Why are light leaks happening in my vintage film camera, timing or seals?

[ZoeyIM]

I’ve been trying to get my vintage film camera to work properly, but every roll I develop comes back with these strange light leaks and inconsistent exposures. I’m following the manual and using fresh film, so I can’t figure out if it’s a shutter timing issue or a problem with the seals.

[Aaron53]

I’ve chased this on a 60s era SLR. The frames showed light leaks that looked like fogged corners and random exposure jumps. I opened the back and found the foam light seals crumbling, swapped in fresh foam, and did a daylight test to see if the leak still showed. It helped a bit, but the leaks persisted on some rolls, so I’m not sure if it’s only that.

[Mila.G]

Yeah I get it. I first blamed the shutter timing, but the meter was reading fine and the frames still wandered. I cleaned the lens mount, checked the curtain for dust spots, and kept rolling, but the results stayed flaky.

[HannahT]

Last month I thought I’d solved it after a late-night order; I sent two rolls to a lab and they came back with strangely even exposure across frames, which made me doubt the camera. Maybe the problem isn’t the camera at all, or maybe I’m chasing a red herring.

[ElizabethFT]

Do you ever wonder if the real issue is the film back locking properly?