Broken Film -- Reasons? Prevention?

[Andrew Sowerby]

The film broke away from the canister while shooting with my Bessa L over the weekend. It seems to have broken off at the end of the roll. The film was able to be saved by the nice folks at Atlantic Photo Supply where I get my developing done but it was a major inconvenience as I couldn't use the camera until I had the film taken out and loaded into the processing machine.

In my ten years or so of casual picture taking this has never happened before. Was it just a fluke or are there steps that I should take to prevent it from happening again?

 

[LazyHammock]

Sorry about your misfortune. I have only had one film break and that was in sub-zero weather. You may want to check your winding mechanism for any resistance. I always have a small dark bag with me in case of film problems - it allows me to save the film and keep on shooting.
Cheers,
Nick

 

[markinlondon]

This happened to me just once in my Bessa R. I had and still have no explanation other than careless loading. Mine shredded the sprocket holes about ten frames into the roll and I had to spend some time picking bits out of the shutter (carefully!!). Did it break or did it just pull out of the spool? Maybe you're overdoing winding that last frame? Just a thought.

Mark

 

[Avotius]

I have had a roll of film snap off in camera as well with an old canon ae1 which naturaly you cant see if the film is really at end untill it doesnt let you cock the wind lever anymore (usualy mid wind) and the film snapped right off at the end of the roll because of some rather thin bindings inside the roll. The film was that chinese lucky stuff (which I dont really care for, use era) so that might be part of it.

 

[BrianShaw]

I've had this happen before, but usually only with "home-rolled" film (bulk-loaded). It happened to me most often when I tried cramming 36 exposures on a 24-exposure roll of film 😉

 

[Ronald M]

I guess you watch the frame counter and stop at 36 or when you feel resistence.

Kodak still attaches with a really good tape. Others use a less strong solution using a small film area as wedge, a really hard to describe funky solution.

I use plain masking tape on bulkmloeaded film, a 4 inch strip.

 

[ch1]

The film broke away from the canister while shooting with my Bessa L over the weekend. It seems to have broken off at the end of the roll. The film was able to be saved by the nice folks at Atlantic Photo Supply where I get my developing done but it was a major inconvenience as I couldn't use the camera until I had the film taken out and loaded into the processing machine.

In my ten years or so of casual picture taking this has never happened before. Was it just a fluke or are there steps that I should take to prevent it from happening again?

Perhaps you should not have had that second bowl of Wheaties that morning? 😉

If it's a "one off" I wouldn't worry about it. I try to note when I'm nearing the end of the roll and be a lttle more gentle with the final couple of cranks on the film advance lever.

 

[Andrew Sowerby]

Thanks for the comments. The film was Fuji NPZ. I don't think that I was advancing the film especially forcefully; hopefully it won't happen again.

 

[Goodyear]

It happened to me most often when I tried cramming 36 exposures on a 24-exposure roll of film 😉

You... will... wind... on! ... GRR!

<SNAP!>

 

[Ash]

it once happened to me in a Seagull (Minolta MD-fit style camera). It was a disaster film. First it snapped in the camera, and then I found that the whole film had been under-exposed or didn't develop properly. The next film had a light leak. Shortly after I dumped the camera for a Zenit-E before buying a newer minolta dynax cam.

No idea why it happens. occasionally there's tension I guess. check the pressure plate?