68degrees
Well-known
and a nice reloadable aluminum cartridge too. How hard would it be, its just notched 35mm film without the perfs.
Petition Ilford to make bulk 126 film?
- Thread starter 68degrees
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farlymac
PF McFarland
I'd rather not have to muddle with reloading a cartridge and backing paper. As small as the market for 126 would be, it would only sell if it was in the cartridge.
If anyone ever does bring back 126, get yourself a Kodak Instamatic 500, with the Schneider-Kreuznach 2.8/38 Xenar. Most of them still have working meters.
PF
If anyone ever does bring back 126, get yourself a Kodak Instamatic 500, with the Schneider-Kreuznach 2.8/38 Xenar. Most of them still have working meters.
PF
68degrees
Well-known
Too late (or too early), I just got one actually which was the impetus for my thread. Im so dang infatuated with this gorgeous thing! and you are right, the selenium meter still works and is accurate. How do you like your photos with it?
tunalegs
Pretended Artist
Ilford won't even make 127 despite numerous requests for it, an obvious, large, and vocal following - not to mention no fancy cartridges required.
If anybody brings back 126, it may be Ferrania as they still have the molds for the carts.
If anybody brings back 126, it may be Ferrania as they still have the molds for the carts.
68degrees
Well-known
I just want the bulk film without the backing paper. I know there is unperforated 35mm available but then I have to devise a way or tool to easily punch the index hole. Besides, the film I saw was some color film that was low color, or natural color some such and the b&w films were strange too, something about low dynamic range or something...
aoresteen
Well-known
Ilford made 46mm bulk film this year for the special order ULF program. It's used to roll 127 film.
farlymac
PF McFarland
Haven't taken any with it yet, as I've only got two cartridges of film, and I'm saving at least one of them for display purposes. Still looking for a mother lode somewhere.
PF
68degrees
Well-known
haha ya we are all looking for the mother lode. thats awesome.
68degrees
Well-known
maybe its not beyond the realm of possiblity then. Looks like I just need to make some phone calls today. heh heh
Muggins
Proprietor of Orphanage for Lost Cameras
It is, but can I afford £100+ for a roll, just to keep a few wacky relic cameras running? Especially as I'll need to hang on to old backing papers...
Adrian
Last edited:
bwcolor
Veteran
I think that the way this works is that you negotiate directly with Ilford to finance their minimum run. In other words, you feel there is a market and Ilford does not... that is why they don't make it... So, you must buy the whole lot.
jsrockit
Moderator
You are probably better off talking with lomography since they at least brought back 110 film this past year or so.
http://microsites.lomography.com/110-cameras/film
http://microsites.lomography.com/110-cameras/film
Phil_F_NM
Camera hacker
It would be less expensive to buy a few cans of 70mm and to buy a film cutter than it would be to finance a one-off run from Ilford or any other film manufacturer.
There are a few high end darkrooms out there that have closed down in recent years with film cutters that have either been stored, sold or thrown away. The last decade has seen millions of dollars worth of precision equipment go to landfills or metal recyclers. A precision film cutter shouldn't be hard to find. After that, the 126Cartridge, 127, 120, 220, 135, Minox, whatever, could be cut from still available stocks of 70mm.
I used such a cutter back in 2006 when I was working at a lab. I had a roll of Kodak RAR 9.5"x250' that I was cutting in various lengths and widths for friends of mine to handload into their arcane cameras. One friend jokingly asked if I could cut him some full length rolls for his Minox.
That machine was a big, heavy, manual transport thing that could spool up film on a roll 12" wide so any format smaller than that width was easily made as long as they didn't have perforations. There are also machines out there that can do your perfs.
Since these things are being thrown away, you could probably find them for cheap or free. It may take a drive across the country to save one from a landfill but that's still cheaper than having Harman do a custom run for exorbitantly expensive film to use in a camera that is usually found in the landfill next to the film cutters, enlargers, rotating darkroom doors, paper easels, etc.
Frankly, I'd like to see a few rolls of the original 126 film to use in a Kodak Vest Pocket Autographic.
Phil Forrest
There are a few high end darkrooms out there that have closed down in recent years with film cutters that have either been stored, sold or thrown away. The last decade has seen millions of dollars worth of precision equipment go to landfills or metal recyclers. A precision film cutter shouldn't be hard to find. After that, the 126Cartridge, 127, 120, 220, 135, Minox, whatever, could be cut from still available stocks of 70mm.
I used such a cutter back in 2006 when I was working at a lab. I had a roll of Kodak RAR 9.5"x250' that I was cutting in various lengths and widths for friends of mine to handload into their arcane cameras. One friend jokingly asked if I could cut him some full length rolls for his Minox.
That machine was a big, heavy, manual transport thing that could spool up film on a roll 12" wide so any format smaller than that width was easily made as long as they didn't have perforations. There are also machines out there that can do your perfs.
Since these things are being thrown away, you could probably find them for cheap or free. It may take a drive across the country to save one from a landfill but that's still cheaper than having Harman do a custom run for exorbitantly expensive film to use in a camera that is usually found in the landfill next to the film cutters, enlargers, rotating darkroom doors, paper easels, etc.
Frankly, I'd like to see a few rolls of the original 126 film to use in a Kodak Vest Pocket Autographic.
Phil Forrest
sevo
Fokutorendaburando
70mm is a special order item as well - having film cut to any smaller width would be cheaper (both by area and because you save on the perforation). The real problem with all odd roll film formats is the backing paper, which makes DIY loading a difficult process, and which does not survive much re-use - less than five times before edge light leaks grow into a serious concern.
Phil_F_NM
Camera hacker
This is why I've never bothered using a 620 camera. Too much of a pain to respool (even using new film) for only marginal results. There are only a few gems out there that are worth hand respooling. Aside from that, the exercise is only for one's personal pleasure, masochism or self loathing 😉
I'm guilty of this with larger format cameras that take readily available film as I have a hobby of building super-wide panoramic cameras but they either use 4x5, 120 or 135.
Phil Forrest
68degrees
Well-known
ok everybody. How many rolls do you guys want to pre order? Price will be actual cost. 🙂 I want my film. I only need a few bulk rolls to last me a lifetime.
68degrees
Well-known
ya that would be me. haheh.
68degrees
Well-known
70mm film and free film cutters are equally unobtainium as far as I know around here. I wouldnt even know where to begin looking for a film cutter or even recognize it if I saw one. How big are they? How would I make the index holes (no im not giving up yet, a little more masachism and self loathing first)
Sejanus.Aelianus
Veteran
I'm not interested in any of this as my film cameras are 35mm and 120.
That said, why don't you create a Kickstarter project for the sizes you want? It seems to work for quite a wide range of projects so it might work for this.
That said, why don't you create a Kickstarter project for the sizes you want? It seems to work for quite a wide range of projects so it might work for this.
Phil_F_NM
Camera hacker
Where is "around here?"
For the index perfs you'd need to find the specification from Kodak (it's certainly in their archived catalog) on spacing, size and type of perf.
The film cutter I used was ancient and fully manual with two cranks, one for the takeup, one for the supply. It was about 2.5ft long and 1.5ft wide. It was a precision cutter made specifically for cutting and spooling photographic film but there are all sorts of cutting machines out there made to accurately cut acetate and mylar which could be modified and used.
Realistically, you could build such a machine easily, just look around and get creative.
If 70mm isn't available (it's expensive, yes but the perf is built-in on one side) then you could use 120/220 and try to perforate it yourself.
If you are really bent on making photos with this camera and don't want 135 perfs, you might just try to cut a pattern from some onion-skin, transfer the pattern to a piece of plexiglass, use that as a template to cut some 4x5 sheet film (for it's rigid substrate for flatness,) tape that to your film gate and shoot the camera as a single shot like folks used to shoot 2x3 plates.
Get creative, that's what camera hacking is about. It's getting in touch with your mad scientist mechanical engineer. Making all this gadgetry, exposing and making a final print is so much more satisfying than simply buying film and exposing it. You have a story of the journey to go with the images.
Phil Forrest
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