For Pentax 645 Users

Phillip I think I see what you might be advancing( no pun intended) here as a theoretical proposition and you've set me thinking. So thinking out aloud now as I am please bear with me( this applies to all reading this). The film has wound to the end and the end of the film is now at the beginning of the roll as it would be if you were processing it whereby the end goes on to the developing reel first and is loose. If you place the film back in the insert as if it is a brand new film and then wind through the camera but with the cap on you arrive with the loose end( the genuine end of the film) at the end of the spool and the taped end at the beginning which is where it is with the film straight from the factory as if it were a brand new film. You then simply reload the film into the insert as you would with a new film and fire until you get to the frame number next to the one you reached when you originally decided to change films. You might need to sacrifice a frame to be sure of no overlap.

You are in effect using the insert as the equivalent of hand respooling in a darkroom but without the hassle of a darkroom and manual handling. The only drawback I can see if that when you begin the wind through for the second time the film is detached from the backing paper i.e. not connected to the backing paper with tape as the beginning is. This means the taped end of the film normally just follows the backing paper which may not be guaranteed as the film end is not attached to the backing paper.

The key to this is whether the engineering in the insert is suitable for engaging the short piece of loose end of the film. Once it has followed the backing paper and if it has followed the backing paper over the roller then I think you are home and dry as the backing paper now retains the film as per normal.

OK it might be a bit of a pain to do but let's leave that aside. The question to P645 users who know a lot about the engineering involved in the insert is: Could it be done? If no-one has tried it, is anyone willing in the cause of science to make an attempt at it to see if it will work?

Or is my thinking fatally flawed and is there something that you P645 users know that will stop this procedure from working?

I hope you all were able to follow my thinking so that what I think I have described is what you think I have described as well. Looking forward to all and any replies.

Your help and forebearance is much appreciated

pentaxuser

I am glad this issue has been settled because after shooting what few rolls I have thus far, I thought the film was just rewinding itself at lightening quick speed.

Jamusu.

I may have made my last post on the P645 at the wrong time. The whole thread was probably on the point of dying as threads do and may not even have been read by any long term user of the P645.

So just in case it has been overlooked, could anyone with the knowledge of the way the insert works, have a look at my post and comment. Phillip Dimor had set me thinking and the result was my previous post which is just two posts back.

Equally it may be that some of you intend to look at whether it could work and I haven't been patient enough. If so, I apologise in advance and await your conclusions.

Thanks

pentaxuser

I shot a roll through my Pentax K-1000 yesterday and found it hard to focus with it after using my Pentax 645. What makes it strange is that I have only shot 4 rolls through the 645. I had no idea that the viewfinder through the 645 was that much brighter than the K-1000.

To make matters worse (in a good way) I decided to use them both at the same at a birthday party yesterday. I could truly see the difference then!

Jamusu.