35mm film-like positive strips

fort_da · Jun 25, 2021

Hello to all,

I'd like some advice since I'm far away for being an expert in these kinds of stuff. Recently, I have found in some old album, lots of 35mm film-like strips, but positive and non transparent. They are like small photos, in 35mm look like paper.

Here it is:

Does anybody have any idea what exactly this is, and if and how I can make something out of it? Scan it that is.

Thanks in advance.

Jim Jones · Jun 25, 2021

If they are 35mm high, they appear to be contact strips made by contact printing negatives onto photo paper. These were often made to evaluate how an enlargement might look, for a publication photo editor's use, for cataloging, or other uses. They could be scanned for further use, although most flatbed scanners do a poor job of this. They could also be copied with a camera for making negatives or digital files for further use. I can't account for the sprocket holes on your sample.

fort_da · Jun 25, 2021

Thanks a lot for your answer. Plustek OpticFilm 8200i also doesn't seem to do for the job. It doesn't "see" it at all. I'll search - i want to find out exactly what i need. Thanks again.

AgX · Jun 25, 2021

Here photo paper was available as 35mm double-perforated long rolls until the 70's. (Listed, but I never came it across.)

Chan Tran · Jun 25, 2021

I think you can do that with a flat bed scanner but not a dedicated film scanner. Or you can just fake the outer part of the pictures.
Well I think I misunderstood you. I don't think you will get much better images than you already did by taking the picture of it.

gone · Jun 25, 2021

Unfortunately, because they're positives, you're not going to get much detail, or blow it up very much. Positives will have to be scanned on a flatbed scanner, and the resolution will probably have to be down around 200 or 300 PPI. At high resolutions the image will start to break apart. They sure are cool. Never saw anything like this.

cjbecker · Jun 25, 2021

AgX said:
Here photo paper was available as 35mm double-perforated long rolls until the 70's. (Listed, but I never came it across.)

What was the purpose for it?

AgX · Jun 25, 2021

THe photos seemingly show german troops during WWII, the location though is not clear, the architecture might be helpful.

AgX · Jun 25, 2021

The purpose was to make in a cheap manner small positive. Best in a way like copying cine films: in contact. Or optically. For the latter one could use something like the Meopta repro-cassette, but now used on the baseboard, turned upwards.

Such small positive prints were re-introduced with Polaroid's miniature instant-camera/film quite some years ago

fort_da · Jun 25, 2021

Chan Tran said:
I think you can do that with a flat bed scanner

Yes. Here is the result of it:

and separate photos will end up like this:

I think that's the best i can make out of those.

AgX said:
THe photos seemingly show german troops during WWII,

its from the German invasion of Balkans.

AgX · Jun 25, 2021

However the soldiers in the last photos are no Germans.

fort_da · Jun 25, 2021

@AgX Don't know about them really. Rest are for sure Germans and their way through the Balkans.

George Collier · Jun 25, 2021

The US Army had a contact printing machine which was used (WWII) in a portable field lab for contacting 9" wide aerial film. The developed film (negs, on 9" rolls, uncut, were shot in cameras suspended below the wing) They were contacted in a continuous roll fed (paper) printer. The film and paper came together under rollers, were held in contact while both traveled over a slit of light, exposure controlled by the brightness and speed of travel. As the paper came out it was developed in roll to roll developing tanks (kind of like manual motion picture tanks), you constantly roll the paper back and forth to develop. Not for fine art application, for sure. But the final prints were cut up and assembled to make "maps". The images were shot with overlap, like a pan strip. then pieced together, like an early GoogleMap thing.
The example in the OP's post might have been a 35mm version. Very fast way to contact many many images quickly. Long explanation, but I thought someone might find it interesting).

grat · Jun 25, 2021

momus said:
Unfortunately, because they're positives, you're not going to get much detail, or blow it up very much. Positives will have to be scanned on a flatbed scanner, and the resolution will probably have to be down around 200 or 300 PPI. At high resolutions the image will start to break apart. They sure are cool. Never saw anything like this.

I typically scan prints on my Epson v800 at 1200 PPI, and get quite usable results. If that's a contact print, there should be a fair amount of detail available.

fort_da · Jun 26, 2021

@grat unfortunately it seems that there isn't. This is another sample from the same album using my Canon Lide 400 at 600 dpi. That's the best it can be i'm afraid.

guangong · Jun 26, 2021

In the late 40s and early 50s we occasionally found such pictures in Salvation Army and St. Vincent DePaul thrift stores. Being kids, if they showed soldiers we bought them for pennies. Apparently brought back as souvenirs by America GIs. So making contact prints of 35mm negatives was apparently quite common in Germany during the war. Whether this was done during prewar days, or not, is another question. Since 35 mm picture taking required very expensive cameras compared with other formats, along with 35 mm enlargers, perhaps users received or made 35mm contact sheets for reasons of economy.
Bernice Abbott, in her Guide to Better Photography (1941) advices the reader to buy a Contax for 35mm work. More than the monthly wage for most people. Why a Contax? Because shutter was made of metal...she didn’t consider fragility of silk tapes.

RMD · Jun 26, 2021

fort_da said:
Hello to all,

I'd like some advice since I'm far away for being an expert in these kinds of stuff. Recently, I have found in some old album, lots of 35mm film-like strips, but positive and non transparent. They are like small photos, in 35mm look like paper.

Here it is:
View attachment 278361

Does anybody have any idea what exactly this is, and if and how I can make something out of it? Scan it that is.

Thanks in advance.

Back in the late 50s early 60s before I got into processing my own film,I used a very well known company in London called Wallace Heaton(of 'Blue Book'
fame) to process my film. The negatives always came back with a contact strip which you would then use to order up any enlargements.
In recent years, when I couldn't find the original negatives,I have successfully scanned them using a flatbed scanner. Results were always good enough
for 6x4 prints. I've never bothered with anything larger although I think it may be possible.

Robert Maxey · Jul 18, 2021

fort_da said:
Hello to all,

I'd like some advice since I'm far away for being an expert in these kinds of stuff. Recently, I have found in some old album, lots of 35mm film-like strips, but positive and non transparent. They are like small photos, in 35mm look like paper.

Does anybody have any idea what exactly this is, and if and how I can make something out of it? Scan it that is.

Thanks in advance.

I notice that the punched "sprocket holes" do not line up with the images of the holes in the film. Perhaps the word for Puppet at the top is a clue?

Bob

Robert Maxey · Jul 18, 2021

AgX said:
However the soldiers in the last photos are no Germans.

To me, it looks like the frames in the strip are not aligned. So, we have mis-aligned frames, after processing punched holes and the work puppet at the top.

Something somebody put together for some obscure reason?

Bob

AgX · Jul 18, 2021

Robert Maxey said:
I notice that the punched "sprocket holes" do not line up with the images of the holes in the film. Perhaps the word for Puppet at the top is a clue?

This only indicates that no (automated) copying took place as in cine printing, where two strips run togther over same sprocket wheel or drum.

There is no word "Puppet", but PERUTZ a major german film manufacturer.

Robert Maxey · Jul 18, 2021

AgX said:
This only indicates that no (automated) copying took place as in cine printing, where two strips run togther over same sprocket wheel or drum.

There is no word "Puppet", but PERUTZ a major german film manufacturer.

I stand corrected. I googled several times and the word translated to Puppet. So I guessed. I think Puppet is a better name. :<)

MattKing · Jul 18, 2021

Perutz films:
https://www.photomemorabilia.co.uk/Colour_Darkroom/Early_Perutz.html

35mm film-like positive strips

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