Dumb Question about keeping track of film in MF cameras

bags27

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This is dumb, but I bet there are clever answers.

MF film often comes in wrappings that don't have that nice cardboard end that can be inserted into a slot, like you can on most 135 film.
Also, some MF cameras don't even have that film slot on the back (like a Rolleiflex).

What ways do folks have to remember what film is in their cameras? I use 4 different MF cameras, often loaded with different film. Sometimes, I remember very, very wrong what's in them.

Thanks!
 

MattKing

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Good quality painter's tape and a felt pen in the bag.
 

xkaes

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Many cameras have film reminders on the body, like a dial -- or the ISO setting for the meter. You can also buy stick-on slot holders for the 35mm box ends -- you can adapt these for MF cameras. On some of my cameras I use colored stick-on DOTS (available at any business supply store) -- usually on the film advance lever cover: green for ISO 400 B&W, for example.
 
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bags27

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Right about ISO: for my metered cameras. My Leica (no meter) has a dial. But others don't. Even ISO doesn't tell me if I'm shooting B&W or color, but maybe the lack of filter is a clue it's probably color.

I really like your stick-on dots! I knew there was a clever answer to a dumb question.
 

AnselMortensen

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+2 on the painter's tape and Sharpie.

It's also good for sealing exposed rolls when the original sealing tape gets damaged...or tastes HORRIBLE.
 

grain elevator

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Some cameras also have matte chrome surfaces that you can write on with a pencil. I've fooled myself this way though by not updating the note when I put in different film...
 

RezaLoghme

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Most Hasselblad V series backs have a little window to put the cardboard in.
 

Luckless

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Green painters tape and a sharpie for the few cameras I have that don't have a good slot for the box end. Sharpie and the backside of a box end for the rare film I use that I don't have a good printed box end to use for.

I mostly shoot with Ilford films, so I don't have a shortage of nicely printed box tabs to use, and I've never seen their film in the 5 pack boxes that Kodak offers. [But since I mostly develop in even pairs, a 6 pack box would be ideal... If anyone from Ilford marketing happens to spot this.]
 

MattKing

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For the cameras with box end holders, I've always wondered if I should get some correctly sized cards made up and laminated. The original ones from the box ends tend to get ragged with re-use.
 

DWThomas

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With a laser printer -- or quality inkjet -- one can make a little accordion-folded strip printed on index stock to slide into a cold shoe. Make enough sections to make the folded widget thick enough to stay in place. With a color inkjet the possibilities are unlimited!




(Installed in my Yashica Mat 124G)

Of course, if you actually use the cold shoe, my idea may not be so handy.
(I hardly ever use it.)

(Leave at least one blank section to switch to when there is no film installed.)
 
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abruzzi

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There was a website that had PDFs you could download and print that had different film names you could cut out and insert. I lost the url, but that seems the easiest for Kodak and Fuji when don’t sell 120 film singly. (Actually when you open a Kodak propack the little flaps on either side are labeled with the film name, and, while a little small, will fit in the film boxtop location.)

The other half of the solution is to only own cameras with a place to hold film tabs. It used to be all but one of my cameras had a place for the tab, but then the bellows on my Pearl III failed, now all my (functional) MF cameras have somewhere for the boxtops.
 

MTGseattle

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I just saw a vendor somewhere selling custom "cards" for just this purpose. I think they had 5 film stocks per package sorted by color or b&w. They're the size of 35mm box ends. I remember thinking
they were expensive.

I've made a few of my own with squares cut from manilla folders and a sharpie. For my sheet film, I use green painters tape and label them as I load them.
 

Disconnekt

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Was it this guy off ebay? https://www.ebay.com/itm/1258413005...DQT7FR&hash=item1d4cb9dc24:g:w-wAAOSwTXxkHOUC

Theres also this from a company in Aussie called Melbourne Film Supply that sells a 31-pack of film id tabs on their site: https://www.melbournefilmsupply.com/accessories/120-film-id-tabs

Reflx Lab also has also a lcd id display on their site and you have to download their app to get the free film ids, but its $50 bucks: https://reflxlab.com/products/pre-order-reflx-lab-display-for-film-cameras
 

eli griggs

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A neat little memo tag for your camera, you can make in a few minutes, based on an old toy many of us used as children, is a simple construction of a square or rectangular piece of four ply or heaver matt board, about 1.5" x 1.5" square, onto which you mount a matching sized piece of good carbon paper, ink side out.

Over this you can hinge tape a matching size plus a ¼" more length on one end, piece of flexible clear plastic or vinyl, with the extra tag end, poking outward from the opposite side of the already taped hinge.

The heavy 9 mil+ contractor's grade clear plastic for putting over furniture when house painting or, making a fast green house, which is available at your home center is what you want to use.

Over this piece of mounted plastic, hinge tape a second piece of plastic, that's a little thinner and more stiff to protect the plastic beneath the heavier stuff.

What you just made is a small note pad like the ones we would draw on with a plastic stylist, as kids, that made black or blue marks, and, if we didn't like what we had drawn, we could simply lift the plastic up off the carbon paper beneath it, and watch the marks, words we had drawn, vanish.

Kept on the camera or camera strap, you simply use a thin plastic or rounded end stick of wood, to write over the plastic, just hard enough to make some of the carbon paper ink beneath the plastic, leave a note on the underside of the plastic, that's very legible.

This will cost next to nothing, using scraps, but do use a good sheet of carbon paper for best results, and mount it to the mat board with a less wet adhesive, perhaps a piece of wide double sided stick tape.

Cheers
 

RezaLoghme

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Well you could by Hasselblad A-backs, maybe the 70mm or 4x4 ones which noone wants, and just snapp off the cardboard holder and attach it to your camera. Its called "upcycling".
 

murdockhendrix

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For the film inserts I use Denis Olivier's Online Film Inserts Generator. I found an etsy seller in town to 3D print the film memo inserts (from thingiverse) for older cameras without the memo insert. The Fedex store prints the inserts on card stock and they seem to be pretty durable. Sorry just realized that memo sheet image is for 35mm. The site has inserts for 35mm and 120 film.
 

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MTGseattle

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Yes. that's the one.
 

MTGseattle

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I feel like the tab holder on my Mamiya 6mf is the same size as the tab holder on a 35mm slr. Am I off my rocker?
 

sperera

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I put masking tape on my Hasselblad backs and write the film name and EI (exposure index) with a 'live' roll....when the roll is done I take the tape off and thus I know the back is empty
e.g. Portra 800
 

grain elevator

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I totally forgot, I've also used the accessory shoe, but with a bit of the film box, torn and folded to fit tightly.
 

Nitroplait

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Good quality masking tape (UV resistant) or console tape.

I use "Scotch Blue" for 100-125 ISO film (inspired by the color of Ilford FP4 packaging) and green "Frogtape" for 400 ISO (inspired by HP5).

It does not damage metal, paint or synthetic covering materials. It can affect real leather, so if using on a Rolleiflex - one of the few cameras covered in real leather, put it on the info box on the rear door.

I write on these with permanent OHP pens: Stabilo OHPen universal "S" or Staedtler Lumocolor permanent universal "S". I always have one of these in my camera bag.
Americans would probably use a Sharpie.

I use it for tracking film on/in ALL my cameras, 35mm/120/4x5. It is easier to do for me when I consolidate the procedure on all formats, and since I also bulkload 35mm BW I'd have to put a tape strip on most 35mm cassettes anyway.

Information written includes: Film, Exposure rating (IE) if applicable, Camera, Lens(es) used, Date started, Date finished, other relevant information such as location etc can be added as well.

The tapeslip follows through the whole workflow. Onto the roll or film holder when removed from the camera.
If color, then onto the paper receipt I get from the lab or if BW then onto my notes on which films are in the tank.
The slips ends it pourpose when I have the processed film in hand and archive it, where the information is transferred to the archiving sleeves.

A side note: Don't use the "good" masking tape for fixing 35mm film in bulk cassettes - it doesn't adhere strongly enough to always hold the film on the spool when you reach the end of the roll.
 

Sirius Glass

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MattKing said:
Good quality painter's tape and a felt pen in the bag.
Click to expand...

Label every loaded film back with a painter's tape label OR buy a plastic 120 box end holder and attach it to the back OR buy the dark slide box with the 120 box end holder and attach it to the Hasselblad film back. I do the last one.
 

Sirius Glass

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RezaLoghme said:
Most Hasselblad V series backs have a little window to put the cardboard in.
Click to expand...

Most of my Hasselblad film backs are older than that, so see post #23.
 
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