How to reuse an unfinished 120 film?

[Iridium]

I red somewhere that it is possible to reuse a 120 film. I have in my Mamiya 7 a 120 b&w film and I have shot only 5 frames of it. However, I need to change film and I would like not to throw away the rest 5 frames of it.

Can anybody help me on the best way to do it? I wanna start from the begging in order to count again to the 5th frame and successfully use the rest. With the rewind I think I will not figure out the right frame.

Thanx!

 

[Sirius Glass]

Reload the camera but go a little beyond the double arrow. Leave the lens cap on. Shoot the appropriate number of frames and continue, but at that point I humbly suggest that you remove the lens cap.

Steve

 

[Q.G.]

But ask yourself whether the images you already have on the roll are worth less than the cost of another roll of film.
Roll film wasn't made to rewind neatly, and you run the risk of something not going the way you would have hoped they would go.

 

[Sirius Glass]

But ask yourself whether the images you already have on the roll are worth less than the cost of another roll of film.
Roll film wasn't made to rewind neatly, and you run the risk of something not going the way you would have hoped they would go.

That is exactly why I wrote "Reload the camera but go a little beyond the double arrow." That way the film is not wasted and the earlier photographs are not lost.

 

[Q.G.]

There is more to fear than starting with new exposures too soon.

Rewinding the film, film and backing paper may not both rewind equally 'snug', leading to non-round rolls with gaps large enough to allow light in and ruin the already exposed bit of the film.

 

[Leigh Youdale]

I'm sorry to be blunt, but the question amazes me. Roll film was/is not designed to be rewound and reloaded.
Why stuff around to save what amounts to the price of a cup of coffee?

 

[Sirius Glass]

I'm sorry to be blunt, but the question amazes me. Roll film was/is not designed to be rewound and reloaded.
Why stuff around to save what amounts to the price of a cup of coffee?

I am only answering an asked question. I gave a response to answer the question. I avoided questioning why, because I am sure he has his reasons.

Steve

 

[Q.G.]

Sometimes however, the 'most correct'/best answer would be: "not".

 

[McFortner]

Why stuff around to save what amounts to the price of a cup of coffee?

Because some of us can't afford a cup of coffee right now? I know I can't....

Michael

 

[benjiboy]

If the O.P can afford a Mamiya 7 he can afford five shots of 120 film.

 

[enomooshiki]

If the O.P can afford a Mamiya 7 he can afford five shots of 120 film.

loL
I've done similar things with 35mm but I don't think I will ever try it with 120.

 

[E76]

I can definitely see the motivation behind doing this, and I know some films can be very expensive! I've rewound unfinished 120 several times before with no problems. If you're careful and don't finger up or scratch the emulsion, and rewind it tightly to prevent light leaks, it will be fine. I wouldn't, however, recommend rewinding the film more than once.

 

[lxdude]

If you're careful and don't finger up or scratch the emulsion, and rewind it tightly to prevent light leaks, it will be fine.

I have NEVER fingered up an emulsion. I do have some standards.

 

[Vaughn]

I have NEVER fingered up an emulsion. I do have some standards.

Yeah? Then who was that cute little emulsion number I saw you snuggling up with last night?!

I have lost frames of 120 due to the film not rolling up tightly (Calumet roll film adapter for 4x5 cameras), so that is something to consider. If one or more of the images already on the film are important, then rewinding the roll and putting back in the camera later could be a case of wasting dollars to save dimes...taking into account one's time and expenses to get those first images.

There are only 10 images possible on 120 with 6x7 images -- one might as well quickly finish up the roll with slightly different views, different exposures or just back up negs.

I can see where it might be worth rewinding and reloading when one is traveling and one has a limited amount of film available -- and too many things to photograph! But of course one other way around the issue is two camera bodies!

 

[bdial]

I've never used a Mamiya 7, but if your back is made so that the supply spool can turn freely in either direction (likely);
Open the back in the darkroom, remove the take up spool leaving the film in place. Roll it back onto the supply spool.
It's sort of a pain, but it will work better than advancing the whole roll to the take up side before re-rolling it. keep some tension on the film as you do this.
Be sure to mark it well, unless you want to explore the creative possibilities of accidental double exposures.

 

[M.A.Longmore]

loL
I've done similar things with 35mm but I don't think I will ever try it with 120.

.
I would consider trying that with a roll of 220.
Wouldn't chance the aggravation with 120.


Ron
.

 

[MartinP]

First thought is 'no', but if you really really really want to try it then (as suggested by bdial, above) the least bad result would be from taking out both reels in a darkroom, or changing bag, and then rewinding it onto the feed spool. If that is successful, then wind on and shoot an extra frame before taking off the lenscap - this means you will be messing about for an hour to save four frames worth of film . . .

Avoiding having to completely wind/rewind will mean you don't have the problem of re-taping the film on to the backing paper in the dark.

 

[fschifano]

I am only answering an asked question. I gave a response to answer the question. I avoided questioning why, because I am sure he has his reasons.

Steve

...and sometimes those reasons are just plain wrong-headed. Not pointing that out is more of a disservice than not. Yes, you can wind off the film, roll it back onto an empty spool and reload it - in total darkness of course. But like QG said, there is a risk involved. It's entirely likely that you'll never get it as tightly wound as the factory. It is entirely likely that you'll get some light leaks. I do it to make 620 film, and I've done it more than a few times, so by now I have lots of practice and the process goes more or less smoothly. Care to know how many times I screwed up along the way?

Don't do this unless you are prepared to ruin the film!

 

[alexmacphee]

It's a judgement call about the worth of the captured shots versus the risk of respooling, but I have to say that I've done this a number times, without mishap. In most cases, it's been because I wanted to reload a folder with a different film and I'd been caught without a spare camera, so wound on, marked the last exposed frame number on the tab, and bagged it for the changing bag later. There's a knack to respooling, but it's not all that difficult to acquire. In my case, because folders generally have a red window, frame realignment is not a problem. That said, I wouldn't bother for just a couple of frames. I've never tried it for moving film from one camera to another ; I think one would need to check the position of the red window with respect to the film gate, but of course that situation doesn't exist with the Mamiya here. The caution about advancing the double arrow a fraction beyond the datum line is sensible.

 

[Sirius Glass]

...and sometimes those reasons are just plain wrong-headed. Not pointing that out is more of a disservice than not. Yes, you can wind off the film, roll it back onto an empty spool and reload it - in total darkness of course. But like QG said, there is a risk involved. It's entirely likely that you'll never get it as tightly wound as the factory. It is entirely likely that you'll get some light leaks. I do it to make 620 film, and I've done it more than a few times, so by now I have lots of practice and the process goes more or less smoothly. Care to know how many times I screwed up along the way?

Don't do this unless you are prepared to ruin the film!

Before I had interchangeable backs, I had done it a number of times and never had a problem. It is not hard to do if you are careful. Just because you disagree with it does not qualify making the practice unacceptable.

As far as "wrong-headed", the last time I checked most of the people here are adults with above average intelligence. Were any lives endangered? Did reloading 35mm or 120 bring on the Great Baby Bush Depression??

Steve

 

[removed account4]

i used to rewind film all the time to double expose it
it takes no time .. maybe 4 minutes ... certainly not an hour ...

 

[MartinP]

For jnanian - that's impressively speedy for unloading and re-rolling 120 roll, whether in a changing-bag or a darkroom! Clearly you have had a lot of practice, but the OP has not....

 

[removed account4]

For jnanian - that's impressively speedy for unloading and re-rolling 120 roll, whether in a changing-bag or a darkroom! Clearly you have had a lot of practice, but the OP has not....

people always make things seem a lot harder than they are.
opening the back of a camera in the dark takes about 10 seconds,
removing the supply spool from the camera takes about 10 seconds
both hands on the 120 spool to reel up the slack until reaching the take up spool
20 seconds,
removing both spools and putting the film back on the supply spool 3 minutes

a full roll of 120 is a few feet, it isn't like it's 100 feet long ...

 

[BetterSense]

The only way I would ever suggest trying this is doing it in the dark and re-rolling it back the way it was, then re-loading it normally and skipping the exposed frames. But really, it's not worth it, which is one of the things I don't like about medium format. Doing this sort of thing is easy with 35mm.

 

[lxdude]

But really, it's not worth it, which is one of the things I don't like about medium format.

Unless of course, your medium format camera has interchangeable backs.