As a graduate student, I've used a lot of microfilm for historical research. The film is 35mm width, but it doesn't have any sprocket holes. Is there some special type of camera for archivists that shoots this stock? Where is this hole-less film obtained? Since the entire width of the film is used for image area, it seems that the quality should be noticeably higher than standard frame size. Anybody know if this is worth looking into for pictorial shooting purposes?
microfilm camera?
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David A. Goldfarb
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When I used to shoot microfilm for research purposes (this is one area where I have no regrets about going d*****l), I used an ordinary 35mm camera and perfed film, like Kodak High Contrast Copy film.
I think the cameras used for high volume 35mm microfilming have motorized backs, and they usually sit on heavy copy stands with fancy book supports.
I think the cameras used for high volume 35mm microfilming have motorized backs, and they usually sit on heavy copy stands with fancy book supports.
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Kodak made a line of cameras for microfilming. Recorak, IIRC. So did Graflex. PhotoRecord, IIRC. Fixed focus, fixed lens, not good for much but their intended purpose. I've seen some PhotoRecord roll holders that looked like they'd go on a Graflok back, 2x3 IIRC, but never tried mounting one. Not that it makes much sense to shoot 35 mm on a Graphic.
If you want to shoot microfilm and try to process it to lowish contrast, a few firms are selling repackaged perforated 35 mm Agfa Copex. Gigabit Film, for one.
What you really want is 828 film to be revived, with systems cameras to use it. Fat expletive chance.
If you need a larger negative, go up in format from 35mm. Less trouble than reinventing ...
If you want to shoot microfilm and try to process it to lowish contrast, a few firms are selling repackaged perforated 35 mm Agfa Copex. Gigabit Film, for one.
What you really want is 828 film to be revived, with systems cameras to use it. Fat expletive chance.
If you need a larger negative, go up in format from 35mm. Less trouble than reinventing ...
Sorry, I digress...
Apropos of nothing but microfilm, in the late 1990's, I had the tedious task of using a Hazeline Analog Color Video Film Analyzer to establish exposure for copying the entire microfilm copy of the Urga Tanjur, originally kept in Ulaanbaatar, which was shot on Svema (Soviet) microfilm in the 1950's.
Being that the frames were in 4 perf height motion picture format, not the typical 8 perf horizontal Leica standard, it was determined that the camera was probably a motion picture camera with a single frame hand crank used to copy the pages of this huge, hand crafted document.
Over 100,000 frames of pages, but I could only change printing lights every 4 frames, due to limitations on light valves in the motion picture printers. Took over 3 weeks to analyze and it was boring at first when the novelty of the situation wore-off.
However, about a week into the process, I realized the cover glass used to flatten this most rare of all Mongolian Tanjurs (Buddhist Texts) reflected the sunlight of the exterior valley through the temple pillars and revealed glimpses of monks looking over the shoulder of the person copying the texts. From this information I was able to see a time lapse of each day the person worked and the ebb and flow of the monks and people, as well as the person copying the texts; a dour looking man with straggly black hair.
If I sped through the reels (which had been joined end to end in frame for printing convenience) and watched the monitor intently , I got to watch about 3 months of ebb and flow of life around the temple as the Sun sped across the sky. The earlier parts of the book were often crowded with onlookers, but by the time of the last pages, it was only the dour man and a few kids and a old men who hung around to see what was happening.
I think about this occasionally; how I looked back through an unwanted reflection produced in copying a document and somehow connected with a few of those long Asiatic faces staring intently at the cover glass as if watching some portal through time.
The copies I generated now reside in the Mongolian Collection of the Asian Reading Room of the Library of Congress, valued strictly for their ultra rare content, literally valued for the words scribed on the page.
Little do they know, that when you speed the pages through a viewer, three months of life in 1950's Ulaanbaatar jump to life and faintly skitter around the screen, jumping in and out of focus and sight as the sun speeds across the background as the Dour man vibrates and shimmers like a bored God making life...
If you ever go to Washington DC, see if you can talk them into letting you look at this microfilm, DO keep an eye open for reflections.
After a while, you'd swear they see you and maybe wonder who is "real"!
Frank W.
Apropos of nothing but microfilm, in the late 1990's, I had the tedious task of using a Hazeline Analog Color Video Film Analyzer to establish exposure for copying the entire microfilm copy of the Urga Tanjur, originally kept in Ulaanbaatar, which was shot on Svema (Soviet) microfilm in the 1950's.
Being that the frames were in 4 perf height motion picture format, not the typical 8 perf horizontal Leica standard, it was determined that the camera was probably a motion picture camera with a single frame hand crank used to copy the pages of this huge, hand crafted document.
Over 100,000 frames of pages, but I could only change printing lights every 4 frames, due to limitations on light valves in the motion picture printers. Took over 3 weeks to analyze and it was boring at first when the novelty of the situation wore-off.
However, about a week into the process, I realized the cover glass used to flatten this most rare of all Mongolian Tanjurs (Buddhist Texts) reflected the sunlight of the exterior valley through the temple pillars and revealed glimpses of monks looking over the shoulder of the person copying the texts. From this information I was able to see a time lapse of each day the person worked and the ebb and flow of the monks and people, as well as the person copying the texts; a dour looking man with straggly black hair.
If I sped through the reels (which had been joined end to end in frame for printing convenience) and watched the monitor intently , I got to watch about 3 months of ebb and flow of life around the temple as the Sun sped across the sky. The earlier parts of the book were often crowded with onlookers, but by the time of the last pages, it was only the dour man and a few kids and a old men who hung around to see what was happening.
I think about this occasionally; how I looked back through an unwanted reflection produced in copying a document and somehow connected with a few of those long Asiatic faces staring intently at the cover glass as if watching some portal through time.
The copies I generated now reside in the Mongolian Collection of the Asian Reading Room of the Library of Congress, valued strictly for their ultra rare content, literally valued for the words scribed on the page.
Little do they know, that when you speed the pages through a viewer, three months of life in 1950's Ulaanbaatar jump to life and faintly skitter around the screen, jumping in and out of focus and sight as the sun speeds across the background as the Dour man vibrates and shimmers like a bored God making life...
If you ever go to Washington DC, see if you can talk them into letting you look at this microfilm, DO keep an eye open for reflections.
After a while, you'd swear they see you and maybe wonder who is "real"!
Frank W.
Wow, these are some great responses. thanks guys. 
The Buddist story is one of those things that really makes me smile. So many easter eggs like that to find in historical stuff. Reminds me of a story I heard about people doing research on ancient Spain. There was some guy who smelled every piece of manuscript he came accross. Vinegar was used to wipe things down in plague years, and if he thought he smelled vinegar he could measure fear of the disease. Lots of Elizabethan legal papers are covered in coal soot from haphazard storage in Victorian basements. But those aren't nearly as fun as a movie candid camera.
The Buddist story is one of those things that really makes me smile. So many easter eggs like that to find in historical stuff. Reminds me of a story I heard about people doing research on ancient Spain. There was some guy who smelled every piece of manuscript he came accross. Vinegar was used to wipe things down in plague years, and if he thought he smelled vinegar he could measure fear of the disease. Lots of Elizabethan legal papers are covered in coal soot from haphazard storage in Victorian basements. But those aren't nearly as fun as a movie candid camera.
Given the hassle of taming the high contrast of microfilm for pictoral work, I don't see where it would be worthwhile for 35mm - unless you are looking for extremely high resolution (a la TechPan). It's feasible, but seems to me to be an unnecessary impediment.
That said, a while back I played around with 16mm Agfa Copex (a microfilm emulsion) for some old sub-mini cameras. I received a HC-110 based formula from John Brubaker that worked well with Agfa Copex rated at ISO 50 - though it was best to avoid high contrast scenes:
I also have the following in my notes, though I've never tried it:
That said, a while back I played around with 16mm Agfa Copex (a microfilm emulsion) for some old sub-mini cameras. I received a HC-110 based formula from John Brubaker that worked well with Agfa Copex rated at ISO 50 - though it was best to avoid high contrast scenes:
Mix a Sodium Sulfite solution of 2 oz Sodium Sulfite to 1 liter of water
Mix 2.5mm of HC-110 (concentrate, not stock solution) to 200ml of Sodium Sulfite solution
Develop for 6 min at 68 degrees F with agitation every 30 seconds.
Mix 2.5mm of HC-110 (concentrate, not stock solution) to 200ml of Sodium Sulfite solution
Develop for 6 min at 68 degrees F with agitation every 30 seconds.
I also have the following in my notes, though I've never tried it:
POTA Devl for Copex, Tech Pan
An alternative to Kodak Technidol developer for Kodak Technical Pan film. This formula is useful for other emulsions where very low contrast is desired. Agitation with TPF is two slow inversions of the tank each minute. Develop between 12.5 and 15 minutes. at 68 F)
750 mL Water at 125F
30g Sodium Sulfite
1.5g Phenidone
Water to make 1 Liter
Use immediately after mixing as it deteriorates very quickly after it has been mixed.
An alternative to Kodak Technidol developer for Kodak Technical Pan film. This formula is useful for other emulsions where very low contrast is desired. Agitation with TPF is two slow inversions of the tank each minute. Develop between 12.5 and 15 minutes. at 68 F)
750 mL Water at 125F
30g Sodium Sulfite
1.5g Phenidone
Water to make 1 Liter
Use immediately after mixing as it deteriorates very quickly after it has been mixed.
Ebay used to have unperforated 35mm all the time. It was portait film. Konica etc. I'm guessing it was used in long roll cameras when the expense of the bigger formats didn't make sense.
Michel Hardy-Vallée
Membership Council
Out of curiosity, besides people who worked in a document repro environment like David and Frank, does anyone work with microfilm as microfilm, i.e. not for pictorial applications, but for the type of applications it was designed for?
For my part, I intend for this summer to play around with TP shots of text documents dev'd at a high contrast, and then do some kind of printing montage on photo paper, just for the heck of it. Call it "artistic" document reproduction
For my part, I intend for this summer to play around with TP shots of text documents dev'd at a high contrast, and then do some kind of printing montage on photo paper, just for the heck of it. Call it "artistic" document reproduction
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