I love this 70mm origin story!
My 70mm journey started when I accidentally bought a few Hasselblad 70mm cassettes with NASA labels on them. I thought I might discover lost photos of aliens, but unfortunately/fortunately no. The film inside were blanks.
One thing lead to another, and now I have the large Kindermann 70mm SS reel and an even larger Ikea stock pot.
But there is a certain satisfaction of shooting a long roll of 70mm with the motorized Hasselblad 553ELX while pretending to be an astronaut.
I go through this thing where I see a good price on some 70mm film (most recently the TechPan @OrientPoint was selling) then I try to figure out how I'd deal with it. I look online for the parts I'd need (70mm back, canisters, then how to develop it, etc.) once I figure all that out I get a bit excited that I could make it work, but then, at some point before I start buying, I deflate because I'd be spending ~$400 to deal with mostly expired film, and when I finish that 150ft roll, will there be something else to use all that on? I get it, and I wish everyone's the best with this stuff.
After my experience with 6.5x9 sheet film, I told my self that I'll only use formats that are easily supported and will continue to be for the forseeable future. I kind of made an exception for 5x7 (a lot of 5x7 support seems to be drying up, but for B&W there are still enough options that I don't have to worry for some time.)
Ha, that's great! Post some photos? I'm trying to imagine these bathtub sized tanks!Oh I have the tanks too, they’re just massive metal tubs you put the reel in. My small dog could comfortably sleep in them. Basically it’s like a manual dip and dunk. You agitate by lifting the reel up and dow .
Well, I finally tried my Pentax 645 with the 70mm back modified for 65mm according to the instructions on @rhizomeblur Zach's excellent site. I did something wrong a number of times, and decided to cut my losses on the 50-ish inches of 65mm 250D. I think the cartridges I'm using may be a bit off, as it was really hard to pull the film out of the source cartridge, and it tore the perfs out. I eventually got it to work enough to get one shot before it ran empty. I reversed the film and ran it back the other way with the same result.
Anyway, today I used the new 65/70mm reel from thinbegin. It worked real well, and I was easily able to get the one picture (well, two, overlapped, due to the transport issues I faced).
I need to troubleshoot the transport thing, but I have a good handle on developing a length of film, at least.
This is where I think the problem is, and it may even be on just one cassette, I'm not sure yet.I can try to help you troubleshoot... The film should pull through quite easily, so if it doesn't, it is pinched by one of the two cassette lids. There are a couple of metal tabs that can sometimes get in the way and the film just gets pinched. Examine it in daylight and try to replicate the situation. Now you have some dummy film to play around with! Sometimes the tabs or edges of the cassette lid need to be slightly bent to prevent a pinch.
Yes... this was the big headache when I first started to try to do all this. Figuring out the spacial orientation was a puzzle for about 15 minutes, but now I think it's pretty straightforward.Second, just to double-check: you're using Max Offset spools in the cassettes, right? And you have them loaded the correct orientation (large vs. small end)? Also, I assume you have a Mercury Bulk Loader; double-check the directions for the Pentax back to make sure you are spooling it with the correct side down.
Yep! I did this, sort of instinctively. But things definitely seemed to be lined up OK. Just hard as hell to pull out of the source cassette.Finally, when loading the back, remember that despite the spools doing their best to guide the film, there's still play in and between the cassettes, so make sure, as a final step, that before you put the back on the camera, that the film is running straight for the full film path, nudged against the proper side. Physically shift it and line it up if it isn't.
Thanks! It sucked. But it's OK.I hope that helps! Also, I hope your single good frame is a great photo!
Yes, it's still a real investment to get the basic gear to get started, but it will pay many dividends in the future.
Great idea! Are you planning on releasing a jobo 1500 compatible reel? You know, if you went nuts and expanded it out to the 2500 tank, it might hold close to the 15' on a 70mm film cassette....As an update to my posts earlier about my 70mm reel, I thought I'd share that I've made a new reel that now supports both 65mm and 70mm in a single reel. A multi-format reel for Paterson System 4 tanks! Can't get into the 65mm and/or 70mm development realm any more conveniently! All you need is a Paterson tank and my one reel for both formats and you are good to go! (Yeah, I'm pretty excited!) Here's a pic...
Great idea! Are you planning on releasing a jobo 1500 compatible reel? You know, if you went nuts and expanded it out to the 2500 tank, it might hold close to the 15' on a 70mm film cassette....
I see that @Nokton48 already posted his, but here’s mine! I put a 12 inch ruler and regular 15 ft reel in the picture as well for scale. They’re extremely large, according to the documents I have they take 15L of chemicals!Ha, that's great! Post some photos? I'm trying to imagine these bathtub sized tanks!
Nope, won't fit. LOL Really I'm a Stovepipe Guy.e 70mm Hundred Foot Honeywell Nikor Film Tanks by Nokton48, on Flickr
I dragged these out of the basement of Midwest Photo. Three Honeywell Nikor Hundred Foot Processing Tanks, Lighttight Cover, and Processing 100' Reel. Someday I will use it.
There used to be Aerial Mapping Companies that used these units. I used to buy Agfa Aviphot from one of them, they were Direct with Agfa.
Yes, they do nest together thankfully. I do have a more permanent space I can put them, but that involves a trek down the stairs to the basement, which I don’t feel like doing at the moment.Well, now you and MCB18 can share notes. That's exactly what he got, but he also has the spooler. Those tanks should all nest inside each other.
Indeed, it's a HUGE Hassel.it was a big hassle!
I bought this unit, had to return it. The frame counters did not work properly at all. I was lucky to get my money back, it was a big hassle!
I have a similar 70mm size issue, but it isn't a Hassel at all!
If you can find the whole set, definitely $200+.What is the going rate on the Kindermann and a tank plus loader?
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