Takkun
Ian M.
My latest Freestyle order just arrived, with bulk rolls of Delta 100, an old favorite, and Silvermax, which I hope to replace Neopan with, some Perceptol and Fomapan to play with, and so on. I think I'm good on film for the next year.
I also picked up a Bobinquick Jr loader. For a few years now I've been bulk loading with a garage-sale Watson 100, which while i've saved money with, had a few issues with holes falling off the counter sprocket, film wastage, and the chamber door popping open when I'm not careful.
My local shop sells the Lloyd's loader, which I've heard much of—praises of its simplicity (no counter) and denouncements for its felt light traps. I'd seen plenty of pictures of the Bobinquick (and clones, such as the Konica), but not much about it. Curiosity got the best of me.
First, it does in fact have a felt light trap—but one that retracts once loaded and the crank inserted. The felt clamps down on the film while the canister chamber is open, but a series of interlocks open it up when both the chamber lid is closed AND the crank is inserted, detected by sensing pins.
However, on mine, the light trap appears to be the sort of foam used in camera seals, which does concern me slightly with disintegration. On the plus side, film does not contact it while spooling.I checked this by holding the pins down with screwdrivers and shining a light through the aperture...I needed three hands for that!
Second, the film path itself is a bit difficult to get to from the bulk chamber. Before loading the spool on the spindle, the crank must be inserted to open the light trap, and the film loaded through a slot in the top and over the counter sprocket. After practicing with scrap film, it wasn't difficult to master, but requires more finesse than the Watson, especially in a changing bag.
There's a tiny knob for feeding the film while taping the spindle, which helps immensely to minimize exposed film at the tail. The counter knob rotates both ways, aiding in getting back to zero quickly. The dial start point is essentially at "-5," starting before zero itself for leader/tail. The short film path, however, minimizes exposure at the end of the roll.
The remaining bulk film counter was what most intrigued me about this model. Interestingly, the dial moves around the needle from 100 feet to zero. It's geared to the film counter knob, counting down as it counts up, with a reset button to the side. This is less convenient if you switch stocks mid-roll as I occasionally do, but I can't imagine how else it might work. A follower measuring the diameter of the roll wouldn't take film thickness into account.
There's a spot for it, but no ISO reminder dial like some past versions I've seen had. I stuck a P-Touch label with the appropriate info on the side. There is, however, a small space under the lid for the crank. Build quality is superb and solid, and the roughly cubic form factor fits into my freezer shelf nicely.
I'm very pleased with the product, much more so than the Watson! I know us film shooters are in the minority, and roll-your-own shooters even a smaller subset, but it's nice to see a more modern loader that's a little more thoughtfully designed and functional than what's been around for decades.
The big benefits are the automatic, no-contact light trap, and the chamber interlock. The Watson has a few physical stops to prevent accidental opening, but I've seen it done before in the process of opening the trap. The Bobinquick lid has a hole which the crank must go through, simultaneously locking the lid and opening the trap.
I also picked up a Bobinquick Jr loader. For a few years now I've been bulk loading with a garage-sale Watson 100, which while i've saved money with, had a few issues with holes falling off the counter sprocket, film wastage, and the chamber door popping open when I'm not careful.
My local shop sells the Lloyd's loader, which I've heard much of—praises of its simplicity (no counter) and denouncements for its felt light traps. I'd seen plenty of pictures of the Bobinquick (and clones, such as the Konica), but not much about it. Curiosity got the best of me.
First, it does in fact have a felt light trap—but one that retracts once loaded and the crank inserted. The felt clamps down on the film while the canister chamber is open, but a series of interlocks open it up when both the chamber lid is closed AND the crank is inserted, detected by sensing pins.
However, on mine, the light trap appears to be the sort of foam used in camera seals, which does concern me slightly with disintegration. On the plus side, film does not contact it while spooling.I checked this by holding the pins down with screwdrivers and shining a light through the aperture...I needed three hands for that!
Second, the film path itself is a bit difficult to get to from the bulk chamber. Before loading the spool on the spindle, the crank must be inserted to open the light trap, and the film loaded through a slot in the top and over the counter sprocket. After practicing with scrap film, it wasn't difficult to master, but requires more finesse than the Watson, especially in a changing bag.
There's a tiny knob for feeding the film while taping the spindle, which helps immensely to minimize exposed film at the tail. The counter knob rotates both ways, aiding in getting back to zero quickly. The dial start point is essentially at "-5," starting before zero itself for leader/tail. The short film path, however, minimizes exposure at the end of the roll.
The remaining bulk film counter was what most intrigued me about this model. Interestingly, the dial moves around the needle from 100 feet to zero. It's geared to the film counter knob, counting down as it counts up, with a reset button to the side. This is less convenient if you switch stocks mid-roll as I occasionally do, but I can't imagine how else it might work. A follower measuring the diameter of the roll wouldn't take film thickness into account.
There's a spot for it, but no ISO reminder dial like some past versions I've seen had. I stuck a P-Touch label with the appropriate info on the side. There is, however, a small space under the lid for the crank. Build quality is superb and solid, and the roughly cubic form factor fits into my freezer shelf nicely.
I'm very pleased with the product, much more so than the Watson! I know us film shooters are in the minority, and roll-your-own shooters even a smaller subset, but it's nice to see a more modern loader that's a little more thoughtfully designed and functional than what's been around for decades.
The big benefits are the automatic, no-contact light trap, and the chamber interlock. The Watson has a few physical stops to prevent accidental opening, but I've seen it done before in the process of opening the trap. The Bobinquick lid has a hole which the crank must go through, simultaneously locking the lid and opening the trap.
