Reloadable Metal 35mm cassettes

I am always checking the clearance page at Freestyle, and noticed that they had ISO 400 Metal cassettes on clearance a month or so back. I ordered some and was surprised that they sent them to me as packs of 5.

The ISO 100 ones are also on that page. I decided to ask what we could get with the ISO codding. One of my Canon Cameras will blink "ISO" on the display if it can't read the cartridge. (even if the speed has been manually set! )

Word I got back from Good old Marv, is that ALL the metal reusable cassettes are going away, and they will only have plastic ones from now on.

I gave up using the plastic ones years ago as they are prone to develop light leaks where the cap joins the felt.

I asked about DX labels and they are not planning any. (I went to a good deal of trouble one time to get a friend in the UK get me some of the labels that are sold in the UK, and found that they are a bit flimsy to be reliable. Porters Cameras in the US also sells some but the barriers to ordering are too much)

Anyone have ideas on substitutes. I know some folks just extract the leader when processing the crimped cassettes and splice the bulk film on but I don't really trust that method. I am using Canon EOS cameras these days, (Auto Focus is a boon to 50 year old plus eyes) so I have to be sure that my bulk rolls are sturdy enough that the camera will rewind at the end properly, without rewinding before the end..

hi,

You could put tape over the contacts and set the film speed manually?

cheers,
kevs

Try http://www.imageaircraft.com.au/DXsim/

Use aluminum foil duct tape (from Lowes or HD (the plastic kind of tape won't work)) and cut a piece to the proper size for the entire DX code area. Then using either Wikipedia or the DX simulator above, cut pieces of electrical tape or masking tape to place on the parts that would be black. Tolerance isn't very critical. Check the number of contacts in your camera. Most only have three or four and you don't have to mess with the spots that aren't used. Film speed is critical. The rest is pretty much optional. If you want to change speed, peel off the tape and make a new one.

You can also use this same trick to modify film speed on preloaded cassettes. I regularly modify ISO 400 films to ISO 320 this way as I generally like to derate them 1/3 stop. I've also been making cassettes for ISO 250 motion picture film this way and it works great.

It would be a shame if the metal casettes went away. I have found them to light leak as well.

-- Jason

I wonder if this means that Adox films will be in plastic. As far as I can see, their cassettes are exactly the same as the re-loadable metal ones that I have bought.

kevs said:

hi,
You could put tape over the contacts and set the film speed manually?

Click to expand...

Not on one of my Canons, it will blink ISO if it gets a blank cassette (even if you set it menualy) so you are never sure if you have it right

Ektagraphic said:

I wonder if this means that Adox films will be in plastic. As far as I can see, their cassettes are exactly the same as the re-loadable metal ones that I have bought.

Click to expand...

I first saw this style with AGFA film, although ilford also used them for years (all before DX coding came out). I believe that the ultimate maker is AP-Photoplast. in Spain. but wonder why the item is disappearing

http://www.apphoto.es/ap_products/docs/eng/chasis_pelicula.htm

Humm, I've always had better luck with the plastic ones anyway. And I only have one camera that reads DX coding. That's a little Olympus Stylus Zoom I paid twelve bucks for. Granted, it needs the coding as there is no way to set it manually (other than a stick on code or the like.)

cmacd123 said:

Not on one of my Canons, it will blink ISO if it gets a blank cassette (even if you set it menualy) so you are never sure if you have it right

Click to expand...

Which canon model does this? (sounds like some inner electronic glitch/malfunction)
I use a 1n, 1v and had a 3 but sold it and they all worked fine with the reused factory cassettes. (I taped the bulk film to the last few inches of a used up factory load)

Are you worried the winder will rip the end if you tape your bulk loads?

Hi Charles, I do not have problem with DX codes but I wondering about supply of good quality cassettes in future? My experience with AP metal cassettes is very bad, it's basically junk. I had some luck a few years ago when in Japan I bought Fuji brand re-loadable, unfortunately they are not longer available. Week or so ago in Columbus, Ohio, I found bunch or metal cassettes with some barely visible lettering from Seattle film works, but they look like unused. Years ago Freestyle had very good ones with "bras colour" lids, very similar to Ilford from that time. Maybe it's the last moment to start hoarding all of them???

brucemuir said:

Which canon model does this? (sounds like some inner electronic glitch/malfunction)
I use a 1n, 1v and had a 3 but sold it and they all worked fine with the reused factory cassettes. (I taped the bulk film to the last few inches of a used up factory load)

Are you worried the winder will rip the end if you tape your bulk loads?

Click to expand...

1) Original "elan"
2) I have no luck extracting the leader through the cassette felt, and the caps don't go back on the factory loads after I pry them off.

Ah okay, I was assuming you could set your camera to not wind in completely.
I get your problem now.

gorbas said:

Hi Charles, I do not have problem with DX codes but I wondering about supply of good quality cassettes in future? My experience with AP metal cassettes is very bad, it's basically junk. Years ago Freestyle had very good ones with "bras colour" lids, very similar to Ilford from that time.

Click to expand...

I have noticed that the "DX" coded ones don't seem to hold the end caps as well as the Older cassettes. I am not sure if it is thinner steel, a different alloy or perhaps just worn tooling. Of course the other difference is that the newer design has the lips flat at the point where the newer cameras have the film type window, the original design in the 1980 period had the film come out almost perpendicular to the cassette. I set aside my old ones when I switched to the Auto Focus SLR, as they use at least the speed setting on the DX codeing.

I have tried the labels DX that a UK dealer sells, and was underwhelmed. (First off I had to get a friend to buy them and send them to me as the dealer would not mail them to Canada, and second they were not easy to place, and they wrinkled far to easily.) So they are not the answer.