Ilford HP5 in Fuji GSW690III

[Steven550]

Hi

So I took receipt of a very nice 690 yesterday, and promptly went out to shoot a few rolls of one of my favourite films. Problem is, it feels as though the Ilford spools are slightly too large to fit easily in the camera (yes I have the little red buttons pressed) and take some jamming in. I've since tried a spent Fuji 'easy load' spool which popped in and out with ease using the same method. Maybe the clue is in the Fuji spool's name, but I doubt that the Ilford stuff should be so hard to load, I've had no issues with my Mamiyas (RB, RZ, C330, C3) in the past. What am I doing wrong?!

On the plus side, I souped a roll in Rodinal (stand dev) last night and the results are amazing

Thanks in advance!

Steven

 

[CropDusterMan]

Sometimes they can be finicky in the Fuji 6x9...I never payed attention to what film brands were
easier or harder...just be methodical and you'll figure the technique that works best...after 1000's of
rolls, I still struggle from time to time. Lol.

 

[eddie]

I've never noticed any difference in loading Ilford, Kodak, or Fuji in mine. They all go in a bit tight, but I think it's a positive thing to have less tolerance, as it may help maintain film flatness, and do a better job keeping the film running parallel.

 

[Huss]

I think they are all a bit tight on my 690, but I did not pay much attention to it since the camera takes such amazing pics. (not me, the camera! )

 

[macfred]

I have a GW670iii and -just like Huss said above- they are a little bit tight. Not a big problem at all.
But there is another problem for me ...
If I loaded a Kodak film and the take-up spool is a Fuji branded (or vice versa), sometimes the film didn't wind on to the take up spool with enough tension.
Never had this with a film and a same branded take-up spool .

 

[Steven550]

Hi everyone, thanks for the replies

Maybe I'm just overthinking things and should worry less about giving it some welly when swapping films. It does seem strange though. On closer inspection, it looks as though the Ilford ones might be catching on a little piece of metal which is sitting proud of the base of the camera, just in front of the pop-up bit that holds the take-up spool in place. Hopefully I can work it out as I've got another 40 rolls of HP5 to blast through

I also e-mailed Ilford, who reckoned their spools are manufactured to such a precise tolerance they should fit in any 120 camera with ease (as I thought originally). It would be a shock if I ended up with rolls from a dodgy batch haha :S Still waiting to hear back from Fuji....

The camera does take excellent pics, makes me wonder why I've been carting 6x7 gear and a massive tripod all this time when my hand-held test roll provided some of the sharpest photos I've ever taken on medium format... I'm so tempted to save a while and get the 90mm version as well!