Complete Guide to 70mm Film

[film4Me]

Very interesting! I haven't come across these before. Being able to cut notches for any format is a great feature! What length of film can these hold?

A normal 220 length. 116 and 616 lengths fit comfortably in the reel.

Notches must be accurate. I file a little at a time, checking with film as I go.

So far I've filed extra notches for APS and 70mm.

 

[Nokton48]

Current Carrying Around Moon ELM 60 CTStar Custom Made Hood A70 Finder Back by Nokton48, on Flickr

This is my current carrying around Hasselblad 500EL/M 10 Years On the Moon A70 70mm Film Back 70mm Straight Back Finder. 60mm F3.5 C T* Distagon with Custom Made Hood Cut Down Machine Shop. Film Back is load with Type II Kodak Plus-X 1982 Vintage works like new stock so far for me. 24 Exposures loaded in a Kodak 70mm Cassette ready to go. I have plenty of Olde Paterson Reels, didn't mind at all to dedicate a few to 70mm developing. When I'm loading something I view as important to me, I am glad I have my permanently modified reels.

 

[Nokton48]

500 ELM 70mm FInder 60mm F3.5 C TStar Distagon Custom Hood by Nokton48, on Flickr

Bigger file reshoot. Not sure what happened.

This is my current carrying around Hasselblad 500EL/M 10 Years On the Moon A70 70mm Film Back 70mm Straight Back Finder. 60mm F3.5 C T* Distagon with Custom Made Hood Cut Down Machine Shop. Film Back is load with Type II Kodak Plus-X 1982 Vintage works like new stock so far for me. 24 Exposures loaded in a Kodak 70mm Cassette ready to go. FOBA Sweep Table DIMIL Broncolor Hazylight overhead Small Mirror camera right, adding reflections and nice fill. 500EL/M with Hasselblad CFV16 Digital Back, 80mm F2.8 Black T* Zeiss Planar with Hood.

 

[eli griggs]

500 ELM 70mm FInder 60mm F3.5 C TStar Distagon Custom Hood by Nokton48, on Flickr

Bigger file reshoot. Not sure what happened.

This is my current carrying around Hasselblad 500EL/M 10 Years On the Moon A70 70mm Film Back 70mm Straight Back Finder. 60mm F3.5 C T* Distagon with Custom Made Hood Cut Down Machine Shop. Film Back is load with Type II Kodak Plus-X 1982 Vintage works like new stock so far for me. 24 Exposures loaded in a Kodak 70mm Cassette ready to go. FOBA Sweep Table DIMIL Broncolor Hazylight overhead Small Mirror camera right, adding reflections and nice fill. 500EL/M with Hasselblad CFV16 Digital Back, 80mm F2.8 Black T* Zeiss Planar with Hood.

Nice unit.

 

[MCB18]

the 70mm haul from the latest Astrum order! I’m keeping 150’ of it, plus a little extra that I put in a cassette.

 

[Nokton48]

Nice unit.

Thanks Eli.

Multigrade RC VC 70mm PX 1981 Microdol-X by Nokton48, on Flickr

 

[MCB18]

I may have an opportunity to get some Aerocolor IV film, and if I can, my plan would be to get it slit to 70mm. It wouldn’t be cheap, but I know at least a couple of you have expressed interest in fresh C41 70mm stock, so anyone would like to know more, here is the thread in the group organized functions section.

 

[JRKyle]

"orthochromatic in nature" it says in this link, if you can get it to work. https://ia800802.us.archive.org/32/items/a-rebuild-of-a-burke-james-5-x-7/Kodak RAR Film.pdf ... you might get a 404 Error, but the site is about experimenting with developers for this film.

“Ansco-30/JK” developer was used and it worked better than the usual developers such as D76

Hello there "Film4Me"... If there is any questions about the experiments with the reformulation "Ansco-30/JK" let me know. With either the Kodak 2490 RAR Film or Fuji HR-U X-ray film.

 

[minhnk1990]

I've published a new website devoted to 70mm film: www.shoot70mm.com

It's been a massive undertaking, but a real labor of love, and includes a history of the format, information on all cameras/backs that take 70mm, information on most common 70mm film stocks, instructions for loading, developing, and modifying backs, and information on new products from Mercury Works to make shooting, developing, and scanning 70mm much easier and more accessible.

With the huge surge in the popularity of analog photography, an entire generation (plus many in previous generations) are missing out on this format because information about it is so scarce. No central source of information for folks wanting to start shooting 70mm has existed until now (though there are some very helpful 70mm shooters in these forums). If you are curious about or have been wanting to start shooting 70mm, but haven't known where to start, this site is for you. If you are just interested in the history of the format, this site is for you. If you are a 70mm shooter looking to optimize or upgrade your workflow, this site is for you.

Also, I'd appreciate any feedback, including corrections, comments, and suggested additions! This is basically the "official" thread for the site, and I welcome all feedback! I don't generally post much to forums, but will be watching and replying to this thread.

Thank you so much!

 

[MCB18]

Just bought 2 cans of Agfa N400!

The listing had a test image and it looks pretty good, confirmed cold stored the entire time. 50 feet is going to a friend, and I’ll probably cut some 120/220. I’ll keep a couple of 15’ cassettes for sure though.

 

[blee1996]

You guys might be interested in all the movie shot on IMAX 70mm

Every Film Ever Shot on IMAX 70mm and 1.43:1

The useful infographic was made on Reddit.

nofilmschool.com

 

[pcameau]

Just bought 2 cans of Agfa N400!

The listing had a test image and it looks pretty good, confirmed cold stored the entire time. 50 feet is going to a friend, and I’ll probably cut some 120/220. I’ll keep a couple of 15’ cassettes for sure though.

Oh, I’m a taker for some film to try.

 

[rhizomeblur]

Thank you so much!

You are so welcome! www.shoot70mm.com has had a dramatic effect on the film community, I'm proud to say! 70mm went from a nearly defunct format to a worldwide revival. The power of information!

 

[rhizomeblur]

Hi all, Ilford's 2026 ULF campaign is now live! Mercury Works is taking orders for HP5+ in unperforated 70mm, perforated 70mm, and 46mm (127). Be warned: Ilford significantly raised their prices for 70mm this year. But for those who want the best and can afford it.... https://mercuryworks.store/collections/film/Ilford

 

[eli griggs]

Mercury roll, 50’ divided $330.00 = $6.60 @ foot.

How much will cold stored Tri-x run member to member?

 

[MCB18]

Mercury roll, 50’ divided $330.00 = $6.60 @ foot.

How much will cold stored Tri-x run member to member?

Dang… at that point, I would rather shoot 120 tbh…

 

[rhizomeblur]

How much will cold stored Tri-x run member to member?

We don't have enough Tri-X to bother selling, but even if we did, or someone else out there did, the key thing to know is that it does not age well, even cold stored. All but the very last batches of 70mm Tri-X are now well below the ISO of inexpensive, but new 70mm films available now. And the Tri-X will have extra grain, along with no extra ISO. This is the main reason that folks are willing to pay Ilford's insanely high price for HP5+: there is no other alternative if you want fast, high quality 70mm film. Mercury Works Vertov 320 is the next closest option, but there is nothing as good as HP5+, which can be easily pushed to 1600 (Vertov shouldn't be pushed). Not that I'm saying you should sell your house to purchase HP5+... just that those who do buy it each year do so because there is no other alternative. 70mm Tri-X is just not good anymore. I mean, it's shootable, but it is not fast.

Even two years ago, Ilford's 70mm price was much more reasonable. It has gone up a lot in the past two years. I think this year it may be too rich for my blood, but that's not true for everyone.

 

[rhizomeblur]

Dang… at that point, I would rather shoot 120 tbh…

Yep, sadly I agree. I wish Ilford would work harder to keep the price down, but they aren't too keen on 70mm at this point. We had to push them this year to offer unperforated, for example. The double perforated is even more expensive!

Nonetheless, we are receiving orders. And the flip side is: this year will be cheaper than any year in the future! So if you really need or want HP5+ in 70mm instead of 120, it's pretty great that it even exists!

 

[MCB18]

I bought a roll of 1972 Plus-x in 70mm for a good price a bit ago, I might sell some here if it’s not completely unusable. Supposedly it does alright, although you still loose speed.

 

[MCB18]

And it’s here! Let’s hope my gamble pays off!

 

[pcameau]

Ah, please share your results.

 

[pcameau]

Just bought 2 cans of Agfa N400!

The listing had a test image and it looks pretty good, confirmed cold stored the entire time. 50 feet is going to a friend, and I’ll probably cut some 120/220. I’ll keep a couple of 15’ cassettes for sure though.

How was the film?

 

[rhizomeblur]

I bought a roll of 1972 Plus-x in 70mm for a good price a bit ago, I might sell some here if it’s not completely unusable. Supposedly it does alright, although you still loose speed.

I think you have a good chance of it being usable, unless it has been subjected to high heat over its lifetime. It seems insanely old for film, but I have shot Plus-X 70mm this old and it worked just fine. There are very few film emulsions that hold up like this. In my opinion, Plus-X, in 35mm or 70mm, holds up better than any other film I know over long periods of time. You definitely lose speed, but it's a very stable emulsion. Happy shooting!

 

[blee1996]

I also had good experience with very expired Plus X film from 1985.

In addition, Panatomic X and Verichrome Pan are other two longevity champions. I regularly shoot rolls from 1970s.

 

[MCB18]

It seems insanely old for film, but I have shot Plus-X 70mm this old and it worked just fine.

This isn’t even the oldest film that I have, I have a 70mm roll of RS-Pan (ISO 500) film from 1964 that is still somehow usable at EI 50! Do not ask me how, I do not know. But yes, from what I’ve seen, plus-x tends to age pretty well. It will have some fog there’s no doubt about that, but it doesn’t seem to lose a whole lot of speed so you can just burn through it pretty easily.