Is my film ruined?

I’ve been playing around with a samsung vega140s and recently bought new film for it from a store I hadn’t gone to before. It was regular fiji film 35mm 200 speed, and I put in the first roll and after 2 photos my camera rewound the film fully making it useless (it basically closed it up - not sure if that’s the correct term). I’ve used the camera for maybe 7 rolls of film and never had this issue. Then I put in another roll today and it was showing E meaning the film was put in wrong (i’ve put in the prior rolls before with no issue) so I opened the back and tried to reposition it. However, it was too long so I had to cut the front strip a little bit. Since I cut it and opened the film just exposing the first part a little bit, is it worth continuing? I’m not sure if the film will be able to be developed still?

For your most recent roll, if this issue happened before any shots were taken there must have been only a few extra inches of film out of the canister (what you call "too long"). So rather than cutting off the unwound segment of film that was out of the canister you should have simply taken the canister spindle and re-wound some of that film back inside the canister to the way it came originally. Then you could have re-loaded the film and knowing that perhaps the first shot (maybe 2 or 3) was on exposed film you could have clicked the shutter a few times to cause the camera to advance the film past the ruined segment and then gone on from there with good film. But you didn't do this, instead you cut off the stuff outside the canister and now wonder if the remainder be processed. Of course it can in theory. But I think it might depend on where you get it processed. Possibly at an automated facility where a machine handles the film, the fact that the film leader is missing could pose a problem and jam the machine or something like that. If you get it processed where you can speak with staff and tell them what they'll find when the canister is opened then it should not be a problem. If you send it off for processing then if comments are solicited in the submission you should explain that the leader has been cut and shortened, so the film length is not as would be expected.

I don't quite understand everything you've written, but here's my best attempt.

after 2 photos my camera rewound the film fully making it useless

If the 'leader', the bit of film that sticks out of the cassette was wound in completely, it can be pulled out again with a special tool, called a 'film leader retriever'. Any photolab will be able to deal with this, most cameras rewind the film fully when finished, but it sounds like yours has a problem.

 

Then I put in another roll today and it was showing E meaning the film was put in wrong (i’ve put in the prior rolls before with no issue) so I opened the back and tried to reposition it. However, it was too long so I had to cut the front strip a little bit

You could have just rewound the film a little with your fingers on the spindle - the shaft that sticks out of one end of the cassette, but never mind. If you cut it shorter and were able to load it correctly, it will be fine.

 

is it worth continuing? I’m not sure if the film will be able to be developed still?

Assuming the film is now correctly loaded, it should be fine. You might have a couple of frames less on the roll (34 rather than 36).

Thank you!! I did not know about the spindle before. It’s a fairly old camera I found as a hand me down basically, so it might have some rewind issues.

Thank you!!

This reminds me of a trick my Dad taught me many years ago for changing film without first finishing the roll (like needing to change to a different ASA/DIN/ISO part way through a roll). On my Nikkormat, I could push the rewind release button and then rewind the film until I heard/felt the leader release from the winding cog, after first taking careful note of the exposure number. Now the exposed frames are safely back in the cartridge, with the leader hanging out. Put the cartridge back in a can with a note of how many exposures it has. When ready, re-install the film in the camera, go in a dark room/film changing bag, leave cap on lens, and quickly run the film forward with the fastest shutter speed and smallest aperture set. Go past the last noted frame by at least two additional frames, and you're good to go through the end of the roll. This was a valuable technique for a poor college student to whom every roll of film was a precious investment. It would only work on manual-wind bodies, like my EL. I changed rolls mid-stream many times, and always without any problems.

I'm just curious what drew you to try to use that old film camera?

This reminds me of a trick my Dad taught me many years ago for changing film without first finishing the roll (like needing to change to a different ASA/DIN/ISO part way through a roll). On my Nikkormat, I could push the rewind release button and then rewind the film until I heard/felt the leader release from the winding cog, after first taking careful note of the exposure number. Now the exposed frames are safely back in the cartridge, with the leader hanging out. Put the cartridge back in a can with a note of how many exposures it has. When ready, re-install the film in the camera, go in a dark room/film changing bag, leave cap on lens, and quickly run the film forward with the fastest shutter speed and smallest aperture set. Go past the last noted frame by at least two additional frames, and you're good to go through the end of the roll. This was a valuable technique for a poor college student to whom every roll of film was a precious investment. It would only work on manual-wind bodies, like my EL. I changed rolls mid-stream many times, and always without any problems.

 

I, too, learned that trick, back in the day, when everything was on film. There was no digital.

 

I don't think that it will work with that camera. Here is a link to an article I found about the Samsung Vega 140s.

 

https://www.35mmc.com/08/06/2016/samsung-vega-140s-review/

 

It appears that there is no manual rewind crank, as you had on your Nikkormat and I had on my Pentax Spotmatic. It looks to be a high-end point and shoot camera from the late nineties. It looks like it has an automatic power rewind. It would be very difficult to avoid rewinding the film all the way back into the cartridge.

Last month I was out on a boating trip (nowhere near home) with a roll of Delta 3200 and an FT3.

 

Even though I had used it before without problem, it seems that the rewind button stayed in.

After a few shots, I noticed that the rewind knob wasn't moving, and tried to rewind without

rewinding all the way. It seems that it was so close, though, that it went all the way in.

 

I didn't have any special tool, but did have a safety pin. I bent the tip to a hook shape,

and managed on the second try to hook the end.

 

(I had previously rotated the spool, and heard/felt the tip go past the slot, so I knew it

was close to end hooking position.)

 

Reloaded it and it worked fine after that.

 

In about 50 years, that is the first time I tried to get the end out of a cartridge.

 

The goal of this was moonlight photography, lit by a full moon.

 

I didn't develop it yet, though.

 

In any case, it is possible to get the end out with a hook end pin.

I'm just curious what drew you to try to use that old film camera?

 

I would imagine for similar reasons that draw people to drive vintage or veteran cars, ride veteran motorcycles, and (amongst many other examples).restore and drive old steam locomotives. A sense of history, and pleasure in using an item that (in most cases) has been well constructed and intended to last.

I would imagine for similar reasons that draw people to drive vintage or veteran cars, ride veteran motorcycles, and (amongst many other examples).restore and drive old steam locomotives. A sense of history, and pleasure in using an item that (in most cases) has been well constructed and intended to last.

I was directing the question to the OP in particular.

 

But that plastic compact 35mm camera doesn't fall into any of the categories you mention. Being not vintage, classic, well-made, nor obviously long-lasting.

 

It may be an heirloom, but then so might be a 'Souvenir from Bridlington' ashtray. It doesn't mean you have to take up smoking!

I was directing the question to the OP in particular.

 

But that plastic compact 35mm camera doesn't fall into any of the categories you mention. Being not vintage, classic, well-made, nor obviously long-lasting.

 

It may be an heirloom, but then so might be a 'Souvenir from Bridlington' ashtray. It doesn't mean you have to take up smoking!

 

This is true, but mine is useful to store paper clips.