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What do I do with 120 film?


kurt_wyberanec

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I am new to medium format, and I am just about ready to be done with

my first roll, but I am curious, what do I put this in. I know it

says that it can be sensitive to light and I should develop it

quickly. How can I store this stuff? How dark does it need to be

when I am loading and unloading? And of course, what do I put it

in? Thanks very much for entertaining a novice question.

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I generally am careful with it. When shooting, I put exposed rolls in my camera bag. I am careful not to expose it to bright sun. I transport it in a paper bag when I am taking it to be developed. While I am overly cautious, it is important to make sure the film is being pulled tightly on the take-up roll. If you do have a roll that is loose, be very careful with it as there is a real risk of light leaks. Out of around 80 rolls, I have had one with light leak issues.
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If it's wound reasonably snugly, you don't have much to worry about. I

keep my exposed 120 film in clear ziploc bags for weeks while I'm

traveling and I've never had problems (except when the roll wasn't

tightly wound, and in those cases it would have exhibited light leaks

no matter HOW quickly I got it to the lab).

 

While loading and unloading I try to shade the camera from direct sun

and hot lights, but other than that I take no special precautions. As

a poster noted above, what's ideal and what's realistic in the field

aren't always the same: you should protect the film as much as

possible, but in my experience there's no need to be anal about it.

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Kurt - since this is your first roll, I thought I'd mention that after

you have wound the film completely on to the take up reel, you'll

find that there is paper backing that winds around the exposed

film to keep it light-tight. And there is a small paper tab with

adhesive that you lick and stick around the roll to hold the paper

backing in place until you process. Please disregard if you

already knew this; thought it might clarify. I have never kept my

120 in anything but a Ziplock bag; never had a problem. Bob

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I also just went through my first roll of 120 (a throwaway roll to learn steel reel loading). Thank you, Mr. Cook, I knew that little strip of paper at the end was supposed to be useful, but I never thought to lick it!

 

in a sort of tangential question, is the last frame right up against the edge of the film end? I'm worried about scratching a valid frame when I clip it onto the reel. Or do people normally peel the whole roll off and insert from the other (taped) end?

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I am quite a careless person ( my girlfriend regards me so) but I have never encoutered any problem with loading/unloading of 120 films. After finishing each roll, I lick and stick, then reload another into the chamber. I never try hard to shield myself from sunlight ( as suggested) or keep the finished roll in any special container/bag, there hasn't been any problem. Although sometimes it is a pain to handle the film ( troublesome ), overall it is quite forgiving at least to me.
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For use in the field, I bought a Lowe Pro 'film drow AW' poch. This has a virtually light tight opening at the top, formed by four crossover flaps, so you push the film through the overlap. It stores about 15 rolls of 120 and isn't too expensive. I don't do MF at the moment, and I don't feel it's needed for 35mm, but it's a nice item, have a look at Lowe Pro's website.
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<i>I knew that little strip of paper at the end was supposed to be useful, but I never thought to lick it!</i><p>

 

Not only should you lick it, some of them taste good. Agfa films have mint flavor on the lick-it side.<p>

<i> is the last frame right up against the edge of the film end? </i><p>

 

It shouldn't be, and I haven't seen it in the cameras I've used (you should hear it winding for a while after you finish the roll), so it shouldn't be a problem.

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Shouldn't be a problem. Just bring it out of the camera carefully

so that you don't drop it (it might unravel) before, tightening the

backing paper and sealing down the sticky paper. In bright

sunlight, if there is no shade around, I lean over the camera to

create a shadow so that it does too much bright light on the roll.

Once you have licked it and stuck it down tight, you should be

able just to drop it into your camera bag pocket. Later, I transfer

them to ziplock bags and then, whilst travelling, put these in

large lead-lined anti-X-ray bags.

 

The only problem I have ever had is with some Kodak film

getting a slight fogging along the film edge near the last 1 or 2

frames. But it didn't come anywhere near the actual image area.

I have never had this problem with Fuji or Agfa film and I suspect

that it is because they use backing paper that is more lightproof.

 

An amusing sidebar, Fuji, Kodak and Agfa all have slightly

different flavours on their sticky-paper. Kodak tastes the worst -

a bit "chemically". Fuji tastes like a postage stamp. But the

best flavour is Agfa, which has a minty taste.

 

Regards

Peter

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Something not yet stated..if you look at the exposed roll as retrieved from camera it does say on the backing paper something along the lines of 'fold under before sealing'. I've never quite known how much is supposed to be folded under ( I normally fold about an inch in ) but I think this gives a little tension to the film's winding and thus guards against any loosening. That's what I think...any more suggestions about this folding of backing paper?

 

Bri

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As for folding the end of the paper under, it seems common across all brands. It does however, make it easier if you process your own, to get a thumbnail under the edge to break the aforementioned licked strip. I don't know if it improves the light seal though.

 

I suppose (wild guess), that in the dim light of a darkroom, the exposed film, with the folded under end, could be differentiated from new, unexposed film with it's leader unmolested, on this alone. If working on feel alone this may be a factor?????

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<b>Finally, a thread I can sink my teeth into :)</b><p>Ilford roll end adhesive tastes far better than Kodak, slightly minty, smells more minty than it tastes.<p>Unfortunately for roll end adhesive enthusiasts, the limited selection of 'vintages' prevents development of a full scale obsession.<p>--Michael, roll-end adhesive sommelier

 

<p><p>ps: I put my 120 film in a black plastic bag leftover from B&W paper storage, as I have had the occasional issue with Ilford rolls and edge fogging. My camera and backs wind the film up nice and tight, it seems to be an issue with Ilford rolls themselves but since the bag solves the problem, I've not looked deeper into the subject.

<p>

The minty, fresh taste with a hint of lemon keeps me coming back to Ilford for more.... LOL<p>

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