mm @ F11
159642.jpg
 
Kevin, you're certainly experiencing a shutter problem! (I presume these aren't flash shots, and that you've put in fresh batteries.)

Have you tried observing the shutter action by running the camera through all the manual shutter speeds and the back removed? It would appear that at higher speeds the shutter blades are closing as they move across the frame center, which could explain why the image blacks out only with small apertures.

I'd do some shutter tests with the lens wide open and then with it fully stopped down. If you see light admitted wide open and then none stopped down, you'll know it's a shutter problem.

Good luck

Rick
 
Rick, thanks for the help.

I wasn't using flash, but the batteries are not so new. I did the manual shutter speed test before, the rear shutter seems open fine at any speed.

I will change some freshe batteries and do the transmitted light test.
 
Don't feel bad, Kevin. Blame the product designers. I've had problems with my G1, G2 and T2 when the battery gets low. Users shouldn't have to guess about this sort of thing. The product circuitry should include a system lockout with a unique icon display when the battery reaches a set power reserve level. Its absence just indicates inferior design. It isn't "rocket surgery" afterall. Contax doesn't have the market cornered in this area, either. Both my R1 and GR1s Ricohs have sanity problems when the battery reaches boundary condition. In a word, inexcusable....
 
Back
Top