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Had this discussion some time ago ref whether a developer had expired, or camera (35mm Ricoh) had. Ran another film thro' camera & have done a clip test. End of film black as usual, exposed bit is blank except for edge marking - 'Kodak' etc. To my mind this suggests that the developer - a different one to the 1st discussion - is functioning correctly. Or am I wrong? Apologies if this the wrong section of Forum. Thanks. Dennis.

Ah, the blank film problem! I'm not party to the previous discussion you refer to but your inference seems to be correct. In general, blank film with edge marks present equals camera problem (eg lens cap on), totally blank film equals processing error (eg fixer and developer swapped).

Thanks George. You confirm what I thought. Next problem is what to do about it. I suspect that having an 'electronic' (for want of a bettter term) camera like the Richo GR1 sorted is likely to be more expensive than it is worth. Or does anyone know better; or even have a simple explanation for why it does not make exposures despite the shutter & wind-on appearing to function normally? Dennis.

Dennis, are you sure about the shutter? Light is not getting through. May be worth a phone call to somewhere like Newton Ellis in Liverpool.

George,
I don't know much about how electronic cameras function, but with the back open the shutter can be seen to open when shutter button is pressed which suggests that it does work. What I don't know of course is if the film is transporting properly. When loaded the camera rewinds the film out of the cassette so that as it is exposed it re-winds back into the cassette - perhaps it isn't - although it sounds correct? I shall check with Ricoh first. Thanks. Dennis.

OK, if the film never leaves the cassette… In any event the camera needs a bit of attention, and it may not be expensive to fix.

Update on this little saga. I discovered a chap in Tokyo who apparently can get the Ricoh factory to do repairs, but a rough estimate would have worked out at something around £150 all in - & that was just as an estimate. Ricoh in the UK has not bothered to reply to an email, so I assume is no longer interested in their film cameras. So I guess it is now a museum piece. Heigh ho. Dennis.