How to keep track of what film was in what camera? And more...

[smokeandnomirrors]

I feel certain this is a dumb question but for the first time in my life I have more than one film camera at the same time. Record-keeping is suddenly unmanageable.

All of these are TLRs I bought used (second hand, third hand etc.) just recently. They're all in their (very) senior years, some in outwardly perfect condition, others in reasonable shape.

How do I keep track of what film was in what camera? I want to shoot test rolls to see if anything is needed for any of these cameras. Since I will have to send the film out for developing I don't know a reasonable way to know which camera the film was shot in.

Also, what is your workflow for keep tracking of exposure values for each shot on a roll? Do you use a notebook? Is there a standard "log sheet" for this?

Thank you

 

[RichardWest]

How about the first photo on each roll is of a card with the camera details?

 

[koraks]

I often write camera and lens used on the sleeve that holds the negatives.

what is your workflow for keep tracking of exposure values for each shot on a roll

I don't see any need for this, really.

 

[smokeandnomirrors]

How about the first photo on each roll is of a card with the camera details?

Yes, I thought of that but since these are in unknown condition there's always the chance some number of exposures won't work or that the film will jam etc.

 

[mcfitz]

Expose one roll of film at a time. Keep track of which camera, any noticeable problem such as jamming or whatever.

Send that roll for developing. While waiting for it to come back, expose a roll in a different camera, keep notes etc.
Send that film out when you get the first one back, and so on with the other cameras.

Or use different brands of film, or speeds for each camera, keep track that way.
That inforation will be in the film rebate, and you've kept notes for each camera.

Also the idea of taking a picture with the info on a card is good. You'll know if the camera has jammed or something.

 

[FredR]

How about the first photo on each roll is of a card with the camera details?

Doh!

I am dealing with a suspect light leak in one of three recently CLAd 35mm cameras, one of which is the culprit. I loaded each with cheapest B&W film, mounted on a tripod in bright sunlight and took lots of boring shots. Alas, I didn't think of the obvious, as RichardWest suggests. Anyway, I labeled each film cassette with the camera model and the local brick and mortar lab promised to write the camera name on each developed roll. Had I done as Richard says, I wouldn't have to trust the lab not to mix up the films after removal from the cassettes. I pick them up tomorrow.

 

[abruzzi]

Either the card idea, photograph yourself in a mirror, or if you worry about that frame not coming out, never send off two rolls of the same type of film at a time, and only test with films that have clear edge markings. So if the problem was on the FP4+ you know which camera it came from.

 

[smokeandnomirrors]

Thanks guys. This is gonna be harder and slower than I imagined

 

[Paul Howell]

I write the film E.I and date loaded on a length of masking tape that I attach to the back of the camera.

 

[MTGseattle]

A company called Pangolin Gears makes some nice 3d printed hot shoe film tags.
I also sometimes write on my rolls of 120 (this is likely moot if sending film out for processing)
Sometimes I have the foresight to take pre-exposure notes and some actual exposure notes. Sometimes I forget everything. Sticking to a system is key.
Testing is its own animal and may inspire a whole extra round of markings and notes separate from one's usual methods.

 

[MattKing]

I write the film E.I and date loaded on a length of masking tape that I attach to the back of the camera.

+1
And then I either write the same on the backing paper when I take the (120) film out of the camera, or just transfer the tape that was on the camera to that backing paper, with a note about which camera was used.
If you are careful, that tape can do a lot of traveling - to a page in a film development log as well.
The trick is to be diligent about marking the freshly developed film as well, so when the dried film is ready for sleeving, the sleeve gets labelled as well.

 

[blee1996]

OP needs to send the film out to labs for processing, thus we cannot reliably assume they will keep the backing paper or transfer the sticker to the film sleeve.

If the film are identical stock and for the sole purpose of testing a bunch of TLR cameras, then the only reliable way is to get info onto the film itself. Like the clapperboard in movie production for the first frame of each scenes: date time, film stock, camera and lens, subject, etc.

 

[MattKing]

OP needs to send the film out to labs for processing, thus we cannot reliably assume they will keep the backing paper or transfer the sticker to the film sleeve.

If the film are identical stock and for the sole purpose of testing a bunch of TLR cameras, then the only reliable way is to get info onto the film itself. Like the clapperboard in movie production for each scenes: date time, film stock, camera and lens, subject, etc.

If the labs offer envelopes for customer films - say for in house customer drop offs - ask to get some ahead of time. They will usually have an individual number on them. Use those numbers to organize a log.

 

[DDTJRAC]

I feel certain this is a dumb question but for the first time in my life I have more than one film camera at the same time. Record-keeping is suddenly unmanageable.

All of these are TLRs I bought used (second hand, third hand etc.) just recently. They're all in their (very) senior years, some in outwardly perfect condition, others in reasonable shape.

How do I keep track of what film was in what camera? I want to shoot test rolls to see if anything is needed for any of these cameras. Since I will have to send the film out for developing I don't know a reasonable way to know which camera the film was shot in.

Also, what is your workflow for keep tracking of exposure values for each shot on a roll? Do you use a notebook? Is there a standard "log sheet" for this?

Thank you

Artist's tape on the camera.

 

[smokeandnomirrors]

If the labs offer envelopes for customer films - say for in house customer drop offs - ask to get some ahead of time. They will usually have an individual number on them. Use those numbers to organize a log.

I remember those days when I lived elsewhere. I thought they were long gone so I didn't even check. That's a good idea and I will look into it, thank you.

Thanks to everybody else for the ideas.

 

[RalphLambrecht]

How about the first photo on each roll is of a card with the camera details?

I 2nd this. it works.

 

[Laurent]

Yes, I thought of that but since these are in unknown condition there's always the chance some number of exposures won't work or that the film will jam etc.

Then you may keep track of what images you made with a given camera? Maybe as a second way of identifying the camera?

For 12 exposures that should be manageable

 

[Paul Howell]

+1
And then I either write the same on the backing paper when I take the (120) film out of the camera, or just transfer the tape that was on the camera to that backing paper, with a note about which camera was used.
If you are careful, that tape can do a lot of traveling - to a page in a film development log as well.
The trick is to be diligent about marking the freshly developed film as well, so when the dried film is ready for sleeving, the sleeve gets labelled as well.

Yeah I should have added that I put the shot roll in a small plastic zip lock bag and transfer the masking tape to the bag.

 

[moofy]

It’s not medium format and it’s not a solution here but I do really value the data printing my F6 does between frames sometimes. I think the Contax 645 does the same, so a nice cheap option for you if you want it in medium format.

 

[gordrob]

I write the film E.I and date loaded on a length of masking tape that I attach to the back of the camera.

+1 I have been doing it this way for years. The piece of tape follows the film with date shot added to it.

 

[Pieter12]

Write the camera used on the adhesive tape. Only send one roll at a time to be processed, noting which camera it came from. Upon return, write that information on the negative sleeve.

 

[Alan Edward Klein]

This reminds me of years ago when I shot Kodachrome 35mm rolls. I lived in the Bronx, NY and always mailed the film for processing to slides to Kodalux in New Jersey who handled Kodachrome processing for Kodak. Once I got a letter from them asking if I had the rip-off slip indicating the unique processing number for the package I mailed to them. Apparantly, the name and address tag attached to the film came off and they did not know which film was mine. Fortunately, I kept the receipt and gave them the serial number. They matched the serial number to the process label serial number that was still attached to the film in their factory and were able to return the processed slides to me.

 

[MattKing]

This reminds me of years ago when I shot Kodachrome 35mm rolls. I lived in the Bronx, NY and always mailed the film for processing to slides to Kodalux in New Jersey who handled Kodachrome processing for Kodak. Once I got a letter from them asking if I had the rip-off slip indicating the unique processing number for the package I mailed to them. Apparantly, the name and address tag attached to the film came off and they did not know which film was mine. Fortunately, I kept the receipt and gave them the serial number. They matched the serial number to the process label serial number that was still attached to the film in their factory and were able to return the processed slides to me.

My Dad had his staff operate a whole system to deal with this sort of problem at the Kodak Canada lab he was Customer Service manager for.
He and his staff developed a protocol. They would view the orphan film, categorize the images using common themes on a matrix, and then wait for customers to contact the lab looking for their missing film, at which time they would get the customers to describe what was likely to be on the film.
Dad's staff would then take those descriptions, code them into the matrix, and then use that matrix to attempt to match up the description with the matrix for an orphaned film.
The matrices involved holes punched in cards - they would line up the cards over a light source and look to see where lots of lighted holes coincided.
The culprit in many cases? Those incredibly convenient stick on return address mailing labels that people would have printed up for their personal letters, which when stuck on to the film mailing envelopes (insead of writing the return address) had a nasty habit of coming off in the mail!

 

[brbo]

Create a "signature" (small notches) on your cameras' film gates like those on Hasselblads, Konica Hexars... Every single negative can then be traced back to the camera that exposed the negative.


(I should probably be banned from all photo forums for actually writing this)

 

[wiltw]

Shooting with MF camera with interchangeable film backs while covering weddings with more than one emulsion type, the back would have the identifying fragment of the film box (or a piece of masking tape with emulsion type written on it).