PSA - 120 to 35mm adapters

[pbromaghin]

Not an issue.
The image is focused to the front of the film, not the back of the film.
The pressure plate on a 220 back applies slightly more pressure to the back of the film, but the plane of focus is determined by the film gate, not the pressure plate.

I think the concern is that a 120 back would have a red window and ruin the film.
I wonder how one would deal with a camera (like a Mamiya tlr) that has winding to the beginning of the film built into the loading sequence.

 

[Ariston]

I think the concern is that a 120 back would have a red window and ruin the film.
I wonder how one would deal with a camera (like a Mamiya tlr) that has winding to the beginning of the film built into the loading sequence.

I don't think I would bother with this on a 6x6 or 6x4.5, but I have seen people tape the paper leader to the 35mm film. With a Rollei, you are probably out of luck.

 

[abruzzi]

Yep. I've done it before, it's just a pain. I need a list of 120 cameras that can just take the whole thing no issues. My TLRs won't nor will my M645 or S2.

I think the answer is most cameras with a straight horizontal path. I've never used them, but I know people have used it in the Pentax 67. There is even a (way too expensive) P67 kit that includes frame masks:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Brand-New-...817894?hash=item262aae37e6:g:SOYAAOSwLfxdkExw

 

[MattKing]

I wonder how one would deal with a camera (like a Mamiya tlr) that has winding to the beginning of the film built into the loading sequence.

You need to use the multi-exposure function, and guess/count winding turns. The real problem isn't as much with the beginning of the film, but rather with the exposure counting mechanism.
By the way, the red window cameras work quite well if you simply tape the film to a used backing paper.

 

[Besk]

Mercury Camera Company sells an adapter plus a film guide to be used with Mamiya RB67 backs. You literally replace the face of the RB67 back with the new one.
The sprocket holes are covered with this product.

Forgot the cost but thought it was reasonable.

 

[ic-racer]

I thought a 120 to 35mm adapter would somehow slit the 120 film and put it in a canister. If I wanted to use 35mm film as full frame in a MF camera I'd just tape the 35mm film to a spent paper roll; am I missing something with this "adapter?"

 

[Besk]

I thought a 120 to 35mm adapter would somehow slit the 120 film and put it in a canister. If I wanted to use 35mm film as full frame in a MF camera I'd just tape the 35mm film to a spent paper roll; am I missing something with this "adapter?"

Not really.

 

[MattKing]

I thought a 120 to 35mm adapter would somehow slit the 120 film and put it in a canister. If I wanted to use 35mm film as full frame in a MF camera I'd just tape the 35mm film to a spent paper roll; am I missing something with this "adapter?"

The adapters permit you to decide to do this on a "spur of the moment" basis, with whatever 35mm film seems appropriate at the time. That includes colour film, which can eventually be rolled back into the cassette and handed to the lab (who are much more comfortable with factory load cassettes).

 

[ic-racer]

I can't see those adapters working in any of my 7 MF cameras. Even a 6x9 conversion rollfilm back needs an arrow on the paper to manually start the counter. Then what happens when you get to frame 8?

 

[Pieter12]

Which leads me to a question that I could easily answer myself if I bothered to take out a couple of sheets of negatives and measure them...what are the lengths of a 36 exposure, 24 exposure (35mm) and 120 roll of film?

 

[Ariston]

I can't see those adapters working in any of my 7 MF cameras. Even a 6x9 conversion rollfilm back needs an arrow on the paper to manually start the counter. Then what happens when you get to frame 8?

You can start at any point after you roll past the first frame. It's all film. When it stops winding, it is time to put it in a dark bag and manually wind the film back into the cassette, or load it on a reel for development.

 

[abruzzi]

The common way to use these, as I suggested above is to have an empty cassette on the take up side. On the empty cassette you have a premeasured leader that you tape to the beginning of your fresh roll. Then you spool that leader into the fresh roll, and install the cassettes. Then when you start advancing the film, it advances past the leader, and doesn’t waste too much of the fresh roll.

if I tried it on my Pentax 67 (which I haven’t) I’d put the 67 into 220 mode, so if there were more than 10 shots on the spool of 35mm, I could keep going until I run out of film. I don’t know how the lengths of film compare in 120, 220, and 135/36exp.

 

[Cholentpot]

I thought a 120 to 35mm adapter would somehow slit the 120 film and put it in a canister. If I wanted to use 35mm film as full frame in a MF camera I'd just tape the 35mm film to a spent paper roll; am I missing something with this "adapter?"

Because it's a massive pain re-rolling the film. Really it is, I've done it dozens of times and it's really really annoying. Film doesn't line up, it unrolls gets messed up etc and etc. I love shooting sprocket photos but it's a pain to get going.

 

[wjlapier]

I have the adapters and a 24exp roll of XP2 in my RB67 back. The idea above to have a leader is a good one because you do lose some of the film to advance to frame 1. I taped the film to the 120 spool.

Any idea how many "frames" will be on the roll after 10 frames of 6x7?

 

[dourbalistar]

The common way to use these, as I suggested above is to have an empty cassette on the take up side. On the empty cassette you have a premeasured leader that you tape to the beginning of your fresh roll. Then you spool that leader into the fresh roll, and install the cassettes. Then when you start advancing the film, it advances past the leader, and doesn’t waste too much of the fresh roll.

if I tried it on my Pentax 67 (which I haven’t) I’d put the 67 into 220 mode, so if there were more than 10 shots on the spool of 35mm, I could keep going until I run out of film. I don’t know how the lengths of film compare in 120, 220, and 135/36exp.

I followed this method to shoot 35mm panoramas in my Pentax 6x7. This video was helpful in explaining how to pre-measure an old 120 paper leader so that you don't waste film when advancing the film. With the camera and pressure plate set to 220, I was able to get about 17 panoramic shots on a 36-exposure roll of 135 film. You can see some examples on my Flickr.

 

[wjlapier]

Here are a couple from the other day after the adapter arrived. Shot with a Goodman Zone and Mamiya 50mm f/6.3 lens and Mamiya RB67 back. Ilford XP2. Definitely need the leader. I just centered and taped the film to the 120 spool. Advance was like I was shooting 120.

 

[Ariston]

Here are a couple from the other day after the adapter arrived. Shot with a Goodman Zone and Mamiya 50mm f/6.3 lens and Mamiya RB67 back. Ilford XP2. Definitely need the leader. I just centered and taped the film to the 120 spool. Advance was like I was shooting 120.

Those look great! How did you scan? I bought a piece of frosted glass to hold the film flat on the scanner bed, but it is a bit of a pain to keep it straight.

 

[MattKing]

How did you scan? I bought a piece of frosted glass to hold the film flat on the scanner bed, but it is a bit of a pain to keep it straight.

Add some painter's tape on either end of the film - be sure to leave the calibration area unblocked.

 

[David A. Goldfarb]

Here are a couple from the other day after the adapter arrived. Shot with a Goodman Zone and Mamiya 50mm f/6.3 lens and Mamiya RB67 back. Ilford XP2. Definitely need the leader. I just centered and taped the film to the 120 spool. Advance was like I was shooting 120.

Nice images. I think they demonstrate that the main reason to try shooting 35mm film in a medium format camera in this way are to use the artifacts of 35mm film and panoramic format as compositional elements in a creative way, and not to get an X-Pan on the cheap. If you just want a panorama, it would be better to crop from the medium format frame, so you could place the horizon higher or lower as needed, like you were using a view camera with rear rise and fall. Aside from the logistical issues of frame counting and spacing and fitting the 135 cassette in the camera mentioned above, there are no film rails to hold the edges of the 35mm film flat in a medium format camera, but as long as there is some tension in the film, it should be flat enough for creative purposes.

 

[wjlapier]

Those look great! How did you scan? I bought a piece of frosted glass to hold the film flat on the scanner bed, but it is a bit of a pain to keep it straight.

I have an Epson V500. I use the 120 frame and snug the film up to one of the edges. Actually, the film is laying on the glass but I haven’t seen any artifacts or out of focus issues so far. I used to have the 35mm strip frame but cut it up for 70mm. I’m looking at getting another but so far this is fine.