Quick Film Question

kevinbell · Jun 26, 2008

Guys I order my film (slide) usually at least 5-6 rolls at a time from adorama. The bad thing is they don't send them in the little kodak boxes and I need the Ektachrome 100 and Kodachrome 64 card board pieces from the box to place in my memo holder on back of my SLR. Can you request that they leave the film in the boxes or what? I'd like to get a few in the boxes so I can get the piece off the box to put in my memo holder. Any ideas?

-Kevin

Mike Kennedy · Jun 26, 2008

Hi Keven,
Here's what I do for my Nikon's.Find some white cardboard that is the approximate thickness of the paper used in a film box.Cut it to size and wright down you film info.I use match book covers.

Mike

bobwysiwyg · Jun 26, 2008

When bulk loading, I bought a small pack of index cards and cut them to the right size, actually a bit taller then the film box ends (always found them hard to remove from the camera back). I could not only note the type of film, but the speed and number of frames loaded to the cassette.

srs5694 · Jun 26, 2008

Writing down information on small bits of cardboard, as Mike and Bob suggest, is an option. If you want the pretty logos and whatnot, you could scan a box end (you'd obviously need one box), duplicate it in a graphics program, and print a whole sheet. You could use an image from a Web site instead of a scan, with slightly less good results.

Mike Wilde · Jun 26, 2008

bulk loading tip

when bulk loading, clip off a bit of film the width of the box top. Write on it the film on the base side the type of film & number of exposires with a sharpie indelible marker. Slip it into the film can with the bulk loaded roll. When you finish the roll, stick this little tab back into the film cannister.

Back in the darkroom, once the film is loaded on the reel and being developed, drop the info bit into a small beaker/glass with the fixer, and note how long it takes to clear. Then when your film os done developing and has been rinsed/ stop bathed, then you know to fix for twice the time the sample bit took to clear.

kodachrome64 · Jun 26, 2008

I don't think he's doing any bulk loading/developing of Kodachrome

This is actually one of my complaints with Adorama/B&H, that some films do not come with the boxes. I understand they buy these films in bulk but I would like to know when I buy them. Maybe it's no big deal to most people, but I feel kinda slighted and it's not like I'm getting a huge discount. I've never received K64 this way or E100VS.

I've never written on an index card or anything, I've just remembered what I had in there. I guess if you can find ONE box of film then you can keep the tab. If you don't have a K64 tab I can mail you one. I think I also have an E100VS tab laying around if that is the Ektachrome 100 that you need.

Nick

kevinbell · Jun 26, 2008

Boxes

Nick,

Ha you said it better than I did! Thats exactly the way I feel as well. I feel like I should get at least one dang box when I order from them. As you said it's not like we are getting some cheap thing!

-Kevin

Christopher Walrath · Jun 26, 2008

You could always request boxed film. They might oblige. You never know until you ask.

tim elder · Jun 27, 2008

I know that Kodak still sells black & white films individually, but I'm not sure that they are still selling their professional color film in single boxes. I was at Adorama yesterday and didn't see any.

Tim

kevinbell · Jun 27, 2008

Boxes?

So if they aren't selling them in boxes over the counter in singles then what are they selling them in? I thought over the counter, as in single products, had to be labeled for individual sale?

-Kevin

dmr · Jun 27, 2008

The major local surviving indie camera shop sells "pro pack" film a roll at a time. This is never individually boxed. I've actually gotten used to it.

thuggins · Jun 27, 2008

All the film I've gotten from Adorama has always come individually boxed - VS, Kodachrome, UC, Reala - every one of them. It would seem an exception for it not to be individually boxed. I recently got 20 rolls of Elite Chrome Extra "Colour" (it is only made for Europe now, apparently) from Unique Photo, and it did come in two boxes of ten rolls each.

But what is the real problem? Do you need to be reminded of the speed? If you set the ASA dial when you load the film, that shouldn't be a problem. Do you use the memo holder to remind you that the camera has film loaded? Then a blank card in the memo holder would work as well.

srs5694 · Jun 27, 2008

thuggins said:
But what is the real problem?

The worst problem is that vendors don't always provide emulsion lot numbers or expiration dates. Most do, actually -- they put a sticker on the product with the information. I have received film with no such data, though, which can be a bit troubling.

kevinbell · Jun 27, 2008

film data

Well thuggins when you have several cameras and several types of film in them or something like that you want to keep track of what is in what camera. I might shoot Ektachrome 100 in one AE-1 while shooting Kodachrome 64 in another AE-1. It's good to know which is which.

-Kevin

HelenOster · Jul 3, 2008

kevinbell said:
Guys I order my film (slide) usually at least 5-6 rolls at a time from adorama. The bad thing is they don't send them in the little kodak boxes and I need the Ektachrome 100 and Kodachrome 64 card board pieces from the box to place in my memo holder on back of my SLR. Can you request that they leave the film in the boxes or what? I'd like to get a few in the boxes so I can get the piece off the box to put in my memo holder. Any ideas?

-Kevin

Dear Kevin

I apologise that it has taken me a little while to respond - I'm relatively new, and had sent this query to the wrong person............

the answer is, that we buy these films in bulk, so we don't have the little boxes ourselves.

I'm sorry that I couldn't be of any more assistance in this.

Sincerely

Helen Oster
Adorama Camera Customer Service Ambassador

kevinbell · Jul 3, 2008

Adorama

Helen,

Hey and glad to hear your response. Let me first say that I have no problem with Adorama whatsoever. In fact I enjoy doing business with you guys. I believe you offer some good deals. I just wanted to know how we could obtain a box, if possible. I didn't mean that each one had to be in a box, maybe just one of each film type if it were possible. I see now that you guys buy it pretty much the same way I get it and thats an understandable explanation. Again I appreciate Adoramas good deals and availability of film. I also appreciate this very personal customer service. Thanks and welcome to the forum! I look forward to chatting with you!

-Kevin

panastasia · Jul 3, 2008

kevinbell said:
Well thuggins when you have several cameras and several types of film in them or something like that you want to keep track of what is in what camera. I might shoot Ektachrome 100 in one AE-1 while shooting Kodachrome 64 in another AE-1. It's good to know which is which.

-Kevin

Kevin,
Why don't you save the old box ends and keep reusing them? I do the same as others suggested, I write the film type on a piece of paper (if I don't have the box). You're sounding very persnickety, for lack of a better term.

I can understand the problem of not knowing the expiration dates, though.

Paul

Snapshot · Jul 3, 2008

I printed out "stickers" to put on the back on FA whenever I need to know what film I'm using. Once I'm done, I just peel it off and discard.

bobwysiwyg · Jul 3, 2008

One of my 35mm cameras is an old Pentax (SV). Doesn't even have a holder like my Nikons. I just jot whatever info I need on a strip of masking tape and affix it to the camera base.

kevinbell · Jul 3, 2008

Boxes

Well i'm not persnickity, I just like the retail boxing if available. I've never had one though as I am younger (34) and just started shooting slides in the last couple years. I've had to order the film because there are no slide films here. Since I have to order it I order several at a time (5-6 rolls). I've never even had a retail box though. If I had got some retail boxes in the past then yes i'd have used them over and over in the camera as I only shoot a couple types of film. The only print film we have here is that kodak 200 speed which is grainy and poor color rendition as compared to the Fuji. The Fuji though isn't that much better as it's their bottom of the line 200 speed. 100 Speed print film is almost non-existent here. I don't really care about print film that much but it would be nice to have some available that was good....if needed. I really only shoot slides and thus use Ektachrome 100 or some similar Fuji. As far as developing I don't know of any Kodak labs here. All the labs here are Fuji based as are the sendout labs.

-Kevin

srs5694 · Jul 3, 2008

OK, for everybody who so desperately wants this sort of thing: Here is a 300 dpi scan of a box end (actually it's a tear-out part of a flap from a pro pack) for Fuji Astia 100F. Grab it, load it into your favorite graphics program, duplicate it, print it at 300 dpi on thick paper stock, and cut up as many "box ends" as you like from that. If somebody wants to host an archive of similar scans, it can be a resource for those who want them. (This is the only box end I happen to have for slide film, although I've got box ends for several B&W and color print films, if anybody wants them.)

Quick Film Question

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