120 roll film - still numbered on the backing paper ?

jimbo1935 · Jul 18, 2010

I'm about to make an offer for a near mint Ikoflex 1C which I intend to put to regular use. When loading film it has to be wound on "until the figure 1 appears in the film window" on the base of the camera. Film manufacturers still put the frame numbers on the backing paper don't they ?
The film window can be closed, so there's no risk of fogging 2 to 12; and providing the camera's loaded in the shade, little risk of ruining the first frame - at least with slow to medium film. (I guess).

Steve Smith · Jul 18, 2010

Yes. It still has three sets of numbers for 8, 12 and 16 exposures per film using 6x9, 6x6 and 6x4.5 formats respectively.

The backing paper is very opaque so I don't think you will fog exposure 1.

Steve.

Sirius Glass · Jul 18, 2010

The problem is that for some older cameras shooting 645, the numbers are on the wrong edge of the paper and you cannot see the numbers. I have a circa 1935 folder that I cannot use for 645 because of this and so I only shoot 6x6 in it.

Steve

eddie · Jul 18, 2010

I'm not familiar with that camera, but wouldn't you have to see no. 2,3,4, etc., in the window, too? Does the film advance stop it at the next exposure? With cameras I own, if the film advance stops at the next exposure, they usually have you line the film up to a line on the interior of the camera, before closing and advancing to the first exposure.

Sirius Glass · Jul 18, 2010

On Kodak and Fuji the numbers for 645 [sixteen exposures] are on the right side of the roll as it move forward towards the top or right side of the camera. Twelve exposures, 6x6, run up the center. On the left is eight exposures. If the window is on the left side, unless you have X-Ray vision like Super Man, you will not see the 645 numbers.

Steve

Sirius Glass · Jul 18, 2010

eddie said:
I'm not familiar with that camera, but wouldn't you have to see no. 2,3,4, etc., in the window, too? Does the film advance stop it at the next exposure? With cameras I own, if the film advance stops at the next exposure, they usually have you line the film up to a line on the interior of the camera, before closing and advancing to the first exposure.

That works for cameras that automatically measure the film advance. Older camera can be lined up with the start angles, but the frame numbers may not line up with the red windows. Therefore this is not automatic stopping of the film advance.

Steve

eddie · Jul 18, 2010

Steve- that was my point. The OP seemed to think only frame one needed to be seen through the window. He'll have to use the window to line up every frame, won't he?

bblhed · Jul 18, 2010

On my brownies I shade the window with my hand when winding, and stick a fridge magnet over it when shooting just to be safe. You should be fine as long as you avoid direct sunlight.

DLawson · Jul 18, 2010

eddie said:
Steve- that was my point. The OP seemed to think only frame one needed to be seen through the window. He'll have to use the window to line up every frame, won't he?

I have a (largely unused) Ikoflex. The winding mechanism handles the frame size without watching the window. It has spent most of its live in a leather case where the window isn't even visible.

I need to take that out sometime soon.

Sirius Glass · Jul 18, 2010

eddie said:
Steve- that was my point. The OP seemed to think only frame one needed to be seen through the window. He'll have to use the window to line up every frame, won't he?

That would be true for a Hasselblad 12 or 16 back.

Steve

Q.G. · Jul 19, 2010

eddie said:
[...] He'll have to use the window to line up every frame, won't he?

Sirius Glass said:
That would be true for a Hasselblad 12 or 16 back.

No, it wouldn't.

mjs · Jul 20, 2010

My 1939 Rolleiflex New Standard expects the numbers on the backing paper to be in a different place than they are these days. I sacrificed an expired roll when I first got it and counted winds of the crank to start the roll and to measure between frames. It works well enough. For the curious, I put the arrows on the film backing into the first roller, close the camera and wind three revolutions to start. Then it's 3/4 of a revolution of the crank to advance to the next frame and try to remember the number of frames I've shot in my head, unless the automatic counter widget miraculously starts working (usually mid-roll, if at all.) The camera is sheer joy to use, so I don't mind a few eccentricities. I'm grateful that my wife feels the same way about me...

Mike

nickrapak · Jul 26, 2010

I have used an Isolette V with an uncovered window for several years, and have never had it fog through the red window, even in direct sunlight. I may have just gotten lucky, but I don't think you need to be overly protective about the red window. Hell, 110 and 126 film had numbers on backing paper without any window.

DWThomas · Jul 26, 2010

nickrapak said:
I have used an Isolette V with an uncovered window for several years, and have never had it fog through the red window, even in direct sunlight. I may have just gotten lucky, but I don't think you need to be overly protective about the red window. Hell, 110 and 126 film had numbers on backing paper without any window.

Yes, I had suspected some sort of light leak in my Perkeo folder and ran a series of tests last week with the camera sitting in full sun while loaded with 400 film, letting it sit for 15 minutes at a time. I used different positionings and wound a blank frame between each "test." Having a frame left, I turned it so the back faced the sun directly and left the red window open, another 15 minute stint. I expected to see a spot looking like a torch hit the negative and was pleasantly surprised to see no effect whatsoever from the red window area. This was an old roll of 400Tmax, I suppose not all film backing paper may be equal.

120 roll film - still numbered on the backing paper ?

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