? how to get back to an old roll of film?

[tyler_johnson1]

I know that if you're shoting (film) and you suddenly want to switch film you

can rewind it take some pics with another roll of film, and when youre done

with that pull out your film retriever and pull out the tab so it can be

reloaded again. My question is Is there a way to get back to your old spot in

the film. I know it would depend on your camera how it's done exactly but a

general description would be very nice. I was shooting landscape and was only

able to use half a roll of film so I rewound it and put in some high speed

film fini shed it and wondering i it was possible to get back to my old

landscape film w/out destroing my old pics in the roll.

[adam_n.1]

i would set it to the fastest shutter speed, smallest aperture, leave the lens cap on and put it in a changing bag or under a blanket and shoot+advance until the frame you left off on, then do one or two more for good measure.

[SCL]

Generally one reloads the old film, puts a lens cap over the lens, selects a high shutter speed, then snaps off as many shots as you originally took on the film plus one or two extra shots to account for differences in reloading, and so as to not overlap the previously shot frames. Remove the lens cap and proceed to finish up the roll. The procedure I describe has always worked fine for me in 35mm films. Since my medium format camera uses interchangeable backs I've never had to deal with the issue you describe for 120 film...but I imagine that for, say a Rolleiflex user, the issue would be much more complex since you don't rewind the film onto the original reel.

[wieslaw1]

A ride in a time machine might solve your dilemma. I

recommend a sport model; two passenger volante.

[gnashings]

For future reference - most electronic cameras have a special function that will rewind the film with the leader protruding (I know the Canon EOS have it, and I think I heard the Nikons of that ilk do too). In a manual camera, you can feel the film come off the take up reel, then turn a little more and you have the leader poking out. Much easier than a retriever ana smaller chance of damaging your film in attempted retrieval (either by contact or by light leak). Then, follow the apperture/shutter/lenscap/blanket/at night (moonless!)/in a basement with no windows/inside a changing bag procedure outlined above :)

Seriously - app/shutter/lenscap is enough, you can cover the eyepiece if you want to be thorough. I have never had an issue.

[franco_mascagni]

I use the same system as Stephen Lewis and it always works great.

Franco Mascagni

[andre_reinders]

an added suggestion is to also cover the eyepeice when forwarding to the right spot - also if the camera is automatic - turn off the autofocus, cause it will hunt with the cap on.

 

My canon Elan 7N has the feature to leave the leader out - I use it all the time. Not only to change mid-roll (I just use a marker to write the exposure to forward to on the leader) - but it is also handy when you develop your own film. I leave the leader out and make a nice straight cut across the film in daylight to remove it before everything goes into the dark changing bag and goes on to the reels.

[pnance]

If you always mark the position of the film when its being loaded (sharpe or magic marker)at the sprocket, and make sure the wind lever is always in the same position, you will get reliable indexing of the frame position. Mark on the leader the number of frames to past.

[manbehindthecurtain]

How much is costing films in your country? Sometimes peoples what can afford buying camera can also able to buy second roll of films. No?

[drjedsmith]

One solution would be to use a Minolta Maxxum 7. :-) Besides being one of the finest SLR designs ever, it has a film reload feature. You just set it to rewind with the leader out, and then just write down the frame number you were on (you could use a pencil on the film cassett itself).<BR>

Then put in your new film and fire away. When you're ready to use the old film, you just pop it in, and punch in the frame number you were on. Then it automatically advances the film to the correct frame number.<BR>

It's really pretty slick. I've used it several times to go back and forth between slide film and B&W film.<BR><BR>

Or, if you'd rather use "Brand X", you could just do as suggested and fire away with the lens cap on until you get to your correct frame number. :-)<BR>

Jed

[aplumpton]

Did anyone mention the important point, in re-advancing the partly exposed

film, is that it is best to manualy select high shutter speed AND small size f-

stop, otherwise your auto exposure will try to set the widest f stop which is no

good, unless your lens cap is very tightly attached?