Film can break your heart

[defconfunk]

Film can break your heart. Don't believe me? Just reach shot number 29 of a 24 exposure roll.

If you want to take great pictures, use digital. If you want to grow as a person, use film. Of course, they forgot to mention just how much of personal growth comes from pain.

On the bright side, I still have 24 useable exposures. :bang:

Mental note: always watch the rewind lever when doing those first two film advances...

 

[dbm]

Been there, done that. Loaded the IVSB, first advance looked good. Put on the bottom cover, and it must have come undone. And I forgot to reset the counter, so didn't know for sure how many pictures I had taken. It finally became clear when I knew the dial had wrapped around. 🙁

 

[Contarama]

And don't forget to rewind the roll before popping the camera open!

 

[Contarama]

100% digital will stunt your growth and you'll grow hair on your palms too...

 

[BlackXList]

Did exactly that last month, after 24 I thought "oh it must have been a 36 roll" after 38 I thought "must have been me being a moron" sadly the latter was true.

To further illustrate #2 I then wound the leader back into the canister out of habit

 

[Araakii]

There should also be a tiny bit of resistance when you advance film if it's properly loaded. But everyone has done that and you don't learn anything if you don't make mistakes.

 

[jwicaksana]

I was very excited to do a session with my sister who lives in another state and our two dogs. All went well, everyone was happy until I rewound the film, expecting to do some winding and winding and winding, while instead of doing a jolly good wind for 36 exposures, it only went for a few turns and I realized it's only the film leader! LOL.

Looks like I owe her another session 😀

 

[grantb]

M2 newb here... I did the same thing today including not setting the counter. Worst part: the final frames I failed to expose were action shots of a burlesque troupe holding a bikini car wash fundraiser. :bang:

I'd like to say "lesson learned", but the record shows otherwise. I've made every rookie mistake possible at least 10 times so far (forget lens cap, focus, exposure). It's a miracle I've created any passable images at all with the M2.

I'm only now fully realizing the genius in the design of the Canonet QL17 GIII. Apparently, even that camera was too much of a crutch to reveal my nearly complete lack of concentration.

 

[kanzlr]

It happens.
That's something I appreciate about my Hexar RF: Open the hinged door, pop in film, pull leader to the red mark, close door, power on, *fssiipfsssiip*, ready. Works every time, the first time.

 

[Paul Jenkin]

It's not film that breaks your heart, just random acts of (negligence / stupidity / accident / forgetfulness ......) delete as appropriate.

I've done this several times since 1973 and it's usually a series of shots that you really want to see the output.

My latest was shooting a roll of 120 via my Mamiya 7 with the lens cap on. I metered manually and it never occurred to me to look for shutter speed or any indication that anything might be wrong.

It happens and what doesn't kill you makes you stronger.....

 

[Spanik]

At least you didn't go to 36 like I did the first time I used the Zorki 4.

My latest was shooting a roll of 120 via my Mamiya 7 with the lens cap on.

The joy of rangefinders...

 

[trog]

Ya, and don't forget the lens cap on your RF.

 

[jparriott]

The rewind knob on my IIIF unwinds, as I wind to the next frame. So, in addition to feeling the tension of the film, I can visually confirm the advance. Isn't that the same on M2 & M3s?

 

[jwc57]

The rewind knob on my IIIF unwinds, as I wind to the next frame. So, in addition to feeling the tension of the film, I can visually confirm the advance. Isn't that the same on M2 & M3s?

I don't have a Leica, but on my 35mm cameras, I have a habit of turning the rewind knob back slightly to feel that there is tension on it. I almost do it without thinking. It is something someone mentioned years ago after an incident like the OP's and it is second nature now. When I load a fresh roll of film, I will turn the rewind knob to take up the slack, then periodically check if afterward. (I wonder if that has any other benefit, like film flatness?)

 

[Pirate]

Ya, and don't forget the lens cap on your RF.

Yep, this got me a few times. I no longer use lens caps.

 

[Teuthida]

I especially like dropping a rewound exposed bulk loaded roll of film from the bottom loading Leica and watching it pop the end cap off when it hits the ground.

 

[NicoM]

That happened to my today with my new Leica M3. We live and we learn, I guess...

 

[leicapixie]

i don't chimp. Cannot really see my screen in Bright Daylight! So if no Memory Card inside or no more memory left, shooting blanks..See some folks can do it with anything! OH! A friend loaned me his new Leica M7. i got 45 shots on a 36.. The 2nd time around in my M6 only 38, but there to see!

 

[Mystyler]

I had that sinking feeling last week when my OM-1 went to "E" and I could still advance the film...thankfully it ended up stopping and I got 37 actual exposures back! I think I was about a millimetre of film away from a 38th...gotta love it.

 

[rphenning]

It's not film that breaks your heart, just random acts of (negligence / stupidity / accident / forgetfulness ......) delete as appropriate.

I've done this several times since 1973 and it's usually a series of shots that you really want to see the output.

My latest was shooting a roll of 120 via my Mamiya 7 with the lens cap on. I metered manually and it never occurred to me to look for shutter speed or any indication that anything might be wrong.

It happens and what doesn't kill you makes you stronger.....

if it makes you feel better I don't think the camera would have told you any different as the meter isn't TTL (may be different for the 7 than the 7II, as I have the former.) Either way it's stories like these that make me use lens hoods as the caps.