Anyone else shooting with a 127 TLR?

StepheKoontz · Mar 1, 2020

I picked up a really clean Sawyers Mark IV and have fallen in love with this format. It's a lot smaller/lighter than a 120 film TLR but has the same shooting style. The negatives are large enough to feel like they aren't "miniature" and have no wasted film area for sprocket holes like 35mm has. Plus I like shooting square!

It does have the same downside that all TLR's have, mostly a fixed normal lens but I find I like normalish lenses most of the time and for some reason a 60mm on 4X4 feels a little less cramped than a 50mm on 35mm camera feels.

There is the downside of having to roll your own film, but once I cut down a few 120 backing papers to the right size, and with a film splicer I got off etsy, it's pretty easy. I just reuse the backing paper for the next roll. I just found a fresh 50ft roll of 46mm HP5+ so that will make it even easier. There is something fun about using a camera with a "dead" format for me too.

OrientPoint · Mar 1, 2020

I have a Primo Jr (same thing as your Sawyer), a Rollei 4x4 and a Pilot SW. The Pilot is pre-war and shoots 3x4. They all are great fun to use, but the Primo is probably the best of the lot in terms of sharpness, ease of use and perceived build quality.

I have a couple of 200ft rolls of 46mm Portra 400 from a school portrait company and some old 46mm Ektachrome. It's nice to not have to slit down 120 film, and rolling it up isn't that hard.

BAC1967 · Mar 1, 2020

I mostly use my Baby Rolleiflex when I shoot 127 film, it’s a great camera, would be a waste not to roll my own. I re-use backing paper and cut down my own from120 film. I have a 50’ roll of HP5+ and a 100’ roll of Konica 160 color. I built this contraption to make spooling the film much easier.

Mr Flibble · Mar 2, 2020

I recently picked up Yashica 44. And I shot a roll of respooled 35mm film with it. You really need some sort of tool like the one BAC1967 built to roll the film straight in the backing paper to prevent the film from bulging at the plane.

I've also bought a couple of rolls of Rerapan R100 127 which I'll be running through the Yashica

neilt3 · Mar 2, 2020

It's not a completely dead format yet , you can still buy it new , pre-rolled , https://analoguewonderland.co.uk/collections/127-film-the-vintage-camera-film-of-choice
Not cheap , but it's there .
If it's a camera you only want to use occasionally , paying a bit extra isn't really that much of a hardship .
There's a photographic supplier in Europe , possibly the Netherlands , that I can't remember the name of that also does it .
I'm not sure if they also do the film in bulk too , obviously you'll need to keep your backing paper safe to reuse .

Mr Flibble · Mar 2, 2020

Ilford does offer 127 on bulk rolls sometimes.

Some European webshops offer Rera brand 127 films from Japan (and a few other flavors)

BobD · Mar 2, 2020

I wish Kodak had treated 127 the same way they did 135. We'd have lots more interesting cameras today capable of much better image quality.

k.hendrik · Mar 2, 2020

rolleiflex grey baby 4x4; lovely fine 'petite' camera!
ILFORD ULF ; 1174843 HP5+ ROLL 46mm x 50ft UP EI (127 Format)Roll , for self spooling.
bought this in 2019 maybe they deliver in 2020 too?
There's a trick with the Paterson spools too for 46mm size,
Difficult to find are the metal 127 film spools.
maybe this guy can help?
https://www.nijmegenpasfotofilm.nl/

StepheKoontz · Mar 2, 2020

BobD said:
I wish Kodak had treated 127 the same way they did 135. We'd have lots more interesting cameras today capable of much better image quality.

It is a shame this format didn't have the popularity that 135 did. It seems to be a great compromise of film surface area and still having a compact camera.

StepheKoontz · Mar 2, 2020

k.hendrik said:
ILFORD ULF ; 1174843 HP5+ ROLL 46mm x 50ft UP EI (127 Format)Roll , for self spooling.

Let's hope they do for 2020, I found a dealer with some of the 2019 production in stock.

GRHazelton · Mar 2, 2020

I have a Komaflex S. This is, of course, a 127 format SLR, leaf shutter, four element f2.8 lens. I haven't used it since late in the 1960's when the auto diaphragm refused to close down. I should probably bite the bullet and have some one do a CLA, so I can enjoy super slides. Pity that the variety of 127 film is so limited and so expensive. I developed film from it myself, both BW and the 'chromes. Kodak made a tank using "aprons," clear plastic with wrinkled edges, resembling lasagna noodles. These were dead easy to load; the only drawback was the tiny dots left on the film from contact on the edges with the dimples on the aprons. I don't recall any of these dots impinging on the film's image area. The tanks weren't "sealed," so agitation was by the slosh mode. The 127 film image could generally be covered by a 35mm enlarger, so only the proper carrier was needed.

thuggins · Mar 2, 2020

I have a Mark IV, a Komaflex that Ross refurbished and a Pilot Reflex that just came back from Jurgen (Certo6) and looks like new, as well as a number of non-reflex 127's. They are lovely little cameras and probable have the greatest diversity of any camera size. The format was apparently very popular both before the war and into the '60's. I suspect the 35mm SLR and 36 exposures per roll was the death knell. It is too bad there are not more emulsions available.

choiliefan · Mar 2, 2020

I have several tlr and non-tlr 127's including ancient '30's Voigtlander Perkeo and Baby Rolleiflex 2.8, newer Kodak Baby Brownie and Primo Jr among others. Many of my old family pictures were shot using this format, possibly with Kodak Vest Pocket camera.
I have a small stash of Efke 100 but would like to find a Yashica 44 to adapt to 35mm for fun.

eli griggs · Mar 4, 2020

I find the Sawyer's aka Primo Jr. to be a great camera, the best of the 'baby' TLRs.

The fact is, the 127 format was every bit as popular as the 135, in the years leading up to widespread use, and so these cameras were no built as toys or curiosities but high quality tools.

The Camera is pocketable in a jacket, easy to operate and is perfect for tight spaces, 'street photography', ie , tram or bus or walkway.

I like how close I can focus.

Lens hoods and lens caps, in plastic can be found on eBay, and demand for old Bay 1 filters is low enough that you can find the ones you need, easily.

When I needed the spool's I contacted a film developer/prints company and asked if they had some available.

They did and sent me a dozen or two, for which I'm grateful.

Post some pics folks and show us all what you're doing with your kit.

Cheers, and IMO.

cobbu2 · Mar 5, 2020

"Anyone else shooting with a 127 TLR?"

As a matter of fact, just week before last, strolling by the Rio Pirro near San Jose Costa Rica with my Yashica 44A. I still have a sizable stash of 127 Efke R100 and decided to give it a try after sitting six years in my freezer chest. I was very pleased with the results, from both the camera and the film.

Efke R100, HC-110B, 7 minutes at 68F.

StepheKoontz · Mar 5, 2020

I picked up a very clean Baby Rollei and have to agree, the Sawyers Mark IV feels like a better made camera. I do like the Rollei auto start feature and the little trip finger for finding the first frame makes a lot more sense than the 120 camera roller film thickness measuring system. The shutter lock feature ties to the viewing hood being open is neat as well. I was testing the Rollei for frame spacing and shutter accuracy and got this cool shot of my dog Dolly Shot wide open at f3.5 1/60 on respooled Delta 400.

k.hendrik · Mar 5, 2020

grey baby with flash

Die Angst des Tormanns Sepp by k.hendrik, on Flickr

Pentode · Mar 5, 2020

I really like my Yashica 44 and recently got a Sawyers but I haven’t shot with it yet.

I’m down to my last 17 rolls of Efke R100 and then I’ll need to start slitting bigger film down to 46mm. I already started saving backing papers and spools when I saw the end of my 127 stash approaching.

I like the 4x4 format a lot. Mostly because I like how small the TLRs are. I was eyeballing a Ricoh Super 44 recently, too. I don’t really need it but it sure is cute....

eli griggs · Mar 5, 2020

Efke R100, HC-110B, 7 minutes at 68F.[/QUOTE]

Have you tried HC110 IN THE "H" dilution with the Efke 100 and, if so, how do you like it?

lobitar · Mar 6, 2020

cobbu2 said:
"Anyone else shooting with a 127 TLR?"

As a matter of fact, just week before last, strolling by the Rio Pirro near San Jose Costa Rica with my Yashica 44A. I still have a sizable stash of 127 Efke R100 and decided to give it a try after sitting six years in my freezer chest. I was very pleased with the results, from both the camera and the film.

Efke R100, HC-110B, 7 minutes at 68F.

Very nice picture! Did you use a filter?

Pentode · Mar 14, 2020

eli griggs said:
Efke R100, HC-110B, 7 minutes at 68F.

Have you tried HC110 IN THE "H" dilution with the Efke 100 and, if so, how do you like it?

I didn't post that photo, but I've tried the Efke 100 in both HC-B and HC-H. I normally prefer the H dilution when I use HC-110 but I liked the B better with R100.
I eventually tried Rodinal 1:50 and ended up liking it more with this film than HC-110 but it wasn't really a fair comparison; the film I developed in HC-110 had been very poorly stored and the film I developed in Rodinal had not.
My remaining stock has been well-stored. I should do a batch in B and a batch in H and compare them both to each other and to Rodinal with healthy film.

eli griggs · Mar 14, 2020

Cheers.

I am mixing new chemistry this week and I'm thinking it'll include some parodinal, which I'll make a point of using with a roll of E100, in a camera I need to finish shooting.

etn · Mar 15, 2020

I offered a nice clean Baby Rollei to my girlfriend - both she and I found shooting with it a lot of fun. Nowadays she prefers digital and I prefer 6x6, mainly for the 2 following reasons: the larger ground glass is easier on my aging eyes, and the local lab processes 120 but not 127. No problem with developing at home but given the little "photo lab time" I have with family, work, and other duties, I prefer to do something else (e.g. printing) and let the lab develop the rolls. Man, thinking of all this, I should shoot 4x4 again.

thuggins · Mar 15, 2020

Interestingly enough, 3x4. Like the half frame Pilot 6's, the vertical direct view finder is on the side.

cobbu2 · Mar 15, 2020

lobitar said:
Very nice picture! Did you use a filter?

Sorry it’s taken so long to respond, but thanks! No, there was no filter used here. So far, I haven’t acquired any that would fit on the 44A.

eli griggs said:
Efke R100, HC-110B, 7 minutes at 68F.

“Have you tried HC110 IN THE "H" dilution with the Efke 100 and, if so, how do you like it?”

No I haven’t tried the H dilution... as it was it took a little digging to find a time for B in HC-110 since there was little or no manufacturer’s info for that. Would the H dilution provide any improvement?

Cheers, Allan

Anyone else shooting with a 127 TLR?

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