Old film and flashbulbs

[brenda_nelson]

<p>I have a two part question. I hit the local antique mall today and scored a big bag of "goodies". There was a roll of C 620 film, still sealed in the box. And I'm wondering, what cameras take this film? There was a forum that talked about the difference between 120 and 620 and I gathered that some Brownie cameras take it, can anyone give me some cameras that they know use this film?<br>

And my second question is that I got a whole boatload of old flashcubes and bulbs in the same bag. I'm young enough that I only remember built-in flashes not the cubes/bulbs. I'm wondering if older bulbs are safe to use? I have managed to pick up a couple of cameras over the past year that may take some of these flashes, but don't want any exploding on me! This may be a silly question for some of you pros, but I'm still learning. Thanks everyone!</p>

[brenda_nelson]

<p>I may have just answered one of my questions. It's camera research night and I just realized that my Brownie Target Six-20 takes, guess what!, C 620 film AND after I finally figured out how to open this thing (I've had it for years and haven't been able to!) I discovered a left over empty roll already in it - I'm so exicted!<br>

But I'm still wondering about the old flashbulbs if anyone has some advice. Thanks.</p>

[paul_noble]

<p>Lots of old cameras use 620. Many of the Argus TLR's use it. It was considered to be a format for amateur or toy cameras, even though the film itself is identical to the "professional" 120 format. I think that Agfa made some cameras in that format, as well.</p>

<p>IIRC, when I was a kid, 620 was far more likely to be found in consumer outlets, like drugstores and supermarkets, than was 120. If you wanted 120, you usually had to find a camera store. So, any camera that was marketed to non-photographers who just wanted what we would now call a point and shoot camera, was likely to use 620.</p>

<p>Paul Noble</p>

[paul_noble]

<p>I forgot about the flashbulbs in my response. They are probably safe to use. Flashcubes had a clear plastic cover over the whole assembly, so even if the bulb were to explode, the cover should be able to contain it. This stuff isn't dynamite, after all.</p>

<p>Individual flashbulbs were often coated with clear or blue plastic to contain fragments, in the event that the bulb broke or exploded on use. The blue coating shifted to color temperature to approximate daylight, so you didn't have to use tungsten film. Very old flashbulbs may lack this coating. If the bulbs were found with flashcubes, they are probably from the same period and almost certainly have the coating. I'm not 100 percent sure, but if the bulbs are blue, it is almost certain that they have the plastic coating.</p>

<p>If you try to use the film, you may encounter two problems. The colors may have shifted and the film may be slightly fogged, depending on how it was stored. A bigger problem is that there aren't many places around that can develop Kodacolor II or Kodacolor X. It is a different process than the C-41 process that is standard for all current color print film. There are a couple of places that can do it, but it can be very expensive, on the order of $25 per roll or more, with no guarantee of results. If the film says process C-41, you're okay. If it says C-22, you've got a problem.</p>

<p>Paul Noble</p>

[brenda_nelson]

<p>Thanks Paul! I've got some small blue bulbs, a couple of boxes of clear bulbs of the same size, several cubes, 3 larger clear bulbs and one flashbar for the polaroid cameras from the 80s (those I remember!).<br>

The 620 film is still in it's box and I can't find on the outside of the box where it says what kind of processing. The expiration date is 1980, so maybe there's a shot of it being C-41. If not, there's a pretty good camera store here in town that might be able to help me out. The film was in a hodge podge bag (a gallon size storage bag) with all this stuff, so I highly doubt that it's ever been stored properly and my camera needs a good cleaning before I load it. Combine that with my VERY amatuer photo skills - heck, I'd be happy to just get <em>something</em> to develop. But I really appreciate the heads up about the cost and potential issues.<br>

If anyone else has some tips on the best way to use this - I'd really appreciate it!<br>

(by the way - I paid $2 for the whole bag of goodies which also included some polaroid film and a roll of 126)</p>

[razondetre]

<p>Well, hey, I have a few suitcases full of flashbulbs and I use them. Flashbulbs are sold on a regular basis to users so, you know. </p>

[jpo3136b]

<p>I used a flashbulb strobe as a kid. There's usually a clear plastic cover over the "newer" ones. You clip the bulb in, drop the plastic cover, make your shot. The glass will bubble up, but, it's not going to be some 50ft fireball on a Hollywood movie or anything. After you set one or two off, you'll get it.</p>

<p>The hazard with the bulbs you're more likely to encounter is, wait a minute before changing so you don't scald your fingers. They'll be hot to the touch after firing. I liked using them. If I had a good source of supply and a decent flashgun anymore, I would still use them. They were fun to use occasionally.</p>

<p>Polaroid made a 195 camera that had a strobe that used them. It folded lensboard into body. I bet there are a bunch of people that use those. If you get "some", I'd save a handful for posterity. Once it's burned, it's done forever. J.</p>

[tomscott]

<p>The Cubes are probably those used by the '60s Kodak instamatic camera's, they would rotate and had 4 flashes per cube.<br>

<a href="http://technorati.com/videos/youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D0eGZX_4EIEU">http://technorati.com/videos/youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D0eGZX_4EIEU</a></p>

[Mike Gammill]

<p>Since the C 620 film might not be usuable, you could remove the film from the spool and buy a roll of 120 and in total darkness wind the 120 film onto the 620 spool. Then wind it (again in darkness) onto the 620 spool in the camera. Remove it and place it in the film chamber of the camera and place the empty spool on the takeup side. If you're not sure about trying this, you can probably get someone to do it for you. The most important thing (besides total darkness) is to make sure the film and paper backing are tightly wrapped around the 620 spool so the film doesn't fog. If you try this, get a film that's not too fast like Plus-X or Ilford FP4+ since the Brownie isn't designed for fast films. If you have the film processed by a commerical lab, ask them to save the spool so you can reload it.</p>

[charles_stobbs3]

<p>Kodak Medalist, Chevron, Monitor, and Vigilant used 620 as well a some simpler cameras. See this website - http://kodak.3106.net/index.php?p=200 .</p>

[will_daniel1]

<p>Brenda, If the flashcubes have little metal wires leading from the bulbs to the base of the cube, they are the old flash cubes for older model Instamatic 126 cameras. If there are no wires, they are called Magicubes, and they work with the newer 126 and 110 cameras.<br>

Will</p>

[chuck_foreman1]

Around 1980 or so I bought some 620 film from the friendly neighborhood drugstore. I suspect

it'S C41 process. Does it have a name? Kodacolor? The surprise empty spool is totally necessary

You need one on both sides with these cameras and when you're done, you'll have surprise -an empty spool, to take up the next roll! You'll find dozens of 620 cameras very inexpensively some will come with flash attachments that use these bulbs. The cubes..well these are typically instamatic style

using (also) extinct film types like 126 or 110. AS mentioned by the collegues you can buy 120 film

and re-roll it on this(these) 620 rollers to use with the 620 cameras.

 

Good Luck

[frank.schifano]

<p>Paul just about covered it all. I wouldn't even bother with the old film, but I would save the 620 spool. You can find them around, but they're not too common. Often, the sellers think they have gold on their hands and like to offer them at gold bullion prices. Any commercially available and modern 120 film can be re-spooled onto a 620 spool. There are some resources on the web showing how. Here's a link to one: http://www.inficad.com/~gstewart/respool.htm</p>

[jack_welsh]

<p>I have several boxes of flashbulbs and never had a problem with them. They are popular with cave explorers.</p>