APS film?

[Cholentpot]

The world is holding its breath.

I had my first attempt at reloading APS. I think my first test strip wrecked the cannister. I tested a few ways and while the camera would take up the film initially it would reject it. I opened the cassette and I think it's the cassette that needs the perfs more so than the camera itself. I'll keep running tests and see where it gets me.

Keep holding your breath.

 

[xkaes]

Damn the torpedoes. Full speed ahead!!!

 

[Cholentpot]

Damn the torpedoes. Full speed ahead!!!

aye aye sir!

 

[ic-racer]

I still think I have an APS cassette. I'll check again.

 

[Minolta93]

I'm attempting to reload APS. I managed recently to get some 126 working by punching my own pefs into some film. From what I understand APS cameras really just need the perfs to work. The data strip should not affect the film theoretically.

As for thickness, you can use cine film with Remjet and it would help. I'll know more after I fail a bunch of times.

I thought APS film was actually thinner than 35mm film.

 

[Cholentpot]

I thought APS film was actually thinner than 35mm film.

I think it is just by feeling it. It's stiffer though.

 

[cmacd123]

I thought APS film was actually thinner than 35mm film.

APS film was on a Polyester base, which they could do without woring about Light piping as the film came completely in the cassette. Polyester is quite a bit stiffer than acetate. in many situations where a film is made in both bases the Poly film is thiner. I recall when I was working with microfilm one stock we used had 215 feet on what would otherwise be a 100 ft Camera Spool.

 

[Minolta93]

If there were a way to reload APS film somehow it would unlock a whole lot of APS cameras for regular use which would be nice. I heard some cameras need the magnetic strip to be present and have info but I'm sure there are cameras that don't require that.

 

[xkaes]

I recall when I was working with microfilm one stock we used had 215 feet on what would otherwise be a 100 ft Camera Spool.

I have lots of 16mm microfilm in 100' and 215' rolls. The rolls are the same diameter -- one just has base 1/2 the thickness. It makes a difference with 16mm cameras since you can load twice as much film in those tiny cassettes. How about a Minox that can take 100 pictures on one load!!!

 

[xkaes]

If there were a way to reload APS film somehow it would unlock a whole lot of APS cameras for regular use which would be nice. I heard some cameras need the magnetic strip to be present and have info but I'm sure there are cameras that don't require that.

We thank you so much for volunteering. Report back ASAP.

 

[Minolta93]

We thank you so much for volunteering. Report back ASAP.

I'm broke but I will welcome donations.

 

[MichiTimm]

There's a guy named Gao Chong in China - his facebook profile was linked to earlier in the thread - who reloads APS film cartridges and will happily sell you some. Results have been posted in the APS Film Users Group on Facebook. When he first posted about it he said you could send him whatever film you wanted along with an empty APS cartridge and he'd load it for you - for a price of course - but I think he now uses his own film and cartridge supply. He has posted videos showing how he does it. Not sure why people are so vehemently insisting it's impossible. I haven't used his service yet because I have a lot of APS film still but one of these days I'll likely give it a shot just to be able to shoot traditional black and white film in my APS cameras.


Here's a link to the group on Facebook: APS Film Users Group
Feel free to join, but do note that I will immediately eject and ban anyone who acts like a jerk.

 

[brbo]

@MichiTimm, links to this guy have been posted in this very thread half a year ago.

We are just pretending it never was, cause, you know, it's impossible.

 

[xkaes]

For something that's "already being done", it sure is well hidden.

 

[Sergey Ko]

There's a guy named Gao Chong in China - his facebook profile was linked to earlier in the thread - who reloads APS film cartridges and will happily sell you some. Results have been posted in the APS Film Users Group on Facebook. When he first posted about it he said you could send him whatever film you wanted along with an empty APS cartridge and he'd load it for you - for a price of course - but I think he now uses his own film and cartridge supply. He has posted videos showing how he does it. Not sure why people are so vehemently insisting it's impossible. I haven't used his service yet because I have a lot of APS film still but one of these days I'll likely give it a shot just to be able to shoot traditional black and white film in my APS cameras.


Here's a link to the group on Facebook: APS Film Users Group
Feel free to join, but do note that I will immediately eject and ban anyone who acts like a jerk.

Thank you, I'll try to contact him.
The question is how camera will understand the film without magnetic line? It happens twice that camera wind the new (but well expired) film to the end like already shoot. It is due to the bad magnetic line.
There is no problem to cut 135 film's inner part which is 24-25mm -exactly the width of APS film. I had the plans to make the metal form to make necessary perforation. Just for one film, not bulk, it seems easier for me.
But before constructing some device I need to understand how necessary is magnetic line

 

[Don_ih]

how necessary is magnetic line

I think that depends on the camera. The simpler cameras probably had no mechanism for reading that magnetic strip. The more sophisticated cameras likely won't work without it.

 

[xkaes]

Probably like 110 film -- some cameras needed the perforations, some didn't. Some could be modified, some couldn't.

 

[brbo]

I think that depends on the camera. The simpler cameras probably had no mechanism for reading that magnetic strip. The more sophisticated cameras likely won't work without it.

The guy that reloads APS cassettes has shown pictures taken with Contax Tix and Fuji Epinon 1000 on various reloaded films. Going by the shots posted and reviews I think I could live with those cameras...

 

[Cholentpot]

There's a guy named Gao Chong in China - his facebook profile was linked to earlier in the thread - who reloads APS film cartridges and will happily sell you some. Results have been posted in the APS Film Users Group on Facebook. When he first posted about it he said you could send him whatever film you wanted along with an empty APS cartridge and he'd load it for you - for a price of course - but I think he now uses his own film and cartridge supply. He has posted videos showing how he does it. Not sure why people are so vehemently insisting it's impossible. I haven't used his service yet because I have a lot of APS film still but one of these days I'll likely give it a shot just to be able to shoot traditional black and white film in my APS cameras.


Here's a link to the group on Facebook: APS Film Users Group
Feel free to join, but do note that I will immediately eject and ban anyone who acts like a jerk.

My efforts so far have failed. I got the film cut to the right size, got the perfs lined up. The camera will load the film but just wind to the end and then rewind it. I've tried in Top of the line cameras, mid and cheap. So far no luck. I wonder if Mr. Chong knows something I don't.

 

[ic-racer]

I still think I have an APS cassette. I'll check again.

Ok, four months later, I found my one APS cartridge and Advantix camera. The idea of taping 16mm film to the APS film did NOT work. It bound up in the camera.
Even a strip of 16mm film only 20cm long still bound and jammed the camera.

I think I'll stick to reloading sheet film holders, 35mm, 16mm and Minox cartridges for now.

 

[Cholentpot]

Ok, four months later, I found my one APS cartridge and Advantix camera. The idea of taping 16mm film to the APS film did NOT work. It bound up in the camera.
Even a strip of 16mm film only 20cm long still bound and jammed the camera.

I think I'll stick to reloading sheet film holders, 35mm, 16mm and Minox cartridges for now.

View attachment 358922 View attachment 358923 View attachment 358924

That's an idea I didn't think of.

 

[ic-racer]

Idea still might be open for experimentation. Like maybe start with a 15 exposure cartridge. Even 5 images would still be fun as most cameras can easily rewind the film at any point.

 

[foc]

My efforts so far have failed. I got the film cut to the right size, got the perfs lined up. The camera will load the film but just wind to the end and then rewind it. I've tried in Top of the line cameras, mid and cheap. So far no luck. I wonder if Mr. Chong knows something I don't.

Did you have the film indicator on the cassette at the No. 1 position when loading the film into the camera?

 

[Don_ih]

APS had the ability to partly expose the roll and then be removed, to be replaced and resume where it left off. So it must have used the magnetic strip to indicate that position, no matter what camera. Were there any cameras that could not partially expose a roll?

 

[Cholentpot]

Did you have the film indicator on the cassette at the No. 1 position when loading the film into the camera?


View attachment 358930

Yes.