Miserly Film Cameras

Cholentpot · Jan 30, 2018

King of miser here.

Expired bulk, get my canisters from the lab, attach my own leads, use the felt style bulk loader and jam in as many frames as I can into each can. Also when I get an auto rewind I pop open the back at the exact second before the lead goes back into can so I can reuse the can without issue.

This straight cut thing is new to me. Don't use a lead at all? What magic is this?!

blockend · Jan 30, 2018

Cholentpot said:
This straight cut thing is new to me. Don't use a lead at all? What magic is this?!

On my XA3, and presumably all other XA's as they're basically the same camera, there is no take up slot in the spool. So long as the film reaches the appropriate mark, which is just after the shutter frame as it's such a small camera, you're good. Make sure the sprocket holes engage top and bottom with the cogs, and one turn of the wheel takes you into fresh unexposed film. I was a little wary when I tried this, but the very first sprocket hole saw the re-wind handle turning in sympathy.

This must be true of other compact cameras, but slot-less take up spools mostly coincided with auto advance, which is wasteful, and slotted spools require a leader though rarely one as long as manufacturers offer on pre-rolled film.

blockend · Jan 30, 2018

Cholentpot said:
attach my own leads

Attaching your own leader gets high marks on the Scrooge Scale. I've rarely been brave enough to open the back on an auto re-wind camera. Open too early and you lose frames, too late and the leader disappears. Listening for the exact change of note as the spool releases and being quick enough to open the back and catch it, requires a level of skill I do not possess.

TheRook · Jan 30, 2018

Mainecoonmaniac said:
It's amazing to a cheapskate like me. I wonder if by design, there could be a camera can squeeze out an extra exposure by reducing the space between the frames? Luckily, I don't smoke. I'd probably smoke the filter too.

You should look into getting a half-frame camera. The Olympus Pen F, for example.

E. von Hoegh · Jan 30, 2018

Zeiss and others used to sell daylight loading open spool film for 35mm cameras, it had long paper leaders at each end which when wrapped over the film were light-tight. There's no reason why that cannot be done today except that most film counters are not user resettable, loading the film in the camera required advancing to frame #9 IIRC, then resetting the counter to #1. If you wanted to use short rolls, which in casettes usually involve a greater percentage of waste, this might be the way to do it without waste.

Marcelo Paniagua · Jan 30, 2018

Yeah, was wondering when those will pop up Half frame sure can be economically. Use a variety of Pen's myself (from the original Pen to the Pen FV, wonderful camera).

Most of the time I use a 12- 15 exp. roll for those. Also, load rolls using black bag for better economy (no wasted end of roll

Marcelo

E. von Hoegh · Jan 30, 2018

TheRook said:
You should look into getting a half-frame camera. The Olympus Pen F, for example.

24x36 is quite small enough.

MattKing · Jan 30, 2018

Mainecoonmaniac said:
I wonder if by design, there could be a camera can squeeze out an extra exposure by reducing the space between the frames?

In olden days that time forgot, this request would be met with a loud "Nooooooo" from all the labs that used to return mounted slides.

Mainecoonmaniac · Jan 30, 2018

TheRook said:
You should look into getting a half-frame camera. The Olympus Pen F, for example.

1/2 the frame. Twice the fun!

Mainecoonmaniac · Jan 30, 2018

Now this guy is the ultimate miserly photographer!

http://www.messynessychic.com/2013/...ng-tom-photographer-and-his-cardboard-camera/

TheRook · Jan 30, 2018

E. von Hoegh said:
24x36 is quite small enough.

True. But for wallet-size prints, a 16x24 negative will be plenty big enough.

Cholentpot · Jan 30, 2018

blockend said:
On my XA3, and presumably all other XA's as they're basically the same camera, there is no take up slot in the spool. So long as the film reaches the appropriate mark, which is just after the shutter frame as it's such a small camera, you're good. Make sure the sprocket holes engage top and bottom with the cogs, and one turn of the wheel takes you into fresh unexposed film. I was a little wary when I tried this, but the very first sprocket hole saw the re-wind handle turning in sympathy.

This must be true of other compact cameras, but slot-less take up spools mostly coincided with auto advance, which is wasteful, and slotted spools require a leader though rarely one as long as manufacturers offer on pre-rolled film.

I just tried this with my XA2. Time to get 40 frames out of a roll!

Cholentpot · Jan 30, 2018

blockend said:
Attaching your own leader gets high marks on the Scrooge Scale. I've rarely been brave enough to open the back on an auto re-wind camera. Open too early and you lose frames, too late and the leader disappears. Listening for the exact change of note as the spool releases and being quick enough to open the back and catch it, requires a level of skill I do not possess.

TheRook said:
You should look into getting a half-frame camera. The Olympus Pen F, for example.

You look at the winding crank, when it stops spinning you have about a second or less. I'm pretty good with my F3.

Also, the half-frame is perfect. Get 72 frames or more out of a roll. Only issue is that us misers worry about the meter dying, like on my Pen EE3 so we jealously guard the sensor to keep it away from light. Therefore the camera rarely gets used. I need like a stepup filter ring for mine so I can put a better lens cap on. I'm afraid of losing my Pen lens cap. The replacements are a fortune.

dynachrome · Jan 30, 2018

Full frame, Rollei 35. Half frame, Konica AA35 (Recorder).

John_Nikon_F · Jan 30, 2018

Cholentpot said:
You look at the winding crank, when it stops spinning you have about a second or less. I'm pretty good with my F3.

Also, the half-frame is perfect. Get 72 frames or more out of a roll. Only issue is that us misers worry about the meter dying, like on my Pen EE3 so we jealously guard the sensor to keep it away from light. Therefore the camera rarely gets used. I need like a stepup filter ring for mine so I can put a better lens cap on. I'm afraid of losing my Pen lens cap. The replacements are a fortune.

Or, just rewind the F3 manually. As soon as you feel the leader disengage the take-up spool, stop rewinding. It's a good idea anyway, since the curtains can get scratched by a folded leader end.

Out of my F, I've been able to squeeze 37 or 38 exposures out of it. 37 was when the cap on the frame counter was misaligned, but I advanced until I hit what I thought was "1". 38 was when I decided to start shooting as soon as it hit zero.

I'm guessing the EE3 requires a working meter to function? If not, just do sunny-16...

-J

Cholentpot · Jan 30, 2018

John_Nikon_F said:
Or, just rewind the F3 manually. As soon as you feel the leader disengage the take-up spool, stop rewinding. It's a good idea anyway, since the curtains can get scratched by a folded leader end.

Out of my F, I've been able to squeeze 37 or 38 exposures out of it. 37 was when the cap on the frame counter was misaligned, but I advanced until I hit what I thought was "1". 38 was when I decided to start shooting as soon as it hit zero.

I'm guessing the EE3 requires a working meter to function? If not, just do sunny-16...

-J

EE3 needs meter or it is locked at one shutter speed.

John_Nikon_F · Jan 30, 2018

Cholentpot said:
EE3 needs meter or it is locked at one shutter speed.

That's annoying... So, the shutter is electronically controlled.

-J

AgX · Jan 30, 2018

TheRook said:
You should look into getting a half-frame camera.

Quite some security agencies bought 24x36 SLRs modified for 18x24.
Just out of stinginess.

Cholentpot · Jan 30, 2018

AgX said:
Quite some security agencies bought 24x36 SLRs modified for 18x24.
Just out of stinginess.

Do you know where one can get one of these machines? I mean ya know I asking for a friend, I'm a big spender! Me? Thrifty? Nah!

Theo Sulphate · Jan 30, 2018

For 35mm, nothing is more miserly than the Nickelodeon Photoblaster: 144 images on a 36 exposure roll. Done carefully, you can even make a flip-book movie with it.

https://www.lomography.com/magazine/19451-the-nickelodeon-photoblaster

mrosenlof · Jan 30, 2018

E. von Hoegh said:
24x36 is quite small enough.

ahhh, but a true miser can never be *too* thrifty. Half frame was my first thought when reading the thread title.

Sirius Glass · Jan 30, 2018

Mainecoonmaniac said:
1/2 the frame. Twice the fun!

And less than half the resolution.

Sirius Glass · Jan 30, 2018

My Nikon N75 will not allow more than 36 exposures on a roll. You can not squeeze out extra frames.

Cholentpot · Jan 30, 2018

Theo Sulphate said:
For 35mm, nothing is more miserly than the Nickelodeon Photoblaster: 144 images on a 36 exposure roll. Done carefully, you can even make a flip-book movie with it.

https://www.lomography.com/magazine/19451-the-nickelodeon-photoblaster

I need one of these for my kid. One roll of film kiddo! call me when your thumb gets tired!

mshchem · Jan 30, 2018

I always burn a few extra frames at the beginning so I end up with 35 exposures, 7 strips of 5 that fit into my Printfile sleeves.

Miserly Film Cameras

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