homemade 70mm loader

[gorbas]

Stone, I found that is now very hard to find good 35mm cassettes. I was lucky to buy bunch of empty Fuji cassettes in Japan a few years ago. Kodak ones were very good. I still use bunch ones from Konica colour films. Spanish AP, both plastic and metal are every bad, they are also sold under Kalt label. Last spring I was lucky to buy 30 or 40 cassettes in Columbus, Ohio. It was mix of Kodak and Seattle film works. In the last 2 years I traveled a lot thru North America and in every town I checked in existing camera stores do they have any original Kodak cassettes left. I found almost none.
I'm not big fun of practice of taping new film to piece of existing film in used colour cassettes taken from the labs. I do not like to have the last frame of the roll exposed. Even bought 5 reloadable Leitz cassettes for use in my M2 (now liberated from me by my son).
35mm bulk loaders are handy to use. I just roll spools in the dark, that way I save on pass thru cassettes felt. Similar story as for 70mm, we talked about.

[StoneNYC]

Stone, I found that is now very hard to find good 35mm cassettes. I was lucky to buy bunch of empty Fuji cassettes in Japan a few years ago. Kodak ones were very good. I still use bunch ones from Konica colour films. Spanish AP, both plastic and metal are every bad, they are also sold under Kalt label. Last spring I was lucky to buy 30 or 40 cassettes in Columbus, Ohio. It was mix of Kodak and Seattle film works. In the last 2 years I traveled a lot thru North America and in every town I checked in existing camera stores do they have any original Kodak cassettes left. I found almost none.
I'm not big fun of practice of taping new film to piece of existing film in used colour cassettes taken from the labs. I do not like to have the last frame of the roll exposed. Even bought 5 reloadable Leitz cassettes for use in my M2 (now liberated from me by my son).
35mm bulk loaders are handy to use. I just roll spools in the dark, that way I save on pass thru cassettes felt. Similar story as for 70mm, we talked about.

So KALT is no good? Ok I'll keep an eye out for Kodak ones.

I still am not understanding the bulk loader rolls the WHOLE thing including the cassette? So it damages the felt?

Are the cans re-usable like the 70mm? Or can you only use then once?


~Stone

Mamiya: 7 II, RZ67 Pro II / Canon: 1V, AE-1, 5DmkII / Kodak: No 1 Pocket Autographic, No 1A Pocket Autographic | Sent w/ iPhone using Tapatalk

[MattKing]

Stone:

Essentially, there are two common types of 35mm bulk loaders.

One type - the Alden (and various other names) is larger, has a film gate without felt, but usually requires you to waste an inch or two more of film for each roll loaded.

The second type - the Lloyd (and various other names) is smaller, has a film gate with felt, but usually requires you to waste an inch or two less of film for each roll loaded.

You will most likely find differing opinions of the various available re-loadable cassettes. There used to be more choice.

I like the plastic cassettes for the nature of the closure and the fact that only one end opens. I have older, Agfa cassettes that I removed a bunch of un-processable film from. They are metal, and have strengths as well.

It is important to be diligent about their use and maintenance.

Bulk loading is not nearly as "money-saving" as it might once have been, but I really like the flexibility it offers.

[StoneNYC]

Thanks Matt,

The 70mm is an Alden, so when I get it I'll see if I like that system.

I should just wait to see... Lol


~Stone

Mamiya: 7 II, RZ67 Pro II / Canon: 1V, AE-1, 5DmkII / Kodak: No 1 Pocket Autographic, No 1A Pocket Autographic | Sent w/ iPhone using Tapatalk

[gorbas]

Hi Stone,
cassettes are reusable as long as they work - do not let light in or damage the film. 70mm cassettes are basically giant brothers of 35mm ones. They only have different spools, outer shells are very similar. I'm using Alden type loader (thank you Matt!). I insert spool in the dark in the loader, tape film for the spool, close loader, turn light on, wind certain length, turn light off, open loader, cut the film, insert spool in the cassette. So there is no waste of exposed film. Used plastic ORWO cassettes for first 15 years and then switch to metal ones "Agfa style". Recently when I started using some new cassettes I started marking them after each loading. Always keeping cassettes in plastic containers and keeping them away from dirt and dust, as much as I can.

[StoneNYC]

Hi Stone,
cassettes are reusable as long as they work - do not let light in or damage the film. 70mm cassettes are basically giant brothers of 35mm ones. They only have different spools, outer shells are very similar. I'm using Alden type loader (thank you Matt!). I insert spool in the dark in the loader, tape film for the spool, close loader, turn light on, wind certain length, turn light off, open loader, cut the film, insert spool in the cassette. So there is no waste of exposed film. Used plastic ORWO cassettes for first 15 years and then switch to metal ones "Agfa style". Recently when I started using some new cassettes I started marking them after each loading. Always keeping cassettes in plastic containers and keeping them away from dirt and dust, as much as I can.

Thanks, luckily there are many bulk loaders for 35mm online, we shall see, the cost of some of the 35mm films is kind of outrageous... anyway the more I use film and shoot the more I realize why people complain about 36 exposures being too much, it's amazing how this can be true, I could go a whole day and not shoot 10 images...

[gorbas]

Hi 70m Guys, There is processing tank on sale:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Nikk...item20cff7752f
Why do people use all capital letters in the adds? This one is weird add!

[StoneNYC]

Hi 70m Guys, There is processing tank on sale:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Nikk...item20cff7752f
Why do people use all capital letters in the adds? This one is weird add!

Hey guys, not to start a war, but I've been bidding on this for 3 days so far and do plan to win it, so just know I will be taking this home so please don't bid against me and force me to spend extra money :/


~Stone

Mamiya: 7 II, RZ67 Pro II / Canon: 1V, AE-1, 5DmkII / Kodak: No 1 Pocket Autographic, No 1A Pocket Autographic | Sent w/ iPhone using Tapatalk

[gorbas]

Deal! As far as I'm concerned it's yours! Good luck bidding!

[StoneNYC]

Deal! As far as I'm concerned it's yours! Good luck bidding!

Thanks on the plus side if I win I'll be selling my home made one, probably for less than the one on eBay goes for.


~Stone

Mamiya: 7 II, RZ67 Pro II / Canon: 1V, AE-1, 5DmkII / Kodak: No 1 Pocket Autographic, No 1A Pocket Autographic | Sent w/ iPhone using Tapatalk