Lomography Orca and Pentax Auto 110

<p>Lomography just started producing 110 film cartridges, which it calls Orca. The film is 100 ASA B&W. This intrigued me so I bought on eBay a Pentax Auto 110 and three lenses. My question is about how the camera (which offers no manual adjustments) will set ASA. I found this on a miniature-camera site:</p>

<p>"Accurate ASA Film settings are a bit of a problem with Pentax 110's (and many other 110's). Both the Auto 110 and the Super had the necessary activating pin to be set for either ASA 80 film or ASA 400. The problem is that today, the only emulsions still available are colour negative 200 and 400, and most film cartridges seem to be indexed for the lower speed film. If you are shooting with 400 film and the camera thinks its 80, you get an automatic 2 1/3 stop overexposure on a very small negative."</p>

<p>Well for the Orca film, the lower ASA setting is what is needed (80 is close enough to 100 and if I ever find a developing reel that will take 110 film I can adjust negative density with developing time). I wonder, though, whether the Orca cartridge will in fact trigger the camera's lower ASA setting. Anyone know? Here's hoping.</p>

<p>110 film was 16mm wide so that 110-size Kodachrome could be processed on the same machines that processed 16mm and regular-8mm movie film. So you need a 16mm reel.<br>

It is not that hard to find a 16mm Nikor reel on eBay. It only has a spiral down one side, the other side only has the four radial arms and a ring around the outside. The only Nikor reels made like that are the 16mm and the 11mm (for Minox film).<br>

Alternately, get a 2.5 inch length of 2 inch PVC pipe, and tape the film to the outside of it in a spiral, emulsion side out. Then toss it in a 15 ounce tank and process it.<br>

I'd expect that this film comes in a cassette without the special notch indicating ASA 400 speed. The <a href="n.wikipedia.org/wiki/110_film">Wikipedia page on 110 film</a> shows the 400 notch in one illustration.<br>

Note that you need to tape over the window on the back of the camera because the backing paper on this film is too short. (Oops.)</p>

 

<p>Sorry, bad link, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/110_film">correct link to Wikipedia 110 film page</a>.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-NIKOR-16-FILM-DEVELOPING-REEL-16MM-BOXED-w-INSTRUCTIONS-/150841734656?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item231ede3600">Here is the reel you need on eBay</a>, $19.95 Buy-it-Now. I am not the seller, am not the seller, don't know the seller!</p>

<p>Thanks to all. The Lomography Orca cassette already tapes over the opening because there is no backing paper. Anyway, I now have a chance to figure out what I'll get and to process. Many thanks, again.</p>

<p>For UK lomo 110 fans wanting proper processing (wetlab) and proper scans (not negative scanners), I get my 110 b and w and colour processing by 110processing.co.uk. Used them for a long time. they also hoard 110 vintage film as well. For me 110 is a large format, I am more used to Minox 8x11 from ms hobbies.</p>