127 film

[stevenjeong99]

I recently acquired a yashica44 LM from a friend and it seems to be working so I would like to try it out. From some research it seems like I can only buy some chinese 127 film from ebay if I want to buy a new film. Does anybody know if there are any other 127 film I can get other than very old expired ones? Thanks!

 

[loccdor]

I see right now there's some frozen Efke 127 being sold on eBay that only expired 2015, would probably perform well. Try the Chinese GP3 too, I've been mostly pleased with it, I buy it in 220.

If you want to use other films you can look into hand-rolling.

Rolling your own 127 is doable. I don't agree that it's a waste of time if you're keen. 46mm wide HP5 (400 ASA bw) can be ordered in a bulk roll from Ilford during their annual "special formats" sale (check their website for info and no I do not work for them).The roll is approx 50ft long which is enough for about 20 x 127 films if you're careful with rolling your own. Backing papers you can make up from any opaque paper, there are templates online. Spools can be found on ebay or probably 3D printed (haven't tried this myself though).

hth

 

[Disconnekt]

Reflx Lab has Shanghai Gold 200 (repackaged Kodak Gold 200) & Pro 100 color film on their site:

Medium Format Film

Film Photography Supplies

reflxlab.com

 

[aconbere]

I’ve had good luck respooling 35mm film onto old 127 spools. You can either reuse the old paper or make a new one from the used paper from a 120 roll. Downside is you get sprockets, but as an upside you have so many more options!

 

[skylight1b]

Film For Classics sells respooled 127 film at a few retailers, B&H and Blue Moon both have some. It's quite expensive.

 

[Donald Qualls]

For 4x4 especially, the option exists to recut 120 to width and trim the head and tail ends of the backing paper. Keep the 6x4.5 framing track and you'll be able to use those numbers in the 4x4 camera's red window, and as a bonus get 16 frames on a roll (and yes, it fits on the 127 spool as long as you trim the backing head and tail to 127 length).

 

[Dustin McAmera]

Fotoimpex and several other places sell Rerapan 400 in 127 size for 14 Euros each plus shipping.
I'm not sure if there is a concensus on what film this is. Kawauso Shoten in Japan (who supply it) also offer Rerapan 200 and 100 on their Japanese site. I haven't seen those offered in Europe.

 

[xkaes]

You can use any film that is made in the 120 size.

GOATHILL carries 120 to 127 slitters -- or 120 to 127 + 16mm or 120 to 127 + Minox.

 

[blee1996]

Rerapan 100 and Rerapan 400 are really good B&W film, if you can find them. I have no experience with Shanghai GP3.

Otherwise you need to slit and re-spool your own film, and there are several kits available for doing that. For example, I'm usng Camerhack's 127 kit which works reasonably well. They also have very handy 127 film holders for flattbed scanners (e.g. Epson V700/V850). Since you are in Europe, ordering from Italy will be easy.

 

[stevenjeong99]

Thanks for all the information! The idea of cutting 120films to 645 size sounds quite interesting.. I do have lots of 120film lying around so I'll look into ways to do that.

 

[Donald Qualls]

FWIW, I've never recut 120 to 127 using a device; I've either marked the backing and cut with a snap-blade knife, or spun the roll in a lathe and cut with a utility knife at the mark. For this case, as long as you don't exceed 46 mm, there's a bit of leeway (and edge fogging isn't a big issue, even when cutting in room light). The critical point is to check a used backing paper to be sure you're cutting the narrow strip from the 6x9 side, leaving the 6x6 track (usable, with a little overlap, in full- and half-frame 127 cameras) and the 6x4.5 (gives a little extra space between frames in 4x4 cameras).

 

[stevenjeong99]

Oh thats sounds quite complicated Are there any websites or videos about this method?

 

[Donald Qualls]

You just need to know which end relative to the backing start to keep and which to cut off. Once cut, you unroll enough of the head paper to see the start arrow (running across the paper) to trim to 127 length, respool to a 127 spool in a dark bag (etc.), then unroll the tail enough to trim to 127 length before respooling back to 127 so you have the film the right way on the spool. I don't find it any harder than respooling to 620.

As I recall, if you hold the roll horizontal with the top of the backing going away from you, you'll keep the left and the right end becomes the (discarded or saved for a 16 mm camera) off-cut.

 

[BAC1967]

I spool my own from bulk rolls. I have bulk Ilford HP5+ that I got from the Ilford ULF sale and a bulk roll of Konica 160 color film that I purchased several years ago. I built a contraption for rolling the film. It keeps the film lined up and puts the tape in the right spot. I re-use old backing paper or cut down and re-mark 120 backing paper.

The contraption is set up to the length of the film. It has rails that keep the film separated from the backing paper. I first set up the backing paper so that it's ready to receive the end of the film at the spool end and the start of the film at the other end. The backing paper is in the lower rail. I roll out the film in the upper rail and run it just into the spool. I cut the other end using the rails as a guide. I then attach tape to the film, the rails keep it from attaching to the backing paper until it is in the spool.

One tip, if you're doing it by hand the hard part is keeping the film perfectly parallel to the backing paper when you start. If it's off just a little at the start it will be off much more at the other end. That's why I built this contraption in the first place, to keep everything lined up. You can put a bit of tape on the backing paper where you want the end of the film to be when you start rolling. Put the tape on the film but don't attach it to the backing paper until it's rolled up into the spool.

 

[qqphot]

fwiw I've found that the Efke 100 rolls I had frozen for 9-10 years ended up having some imprint of the backing paper on the image when developed.

I've reused the spools and backing paper from them with no problems though, mostly with fresh 46mm HP5+ from the annual odd-formats sale.

 

[Romanko]

It is possible to order 46 mm uncut rolls from Ilford via their Ultra Large Format Campaign. The film stocks are limited and it is not cheap.

For color you can try slitting Kodak Vision3 film in 65 mm format. It is available here:

65mm Film | Complete Guide to 70mm Film

A Complete Guide to 70mm Film

www.shoot70mm.com

The owner of the site is our member Zach (@rhizomeblur). If you decide to go this route I suggest you contact Zach. They have slitters for 120/220 film so maybe type 127 could also be supported.

There's also an option of getting 46 mm rolls from Astrum in Ukraine. They respool/repackage film of unknown origin (Kodak, Agfa Aviphot, Tasma?) and expiry dates. There is a group buy happening at the moment:

For Sale - Astrum/Svema group buy Q4 2024 for FN-64, 42L (Santa Rae 1000) and Mikrat Ortho (FPP Super positive), 16mm, 35mm, 120/220, 70mm and sheets!

I’m at it again, I am buying a bunch of film from Astrum and rolling it for folks in the US and Canada! Orders are open for Astrum film in many formats! Orders will be closed 16 October and film should be delivered by early January! Films and formats: Mikrat Ortho (FPP Super Positive) 35mm, 36...

www.photrio.com

Since you are close to Ukraine you can try contacting Astrum directly.

Good luck with your adventure! And do not be shy to share your photos here.

 

[BrianShaw]

I spool my own from bulk rolls. I have bulk Ilford HP5+ that I got from the Ilford ULF sale and a bulk roll of Konica 160 color film that I purchased several years ago. I built a contraption for rolling the film. It keeps the film lined up and puts the tape in the right spot. I re-use old backing paper or cut down and re-mark 120 backing paper.

The contraption…

Clever.

 

[joelbolden]

Reflx Lab has Shanghai Gold 200 (repackaged Kodak Gold 200) & Pro 100 color film on their site:

Medium Format Film

Film Photography Supplies

reflxlab.com

I just loaded a roll of Pro100 into my Yashica LM44. At $14.99USD it's cheaper than most other color negative 127's. The Gold200 is the same price.