How many cameras/backs with film is too much?

mweintraub · Jun 23, 2015

I try not to have too many cameras with partial shot films in them. Right now I have 4 cameras/back and it's driving me nuts. I want to send off some rolls to get processed but I feel rushed in the rest to get them in the shipment.

So, what's your "max" bodies/backs to have loaded?

David A. Goldfarb · Jun 23, 2015

One or two, maybe. I used to wait until I finished the roll, but now I think in terms of "finishing the project" or "finishing the shoot" and if there are some unexposed frames at the end, so be it. I think that when I started shooting 8x10", the idea of wasting a few frames of 35mm or medium format rollfilm became trivial, and I realized it was getting in the way of my organization.

benjiboy · Jun 23, 2015

I always try to have only two 35mm cameras and my one medium format camera loaded, I don't have interchangable backs.

mweintraub · Jun 23, 2015

David A. Goldfarb said:
One or two, maybe. I used to wait until I finished the roll, but now I think in terms of "finishing the project" or "finishing the shoot" and if there are some unexposed frames at the end, so be it. I think that when I started shooting 8x10", the idea of wasting a few frames of 35mm or medium format rollfilm became trivial, and I realized it was getting in the way of my organization.

Oh yeah, Not really worried about 35mm because those end up being photos of my dog anyway and as a % of the whole roll, it's small. The 6x7 rolls are the ones that get to me.

Alan Gales · Jun 23, 2015

When I shot medium format usually two. One loaded with color and one with black & white.

Now it's five 4x5 film holders with color and five 8x10 holders with b&w. Five holders hold ten exposures.

Sirius Glass · Jun 23, 2015

Multiple backs are useful while on a shoot or vacationing since they allow one to shoot a particular film without loading film that day, merely changing backs. The optimum number depends on the photographer and number of cameras. For example I have a Hasselblad 503 CX and a Hasselblad 903 SWC, do I want all the film for a day on the backs or do I want to keep all the SWC photographs together.

BradleyK · Jun 23, 2015

If I am shooting 35mm, I will have no more than two loaded at any one time. If I am shooting 120, however, I may have as many as six A-12s loaded, depending upon the weather and where I happen to be heading (ever try loading an A-12 at -30C? lol),

fotch · Jun 24, 2015

My answer is 1. I generally will shoot all the film, sometimes will take longer, but about 2 weeks is max, usually less than a week.

Sirius Glass · Jun 24, 2015

APUGuser19 said:
The problem is, how many backs or bodies do you have on the stove with only 1 or 2 shots left on the roll. Because that's a lot of weight and bulk to haul around till a few shots crop up. "Burning off" the last couple to just get the film out of the camera is no option. And carrying around a six gun with only 1 or 2 rounds in it is not much help in a gunfight. And pulling out your phone in an "emergency" is unheard of. That's certainly no option. This is a dilemma.

What is the rush? Why burn off the last few shots? Ease up big boy!

Kirks518 · Jun 24, 2015

I currently have 3 35mm SLR's, 2 35mm RF's, and 3 MF cameras, all with partially shots rolls in them. I also have 5 LF holders with film loaded and ready to go.

It doesn't really bother me, but if I had a choice....

mweintraub · Jun 24, 2015

I finished one of the rolls yesterday. Of course, photos of the dog. There were none of her on the roll, so I had to. Plus I wanted to test the new Zeiss Jena lens on the new Kiev 88CM with the same film I shot one of my favorite photos of her with the Pentacon 60 with a Vega.

Nathan King · Jun 24, 2015

On my medium format body? Three. One labeled N-1, one N, and the other N+1.

mweintraub · Jun 24, 2015

Nathan King said:
On my medium format body? Three. One labeled N-1, one N, and the other N+1.

What's the significance of that? As a nerd, I'd start it at 0.

or am I missing another nerd reference having to do with algorithms.

Nathan King · Jun 24, 2015

"N" denotes normal development, where +/-1 denotes pushing/pulling development. That way you get the convenience of roll film with the development control of sheet film.

mweintraub · Jun 24, 2015

Ah. Thanks.

Sirius Glass · Jun 24, 2015

Sirius Glass said:
Multiple backs are useful while on a shoot or vacationing since they allow one to shoot a particular film without loading film that day, merely changing backs. The optimum number depends on the photographer and number of cameras. For example I have a Hasselblad 503 CX and a Hasselblad 903 SWC, do I want all the film for a day on the backs or do I want to keep all the SWC photographs together.

I have backs for C-41 color [Portra 400] and black & white [Tri-X] most of the time. When I am in red rock areas I add Kodak Ultra Color or Vivid Color 400 to the film backs.

andrew.roos · Jun 24, 2015

My max is three. Two MF backs with 100 and 400 ISO film, one 35mm camera with 400 ISO.

Andrew

mitchellhodge · Jul 2, 2015

Only have one at the moment, but two would be preferable. I shoot low speed, so one for b+w, one for colour.

Xmas · Jul 2, 2015

APUGuser19 said:
The problem is, how many backs or bodies do you have on the stove with only 1 or 2 shots left on the roll. Because that's a lot of weight and bulk to haul around till a few shots crop up. "Burning off" the last couple to just get the film out of the camera is no option. And carrying around a six gun with only 1 or 2 rounds in it is not much help in a gunfight. And pulling out your phone in an "emergency" is unheard of. That's certainly no option. This is a dilemma.

Replace all the fired rounds if the pistol has a trigger block on the firing pin.

Our Pro DSLR hot news people complain that ladies and children with smart phones are burying them. Apparently our national radio/TV people have an app with two buttons.

Send photo or video
Sent text

By the time the pros get to any incident the pic editor is swamped in photos and text of the event.

Dan Fromm · Jul 2, 2015

mweintraub said:
I try not to have too many cameras with partial shot films in them. Right now I have 4 cameras/back and it's driving me nuts. I want to send off some rolls to get processed but I feel rushed in the rest to get them in the shipment.

So, what's your "max" bodies/backs to have loaded?

Before Kodachrome processing went away I shot at most three emulsions in 35 mm. KM for closeups with flash, an ISO 100 E6 for everything else in color and sometimes an ISO 100 B/W film. Since my Nikons don't have interchangeable backs this meant two, sometimes three, bodies. Nowadays, at most one. Except when I intend to use a long mirror lens and want a body with autoexposure and stepless shutter speeds on auto.

I used to shoot ISO 100 E6 and ISO 100 B/W with my 2x3 Graphics. Two rollholders did it.

Nowadays I shoot ISO 100 E6 on 2x3 and 6x12 with a Cambo. Two rollholders again.

It comes down to one body or rollholder per emulsion with, sometimes, a backup body or rollholder.

When I was shooting movies with crappy old used S8 cameras I always took a bunch so I'd have at least one that worked. A Beaulieu for when I needed what only it could do, a couple of Canons for when I didn't. And, eventually, a Nautica instead of an Ikelite housing for one of the Canons. The Nautica was smaller and lighter than the housing and, with its PMA shot wider in air than anything else I had.

Mike Bates · Jul 4, 2015

Zero when I'm not shooting. I'm surprised to find I'm the only one who loads the film when I'm ready to shoot and finishes the roll(s) right then. I process my own film, so it doesn't save me much money to leave a roll with only two shots remaining in the film back for a week or more. Especially black and white film.

For 120 film, I only get nine or ten shots per roll. It's not like 35mm with 36 exposures. I just shoot them up and process the film.

250swb · Jul 5, 2015

I think the overriding consideration is not 'how many shots are left' but rather 'how long ago did you make the first exposure?'

The latent image starts to degrade as soon as the exposure is made, so if a part exposed film has been in a camera a couple of months it's time to process it quickly. That said I am in the process of emptying all my film cameras because too many have film in them not being used. I have never minded pulling a half used roll or missing a couple from a roll of 120 if the situation needed it. But all too often I think I'll use a roll up in the next couple of days but a different film is required next time so another camera is loaded and the first lingers in a drawer for far too long.

Steve

Neil Poulsen · Jul 6, 2015

I have a Horseman for color and I like to have at least three Graflex-style backs for different B&W developments. (i.e. N, N-1, N+1.) Using adapters, I've managed it so that the three Graflex 6x9 holders fit on all my medium format cameras. (A VC, RB67, and a Mamiya Universal Press.)

Peltigera · Jul 6, 2015

I recently ended up with 5 cameras with part-used film in them. I just got completely confused about which camera had which film and what i had shot on each. My problem is I use different films for different projects and for health reasons I can not be sure when I will finish a project.

So, my mediaeval churches project is now on hold for a month or so as it involves rather more stamina than I can manage right now - 2 cameras and two film types. "New" camera has a test film in it, waiting for a trip to the country for distance tests (Sunday, hopefully). Rangefinder has half a roll to go (all I can do at the moment is potter around town, waiting for Thursday). And another camera with film - I cannot remember what film or why.

Sirius Glass · Jul 6, 2015

Peltigera said:
I recently ended up with 5 cameras with part-used film in them. I just got completely confused about which camera had which film and what i had shot on each.

One Nikon is for color and one for black & white, both cameras have film tabs. But one counts shots used and one counts shots left.

Each of my Hasselblad backs have a place for the film box end flap, so I know which film each has. The backs also tell which frame the roll is on and whether or that frame was shot.

Each two film 4"x5"backs is labeled with the film type and the darkslide tell me which films have been shot and which have not.

The Grafmatic 45s are labeled with the film type and the number of photographs already taken.

How many cameras/backs with film is too much?

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