Is it possible to reuse unfinished film?

jaehoppa · Dec 20, 2016

Hi I'm new to film and had a quick question.

I have a roll of film in my G2 with only 15 shots on it and I have to sell the camera very soon with no time to finish the roll.
I was looking at the instructions and noticed that there is an option to wind the film with the leader out.
Does that mean it's possible rewind and reuse it by taking 15 dark frames on a new camera and continuing from there? This would be much better than just winding and wasting the rest of the roll.

Let me know please. Thanks!

SasquatchQB · Dec 20, 2016

That would work. I'd just be sure to take those dark frames (with the lens cap on) somewhere with subdued light to prevent anything sneaking through. Also, I'd take an extra dark frame to be sure that I wouldn't accidentally overlap two exposures.

MattKing · Dec 20, 2016

You can do that.
It is much better to put at least two extra blank exposures on the film in the new camera, in order to avoid double exposures.
If you are going to get the film developed by a commercial lab, it is a good idea to advise them of what you have done, especially if the film is either slide film or is to have machine prints made from it.

jaehoppa · Dec 20, 2016

thanks for the heads up guys.

would this method work on a Minolta TC-1? Does the camera have to have manual exposure mode? AFAIK TC-1 doesn't have manual mode.

MattKing · Dec 20, 2016

jaehoppa said:
thanks for the heads up guys.

would this method work on a Minolta TC-1? Does the camera have to have manual exposure mode? AFAIK TC-1 doesn't have manual mode.

Some auto-exposure cameras will not let you take a photo when there isn't enough light. With those cameras, you cannot shoot the blank frames. I don't know if that applies to the TC-1.

jaehoppa · Dec 20, 2016

MattKing said:
Some auto-exposure cameras will not let you take a photo when there isn't enough light. With those cameras, you cannot shoot the blank frames. I don't know if that applies to the TC-1.

Thanks Matt.
I will have to find out if this applies to the TC-1. If anyone knows the answer to this please let me know. Thanks.

shutterfinger · Dec 20, 2016

The reuse of film applies if the cameras involved both wind film the same. Some cameras run the film out of the cassette then wind it back in as each exposure is made.
http://125px.com/docs/manuals/camera/35mm/minolta/TC-1.pdf appears to pull film out of the cassette one frame at a time as the exposures are made.
The shutter will operate only when the camera is turned on so to advance film past previous exposures you will have to cap the lens with a light tight cover or operate the camera in total darkness with the flash off which will take 2 seconds per exposure. You will have to try it to see what works.

bdial · Dec 20, 2016

If you do your own processing, you could open the camera in the dark without rewinding, cut the exposed portion off, then process it.
Then you cut a leader tongue on what's left to make a short roll.
It is possible to do this with lab processing too, but you need a known opaque film can, and a lab you can trust to not open it in the light.

railwayman3 · Dec 20, 2016

Rather OT, but reminded me of my late Father's Exakta Varex IIb....this had a facility to wind from the film cassette into another cassette on the take-up side, with even a little built-in knife to cut off the completed exposed section of film ! Never seen that on any other camera ! (But, TBH, I don't remember him ever having used it.....back in the 60's and 70's, most films could be purchased in either 20 or 24 exposures, with some even in 12 exposures, so you could usually plan what you needed for a particular shoot without much wastage.)

Nige · Dec 20, 2016

I've done this many times (with cameras that make it easy) but... is it worth it? Half a roll of film...

MattKing · Dec 20, 2016

Nige said:
I've done this many times (with cameras that make it easy) but... is it worth it? Half a roll of film...

This is a very wise observation....

paul ron · Dec 20, 2016

just shoot m off. why bother saving a few frames. after all you are selling the camera, theres enough incentive to be a big spender.

Sirius Glass · Dec 20, 2016

Yes, you can do it if you spare a free frames. There is a chance that the film will be completely rewound so I just wait until I finish the roll. Then again a have one 35mm camera for color and one for black & white. This is not a problem for medium format cameras with interchangeable backs.

ransel · Dec 22, 2016

Over the past 40+ years I have taken a hundred partially exposed rolls of film out of cameras and loaded those partially exposed rolls into other cameras - it works fine - I have screwed up only about half of them.

darkroommike · Dec 23, 2016

Film is so cheap, still!, that I rarely resort to such shenanigans.

GarageBoy · Dec 23, 2016

I've done it because Provia 400x is $20 a roll

Sirius Glass · Dec 23, 2016

At $20 per roll and today's camera prices, one could afford to buy another 35mm camera.

wiltw · Dec 23, 2016

I used to remove film on a partly exposed roll, then put in a different film and shoot with that, then reload the first roll to finish it. Did that a lot. Key was loading the film consistently, then cranking the roll thru with a lens cap over the lens at a small aperture and high shutter speed.
If you have not developed a consistent method of loading film, then you simply need to crank thru one more 'exposed' shot than reality...e.g. finished with shot 14, remove roll, and crank thru ('shooting' with a lens cap over the lens at a small aperture and high shutter speed) until past exposure 15, to start shooting at exposure 16.

MontanaJay · Dec 24, 2016

Yes, one of the many quirks of the Exacta was the ability to load two cassettes and use the built-in knife. What we had to go through to change film speed or type back in the olden days...
Later I would rewind partially exposed rolls to the leader, on which I would write the number of frames to wind past to get to the unexposed part of the roll.

AgX · Dec 24, 2016

Nige said:
I've done this many times (with cameras that make it easy) but... is it worth it? Half a roll of film...

Likely not if it is a unique or rare case. But imagine using just one body, but different kind of films. Thus when switching films becomes something common, then using each film to the fullest may be something worth the hassle.

GarageBoy · Dec 25, 2016

Always fun when your film and battery cost more than your camera

Is it possible to reuse unfinished film?

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