But not long into testing my new Leaf Aptus 65,
I saw that it made a few really strange captures, but did not think much about it- a glitch?

Here was one of them, which was cool in many aspects, and I've released more, over the past two years, as 'fine art'.

It's a 28mp digital back (found out two years later it's NOT 60 mp, don't know where I got that), the Leaf Aptus 65.

I shoot with four prime Zeiss lenses:
40mm (CF) 'wide angle'
80mm 'normal lens'
120mm (CF) 'slight telephoto'
250mm 'long lens'.

This is the reduced size of the first test shot, which can be seen full size, below, after clicking on it.

Note the little stand by the front door, on top of it is our business cards,
you can almost read the "Michael Seewald Galleries" writing on it!!!

11.11.2014

Sometimes all is fine, but then the streaks start happening. I change lenses, all's well, then put it back on, and sometimes it's fine, but sometimes the streaking continues.

So many times I can't stop it from happening

and have been tying to find a remedy as of late (I've only used the camera twice, for a Cuba series back in May of 2013 and recently in Argentina, May of 2014 .

I've done a bit of research, and see it's not only my Leaf Aptus that's having this problem.

I see someone reported seeing it on a Leaf Aptus 75 they were testing, over on the Leaf Aptus website:

He posted:

APTUS 75 STRANGE IMAGE

Post by NNN634365685127826592 » Tue Oct 07, 2014

"Hi. I've just brought a second hand V fit Aptus 75. I'm using it with a 500 C/M body and i've just started lens testing. I am getting strange files coming through when I shoot at below 1/30th sec. They look as if they have movement as if I shook the camera during the exposure. There is also a strong purple cast across the image. Initially it was just happening with my 80mm lens and I thought maybe there was a problem with the lens, but i've just experienced it with the 50mm as well. Also I managed to get some correct exposures with the 80mm but it then reverted to my strange blurry purple images. It seems to be the same across all apertures."

http://forum.phaseone.com/En/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=17255

The first response to him is mine, nobody else to this date replied.

But it does seem to happen more with my 250 mm longer lens, and it's intermittent. I've got it in the repair shop, giving all my lenses a CLA (clean, lubricate and adjust), which I must do every few years (every year or two when I did three trips a year, now I'm only on the road once or twice per, and always 3 to 4 weeks).

_____________________________

Click photo to enlarge. Neg. #2186

Here is another sample of the problem, which I released anyways:

10. Aliens Invade Port of Havana, Go Fishing

Sponsored by Dr. Charles Cantor of Del Mar, CA

_____________________________

So, I've got a feeling the connection from the lens to the back could be the problem, but when I took it in after first seeing it to Professional Photographic Repair in San Diego the repairman ran a test on conductivity of the synch button and said conductivity on all four lenses was fine. Hummm?

So I'm thinking it might still be the fact that the earlier lenses, not being CF's, might not have the ability to give it enough signal. We'll see and I'll post more here, and any answer.

I've just posted the questions over on Luminous Landscape website too:

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/forum/index.php?topic=82725.0

If you've got thoughts, or comments, send them to me, I'll post them here.