a little dilemma

[Kat]

How hard would it be to take out a partly-used roll of film from one camera and load it in another?

I loaded my HiMatic with ISO 100 color film last sunday, and took a few pictures. It turns out that I need to use the camera this saturday with low light conditions. High ISO films are hard to come by where I am, I'd be lucky to find 800. The HiMatic is the fastest lens I have, so I really need it. There is no way I can finish the roll, that is not really a good option for me. My question is, is there an easy way to take out the roll I had loaded without ruining the pics I had already exposed, and putting it back later or in another camera? What's the best way to go about this?

 

[kmack]

Suggestion 1, write down how many exposures you currently have on the roll and just rewind. Try not to rewind the leader into the cassette and then just transfer to another camera. You keep the lens cap on and snap away until you think you are where you left off.

Suggestion 2. Put both cameras in a changing bag and transfer in the bag.

 

[markinlondon]

Rewind carefully holding the camera to your ear and listen for the noise where the takeup spool lets go of the leader. You may then open the back of the camera. I did this an hour ago when I realised Delta 400 was too fast for the conditions outside. If you lose the leader it's not the end of the world. Your local camera shop shuld be able to supply a leader extractor for a few quid (or whatever you spend in your part of the world). These are fiddly to use though so I'd advise rewinding carefully.

Mark

 

[lubitel]

rewind the film, but not all the way inside. Put it in another camera and shoot some frames with a cap on until you think you are safe. Should work.

 

[Kat]

Thanks, folks! I was worried if the exposed part would be affected if I shot with the lens cap on to advance it to where I left off. I can breathe a little easier now. Appreciate the advice, I'll be very careful listening to that film leader, losing it inside the roll sounds like it would be a real pain. 😛

 

[oftheherd]

Thanks, folks! I was worried if the exposed part would be affected if I shot with the lens cap on to advance it to where I left off. I can breathe a little easier now. Appreciate the advice, I'll be very careful listening to that film leader, losing it inside the roll sounds like it would be a real pain. 😛

Just remember to set the new camera to f/16 and 1/500 if it is adjustable. If not, lens cap on and in a closet or bathroom or even the darkest shade you can find. If no manual speeds, at least set the camera for the fastest ASA it takes. If all else fails, remember prints are the most expensive part of development. Whatever isn't exposed won't be printed, so the cost of development and printing will go down unless you are doing that yourself. Even if you are doing it yourself, as in b/w, you don't loose that much.

 

[VinceC]

When loading the half-shot roll into a new camera, be super safe and, in a fairly dim place, set the lens to f/22 and the shutter to 1,000 or it's fastest speed while also using the lens cap. Use the film counter to go at least two frames past the film counter on the othe camera, because different cameras have different lengths for the film leader and different locations for the shutter relative to the take-up spools.

 

[dmr]

I do this all the time.

Strong suggestion: If you have your film processed at lab, tell them to NOT cut the negatives on any roll you switched cameras on! I learned that the hard way.

 

[Pherdinand]

that's when you need more cameras😀
Anyway, just wind it back but stop when you feel the film is released from the takeup spool, and when you put it back, shoot it (lens cap on, small aperture, fast speed) until you are sure you are OVER the frame. Better have 2-3 empty frames than screwedup, unwanted double exposures.
Or just process the half exposed film. It's not that expensive.

 

[Kat]

Okay, fastest speed, fastest asa setting, and smallest apperture, give a couple of frames allowance, got it! I have only a few exposures into this roll, nothing special or unrepeatable, so it won't really kill me to lose those frames, but I figured I might as well get some practice in case something like this happens again.

And definitely thanks for the tips on different lengths/distances and on negative cutting, I would never have thought of those things. The horror you must have gone through! 😱

 

[bob cole]

a little dilemma

Okay, fastest speed, fastest asa setting, and smallest apperture, give a couple of frames allowance, got it! I have only a few exposures into this roll, nothing special or unrepeatable, so it won't really kill me to lose those frames, but I figured I might as well get some practice in case something like this happens again.

And definitely thanks for the tips on different lengths/distances and on negative cutting, I would never have thought of those things. The horror you must have gone through! 😱

_____________________________________________________________

kat, other than using a darkroom or a changing bag, you might go to a competent one-hour photo place and ask, as a favor, if they could remove the film without exposing the film or losing any pictures you already shot...But, if you do, make sure that the one who does it, knows how...I've had it done at one-hour places because the operator had a kind of changing box he used all the time to remove film from cameras for people who don't know how...regards, bob

 

[Wayne R. Scott]

As everyone has told you how to rewind the film, I will give you my tip. This is from an old geezer that has a poor memory, I take a black sharpie pen and write 9, 12, 15 or however many shots I have taken on the leader of the roll so that I do not forget where I ended.

Wayne

 

[Kat]

Thanks! Sounds good.🙂