Yes and no.
It's on the same spool as 120, so you can load it, but with no paper backing on the actual film, you'd have to keep the red windows closed (tape over them, most likely) and advance film by guess. Same for any red window camera.
220 Film Prices
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Yes and no.
It's on the same spool as 120, so you can load it, but with no paper backing on the actual film, you'd have to keep the red windows closed (tape over them, most likely) and advance film by guess. Same for any red window camera.
but at teh same time i have yet to ever read about someone who DOESNT tape the red window on a holga over,, as well as every other seem, or spot where two surfaces connect.
yes however, unless you have that model of camera your oddly screwed.
Sure i can pop the little screw on tab that regulates the camera body between 120 and 220 film counter, but no one wants to say how many rolls of 120 film the film insert would survive.
Well, now's a good time. I have a 120S and a 120N, and I've yet to tape up either one (they're not my most prolific users, but still). BTW, I also have one of the very similar Debonair cameras from FPP. All of mine are light tight and stay together as expected.
I hate the be the cranky guy, but what I want more than any single film format or emulsion, is for the film manufacturers to remain profitable and continue to manufacture film. It is a common discussion point on this forum, beyond just 220, that people want all these old formats brought back—220, 620, 127, etc. I get it—cool old cameras like the Medalist or the baby Rollei would become useful again without jumping through hoops like cutting and respooling or modifying the camera—but I suspect most, if not all of these formats have very little chance of profitability and I want the manufacturers to stay in business so I can still get FP4 in 135, 120, and 4x5.
Again, from the start of 220, I would have seriously considered using 220 if the full range of films Kodak films [and others] had been available.
It is cute that you think the film world revolves a couple of old farts on photrio.
I don't know the ages of the individuals on Photrio advocating for 220 film, which is why I referred to them as "a few guys" and not "a couple of old farts". While I am not certain, I have the impression that you are not old enough to be an old fart, but you are free to assign yourself to any demographic you deem appropriate.
Perhaps the 220 world has grown since Ilford determined it was economically unfeasible to make 220 film and they will reconsider. Until then, 220 advocates will have to rely on Shanghai. How many rolls of Shanghai 220 have you shot, and what was your experience? Perhaps Photrio members recounting good experiences with Shanghai 220 will encourage other film enthusiasts to give it a try.
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[QUOTE="faberryman, post: 2486952, member: 79709"
Perhaps the 220 world has grown since Ilford determined it was economically unfeasible to make 220 film and they will reconsider. Until then, 220 advocates will have to rely on Shanghai. How many rolls of Shanghai 220 have you shot, and what was your experience? Perhaps Photrio members recounting good experiences with Shanghai 220 will encourage other film enthusiasts to give it a try.[/QUOTE]
Yes and it may be that Shanghai has worked out a way of producing 220 that either makes it a profit or keeps the losses to a very small amount and given it appears to want to establish or is that re-establish itself, it will continue to produce it. It does give it an "edge" over all the other producers of film
pentaxuser
Perhaps the 220 world has grown since Ilford determined it was economically unfeasible to make 220 film and they will reconsider. Until then, 220 advocates will have to rely on Shanghai. How many rolls of Shanghai 220 have you shot, and what was your experience? Perhaps Photrio members recounting good experiences with Shanghai 220 will encourage other film enthusiasts to give it a try.[/QUOTE]
Yes and it may be that Shanghai has worked out a way of producing 220 that either makes it a profit or keeps the losses to a very small amount and given it appears to want to establish or is that re-establish itself, it will continue to produce it. It does give it an "edge" over all the other producers of film
pentaxuser
Maybe they have, maybe they haven't, maybe they will, maybe they won't, maybe a whole lot of stuff. They are the only manufacturer of 220 film so, as you say, they do have an "edge" in the 220 market at present. It is up to photographers who want 220 to buy 220 to prove that a viable market for 220 exists. A lackluster demand for Shanghai 220 will not provide much incentive for other manufacturers to enter the market.
I don't think the people at Shanghai film are stupid, they have clearly looked at the market and seen the healthy turnover of old cameras and decided there is a niche of massive proportions available to them in the market. This is why you can now also get Shanghai 620 and 127 film, a good incentive to start rummaging for a previously unused camera in Grandpa's attic or spotting a bargain on eBay. Any bemusement over the market for 220, 127, 620, is more likely contained in this forum rather than the wider world.
I didn't realize they were selling new-made 620 and 127. I might have to order a couple rolls of each; I've got a Baby Brownie that needs exercise, as well as a Reflex II that doesn't get out enough because it's difficult to trim the spools well enough (and respooling is a PITA).
What an interesting concept.
I am definitely an old fart at heart.
Photrio is just a speck in the overall film community. (But I love being part of this speck!). Film photographers are elsewhere - IG, FB etc.
I've shot several rolls of Shanghai 220 when it first came out - with terrible results due to QA issues on their side. Couple of threads on that. But they have shipped some test rolls for me to try again, so hopefully this new batch is better.
If it is, then more power to them as they will be the only 220 offering.
Well, the good news is, theirs seems to be slightly cheaper than respooled or manually spooled offerings at B&H or Freestyle -- but the bad news is, I only found one dealer offering the 620 and 127, and those only in the 100 speed emulsion (aimed at simple cameras, obviously). A Yashica 44 or Baby Rollei, or my Reflex II or someone else's Medalist might be happy for some variety. But I guess that's what happens on the "long tail" when there's only one or two products left in a market segment: you get the one with the broadest use case, ISO 100 B&W.
Hey, I may be old but I can assure you that the farts are recently manufactured and new.
That aside. I too would be interested in a source of 620 film of the ISO 100 flavor. Please post any source information.
I googled for "Shanghai film 620" and got linked to what seems to be an Asian online store, the only source I found that had Shanghai in 620 or 127. Pricing was, as I noted, not terrible for a low-volume, possibly hand-assembled product, but I didn't dig deep enough to see where this seller ships from.
My understanding is that 120 size film fits the 620 spool, so the film for 120, 220 and 620 is the same. So Shanghai's 620 film is the same as its 120/220 film. The Film Photography Project sells 620 re-spooled from 120, and also sells empty 620 spools for the do-it-yourselfer. I am not sure whose film they use.
https://filmphotographyproject.com/?s=620
Thank you. If one has a Browie Hawkeye camera, one cannot have too many 620 spools.
You understand correctly, @faberryman , but film that has been removed from the sealed pouch, in my experience, is more prone to mottling and wrapper offset than film still sealed (even when stored together over the same time frame). Therefore, again based on my experience, I'd be reluctant to purchase respooled 620 film (and in truth, to pay someone else, nearly doubling the price of each roll, to do what I can do myself -- I've got a good supply of old metal 620 spools, dark bag, and darkroom) for film I might not use immediately. My guess would be up to six months is likely to be okay, but where sealed film is usually good for a decade (or much more) past expiration, film that's been unsealed (even when stored in an airtight film can) is not.
Additionally, at least the FPP 620 spools are injection molded plastic, and as such have slightly thicker flanges than the old metal ones, which means there are a (very) few 620 cameras that don't like them. Some of the 620 I've seen also seems to have drive key slots compatible with 120, which will make them loose on a 620 drive key, potentially leading to jams if there's too much friction in the film path.
I don't expect we'll ever see metal 620 spools again; they'd cost too much to make in the quantities demanded (as opposed to tens or hundreds of millions a year when Kodak was selling most of their medium format films in 620). It's tempting to wonder, however, about a hybrid, with stamped metal end flanges bonded to a plastic core (which could be thicker than the original 620 core, as witness trimmed 120 meeting diameter limits without respooling).
Additionally, at least the FPP 620 spools are injection molded plastic, and as such have slightly thicker flanges than the old metal ones, which means there are a (very) few 620 cameras that don't like them. Some of the 620 I've seen also seems to have drive key slots compatible with 120, which will make them loose on a 620 drive key, potentially leading to jams if there's too much friction in the film path.
I don't expect we'll ever see metal 620 spools again; they'd cost too much to make in the quantities demanded (as opposed to tens or hundreds of millions a year when Kodak was selling most of their medium format films in 620). It's tempting to wonder, however, about a hybrid, with stamped metal end flanges bonded to a plastic core (which could be thicker than the original 620 core, as witness trimmed 120 meeting diameter limits without respooling).
I haven’t tried these yet, but I bookmarked them a month ago when I got a cheap AAR 620 6x9 roll film holder:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/274890737881?var=575157416795
The film is the same size, but you won't get a 120 spool into a 620 camera, the end flanges of 120 are thicker making the whole spool too long and also the diameter of the spool ends is greater. You can grind the ends of the 120 spool and nibble the diameter down, but it isn't something an average person would do.
In the UK Shanghai 220, 620, and 127 ships from the UK via an eBay seller, so try that for the USA, unless there is some sort of trade war ongoing?
That factory surely has a foul aroma...
Wow.
That's what happens when something people need has been out of production for a couple decades.
My 620 spool stash came from a "box of darkroom equipment" I spotted on eBay in 2004 or 2005; back then, individual 620 spools were around a dollar each, and I could see ten of them in the eBay listing photo -- and the lot was around five dollars and a few dollars shipping (pretty lightweight, no film or liquids). Included was a film thermometer, chemical mixing paddles, a couple small graduates, old packets of Kodak MQ Universal developer, and some other useful stuff.
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