Timmyjoe
Veteran
A couple of Plus-X examples from my last roll with the 16QT.
Amazing little cameras.
Amazing little cameras.
Minolta 16II, Amazing little camera
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mickjazz
Newbie
How Can I Tell If There's Film in the Minolta 16 ?
How Can I Tell If There's Film in the Minolta 16 ?
Have a new for me Minolta 16 II . I don't know if it has a roll of film left in it. Is there a simple way to know if it is loaded with film without opening it in a dark room or changing bag?
Thanks mike
How Can I Tell If There's Film in the Minolta 16 ?
Have a new for me Minolta 16 II . I don't know if it has a roll of film left in it. Is there a simple way to know if it is loaded with film without opening it in a dark room or changing bag?
Thanks mike
zuiko85
Veteran
Well no, the push pull action is a little harder but that varies camera to camera anyway. Also note, every time you open and close the camera the film (if in there) advances even if you don't release the shutter. So, if it has film in it and you have opened and closed it then every time you do you will have a blank frame.
Really, the Minolta 16 range are a do it yourself camera from start to finish. There is no new film available and if you want to use the camera regularly you will have to obtain cartridges, load your own film and do your own processing. That is really the only practical way to proceed. This also may mean slitting down 35mm or 120 film into 16mm wide strips to have film to load into the cartridges. The cartridges can be reloaded with the usual caution of careful handling and pay attention to keeping them as clean and dust free as you can. Even so getting scratch free negatives is a constant problem. I believe ORWO may still have 16mm B&W negative film but I'm not sure.
Kenzie
Member
Would love to shoot with mine, wouldn't know where to begin with reloading or developing though.
Just thought I would post an amendment to this. I recently cut down a roll of 120 to 127. I had the offcut sat on my desk and amazingly the offcut is the right size. I have a cart in another Minolta and a popped it open. It had been loaded with perforated 16mm film. It will need cleaning up but I think its doable. Now, how to develop?
Just thought I would post an amendment to this. I recently cut down a roll of 120 to 127. I had the offcut sat on my desk and amazingly the offcut is the right size. I have a cart in another Minolta and a popped it open. It had been loaded with perforated 16mm film. It will need cleaning up but I think its doable. Now, how to develop?
zuiko85
Veteran
Kenzie,
On your question, 'How to develop'
A few questions.
Do you normally develop your own film?
If the answer is yes then obtain an older Yankee brand developing tank and reel from e-bay that has reels that can be adjusted to fit 16mm. Or you can buy a new Yankee Clipper II tank and reel from B&H, they are $17 + shipping.
You load the film on like you would 35mm on the plastic reel and use the same procedure for developing as you would any film.
If however you do not develop your own film then buying all the stuff you need and learning is only viable if you intend to continue doing your own processing. You could also send the exposed cartridge off to Blue Moon Camera in Portland Oregon and they will charge you about $30 plus return shipping to develop and print a roll. If you choose that option you must let them know that your empty cartridge MUST be returned with the order.
On your question, 'How to develop'
A few questions.
Do you normally develop your own film?
If the answer is yes then obtain an older Yankee brand developing tank and reel from e-bay that has reels that can be adjusted to fit 16mm. Or you can buy a new Yankee Clipper II tank and reel from B&H, they are $17 + shipping.
You load the film on like you would 35mm on the plastic reel and use the same procedure for developing as you would any film.
If however you do not develop your own film then buying all the stuff you need and learning is only viable if you intend to continue doing your own processing. You could also send the exposed cartridge off to Blue Moon Camera in Portland Oregon and they will charge you about $30 plus return shipping to develop and print a roll. If you choose that option you must let them know that your empty cartridge MUST be returned with the order.
Kenzie
Member
Hi Zuiko, I can do my own black and white so that won't be an issue. I'm based in the UK so getting the reels/tanks might be an issue.
Have been doing some research and I can get a Yankee II tank from the States or a Paterson Universal 3 tank.
What film would be best to load? My 16P goes as high as 160.
Have been doing some research and I can get a Yankee II tank from the States or a Paterson Universal 3 tank.
What film would be best to load? My 16P goes as high as 160.
zuiko85
Veteran
Hi Kenzie, just got back, but know it's 8 hours later in UK.
Not sure if older Paterson reels are different but current reels from them have no adjustment for 16mm, just 35 and 120 film. Not sure where in UK you could find Yankee brand tanks or how much it would be to ship from US. Have you ever been on the filmwasters.com forum? It's based in UK and has a great bunch of folks who would probably have more info about UK suppliers for shooting and developing 16mm film. For film you may just have to build a film 'slitter' and cut down 35mm film, a 16mm wide strip right out of the center. For that I'd buy Kentmere 100, 35mm in 100ft. bulk if you are going to shoot a lot or, just buy a couple of 35mm 36 exp. rolls. You can get 3 loads out of one roll. Any ISO 100 or 400 B&W film should do. The 16II in the picture has shutter speeds up to 1/500 the model P you mentioned has 1/100 and if the Ps model also has 1/30. You can tell a P from a Ps, the Ps model has a lever on the front that can be switched from the white dot, 1/100 to the red dot, 1/30.
If you can buy ORWO 16mm B&W negative film from Germany then it would be much easier to load your own carts and you would not have to mess with slitting 35mm film.
To make a film slitter a few power tools are nice. A table saw, drill press and wood clamps make the job so much easier. Double edged razor blades, set at about 30 degrees to the film travel do the cutting. this is a 'pull through' cutter and my home made unit works quite well. It is hard to describe in words but there are several plans for film slitters on the net. I just designed mine as I built it.
Not sure if older Paterson reels are different but current reels from them have no adjustment for 16mm, just 35 and 120 film. Not sure where in UK you could find Yankee brand tanks or how much it would be to ship from US. Have you ever been on the filmwasters.com forum? It's based in UK and has a great bunch of folks who would probably have more info about UK suppliers for shooting and developing 16mm film. For film you may just have to build a film 'slitter' and cut down 35mm film, a 16mm wide strip right out of the center. For that I'd buy Kentmere 100, 35mm in 100ft. bulk if you are going to shoot a lot or, just buy a couple of 35mm 36 exp. rolls. You can get 3 loads out of one roll. Any ISO 100 or 400 B&W film should do. The 16II in the picture has shutter speeds up to 1/500 the model P you mentioned has 1/100 and if the Ps model also has 1/30. You can tell a P from a Ps, the Ps model has a lever on the front that can be switched from the white dot, 1/100 to the red dot, 1/30.
If you can buy ORWO 16mm B&W negative film from Germany then it would be much easier to load your own carts and you would not have to mess with slitting 35mm film.
To make a film slitter a few power tools are nice. A table saw, drill press and wood clamps make the job so much easier. Double edged razor blades, set at about 30 degrees to the film travel do the cutting. this is a 'pull through' cutter and my home made unit works quite well. It is hard to describe in words but there are several plans for film slitters on the net. I just designed mine as I built it.
Kenzie
Member
Hi Zuiko, thanks again for the info. I have quite a few 127 cameras so cutting down 120 will serve both types. I did a test cut on some old backing paper and it was a perfect fit for 127 and 16mm. I think I will try it out with Fomapan 100. I can order a Yankee tank from eBay from the States and it will cost just under £30.
jbrubaker
Established
There are creative ways to develop subminiature films without finding a dedicated reel. One of the simplest is to tape the 16mm film to a piece of scrap 35mm or 120 film ( emulsion side out). A piece of tape at each end will hold it in place. Then load onto a standard reel. Another possibility is to wrap your film (again emulsion out) around a plastic cylinder such as a pill bottle, then secure it into a processing tank. I've used these techniques successfully with Minox films, so I think they would work for 16mm. regards --- john.
Kenzie
Member
Good morning, thanks for the tip. Maybe I will give that a go as well. I also have some more questions. Do I need to reduce developing times as the film is smaller? (Using Ilford ID11) and what length of film do I need? I will be using a changing bag so exact measurements maybe a problem.
zuiko85
Veteran
I just develop for the regular times. Still using up Eastman 16mm Double-X, exposing at ISO 200 and using US Kodak HC110 in a 60:1 water to syrup as a one shot, 11-12 min, moderate agitation at 3-6-9 min @ 68F .(I've heard the HC110 sold in Europe is not as concentrated so the mix ratio would be different for the UK)
I'll often be developing both 35mm and 16mm in the same tank.
Kenzie
Member
Evening all. I managed to land a Paterson Universal 3 with the correct reel from the UK for £12.99 inc postage. Just need to get some film now to cut down and load up. If I dunk a strip of film into some fixer, what would happen? Would it just wash off all of the emulsion leaving the base?
Roger Hicks
Veteran
I think that's what I paid for mine in the PX in 1966 or 1967. A couple of average days' tips (or one good day) as a bag boy at the PX grocery department.
A Headliner splitter allows me to cut 35mm film down to 16mm without perforations, and an old Paterson Universal (rightly names!) has a 16mm adjustment.
Cheers,
R.
zuiko85
Veteran
Just a heads up for those folks still using 16mm film in Minolta 16 cameras.
I see that Adorama has 100ft. spools of Eastman Double X in stock for $49.95 with free shipping. With a 100ft. roll you can can get 60, 20exposure loads easy. This film has no rem-jet backing so no extra steps to process. That's about 86 cents a roll. Expose at ISO 200 and develop in your favorite B&W developer then either scan or can be printed in a wet darkroom. Load with the prefs next to the cartridge bridge.
I see that Adorama has 100ft. spools of Eastman Double X in stock for $49.95 with free shipping. With a 100ft. roll you can can get 60, 20exposure loads easy. This film has no rem-jet backing so no extra steps to process. That's about 86 cents a roll. Expose at ISO 200 and develop in your favorite B&W developer then either scan or can be printed in a wet darkroom. Load with the prefs next to the cartridge bridge.
Timmyjoe
Veteran
Yeah, the Kodak Double X works great in the Minolta 16 cameras. It is still available through Kodak, and you can even buy it in 400 ft rolls if you feel adventurous.
If you process it in Rodinal, it will come out very sharp, high contrast, and pretty grainy. In HC-110, 60:1, for 11 minutes, it comes out pretty sharp, medium contrast, and not so grainy. You can also get good results from D-76.
If you're lucky and can find some old stock of 16mm Plus-X that Kodak used to sell by the boatload, that works really nice in the Minoltas as well.
If you process it in Rodinal, it will come out very sharp, high contrast, and pretty grainy. In HC-110, 60:1, for 11 minutes, it comes out pretty sharp, medium contrast, and not so grainy. You can also get good results from D-76.
If you're lucky and can find some old stock of 16mm Plus-X that Kodak used to sell by the boatload, that works really nice in the Minoltas as well.
Kenzie
Member
Shame I am in the UK as that seems to be a good price. I will have to continue my current method of cutting film to the right size for now. I have an idea for 3d printing a slitter but I am useless at design! On the plus side, my Paterson tank arrived today.
Sent from my Xperia
Sent from my Xperia
Dwig
Well-known
This is critical when using the later models that shot the slightly large image format yielding only 18 shots per roll.
The Minolta 16 and Minolta 16-II shot the original format which allowed for 16mm double-perf film. With these models you won't have issues if you accidentally load single perf film with the perfs on the "wrong" edge.
Back in the day, I shot a Minolta 16-II after retiring my Dad's hand-me-down Stecky. I originally used 16mm double-perf film in both, but later moved to slitting 35mm bulk film.
Kenzie
Member
My 16P seems to have a problem with the film counter not working. Any ideas as to what I need to look at? Also, what length of film do I load?
Timmyjoe
Veteran
If you have the original Minolta cassettes, I load an 18" length of 16mm film in each, which give approximately 20 exposures.
zuiko85
Veteran
Not sure about the film counter, but it must be a fairly simple mechanism if you can get the camera apart.
On length of film to load, the manual says 18 inches but I like to give my butter fingers a little leeway and usually cut 19-20 inches of film to load.
Have you searched for ORWO 16mm negative film? It is a German brand (formally in E. Germany if I remember right) that still makes 16mm movie B&W negative film in ISO100 and ISO400, in 100ft and 400ft lengths, at least according to their website. Don't know if they sell direct or use dealers. They have a distribution outlet in the US but have been out of the 16mm stock for months.
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