Film in black canisters

[Hal]

Just a question that's been on my mind for a while, hopefully someone here will know the answer.

Given that some 35mm films are sold in opaque black plastic canisters (all Ilford films, Kodak B&W as well, I think), does this mean that the leader is unexposed until the canister is opened? If this were true, then I'd be able to shoot on the leader after loading in the darkroom (extra value for money )

Thanks in advance.

 

[Mike Wilde]

If you want to be cheap, and process your own film, then load your 35mm camera in full darkness/changing bag by feel. Then photos can begin with as little as 2" of leader.
I say prcess your own film, beciase I am not sure how labs clip the film to splice it onto the next one, if processing in a roller processor.

If you had a 36 exposure roll, and file them in 5x7 pages, then you have a problem as to haos to deal with the 39 or so exposures you want to file.

Usaully I have no problem scrapping a frame somewhere along a 36 expsoure film as I cut the roll into strips, be it out of focus, exposed with lens cap on, etc. and my filsm fit oneto a 35 exposure filer page.

 

[George Collier]

Don't know about this, but I've never trusted the cap on the black canister to be light tight. For that matter, I don't know about the side walls, either.

 

[BetterSense]

I've never trusted the cap on the black canister to be light tight.

The Kodak black canisters with the grey tops aren't light tight at all! The sides are, but the grey tops aren't light tight whatsoever. Kind of pointless IMO. I know this because when I was on vacation, my OM2 jammed and I had to unload it in the dark. I was fixing to put the film in a black Kodak canister, but I couldn't find one, so I had to put the film in a peanut tin until I got home. Later, I tested the black Kodak 35mm canisters and found that the grey lid isn't light tight at all. If I would have found a black canister, I would have put my film in it and ruined what turned out to be priceless exposures.

 

[phaedrus]

Light-proof canisters make sense for films on a polyester base like SPUR DSX. The base acts as a light conduit and the first few winds of the film will fog if you transport it in, for example, a translucent Kodak canister. Kodak HIE showed the same phenomenon and came with a warning to load / unload it in the darkrooom, preferably, or *a* dark room.

 

[ulysses]

Don't know about this, but I've never trusted the cap on the black canister to be light tight. For that matter, I don't know about the side walls, either.

Makes me really miss the old aluminum screw-cap film cans. I think I still have one or two somewhere. It amazes me that they could afford (or that we would pay for them) to put 35mm canisters in an aluminum, resusable, screw-cap can. They got used for all kinds of interesting things.

Ulysses