So... I recently got a Yashica Mat 124G

[ky-ros]

But i think I’m having issues with the crank while loading film (or it could just be me loading the film incorrectly) , which caused me to only shoot 1 photo of all 12 that were took, the shutter works fine and while loading the film I really felt that the film roll did not advance as it should have. Any assistance with this is appreciated, also tips for not messing up the film while loading it please

 

[shutterfinger]

When loading 120 film start the leader through the takeup spool until the paper is at the width of the slot in the spool, fold the end of the paper that is sticking out of the opposite side of the spool opposite the wind direction then roll the paper so that it is starting to hold the paper leader down then use the camera advance to advance the leader to the alignment arrows or if threading the spool out of camera install the spool in the camera and align the start arrows. It won't hurt if the paper align arrow goes no more than 3/16 inch past the camera's alignment mark.

 

[grat]

Does anyone besides Fuji put the hole in their leader and the hook in the slot of their spools?

It's very convenient.

 

[voceumana]

In my experience, only Fuji. But if you develop your own film, you can use a Fuji take up reel and use a paper punch on the paper leader to get the same results. If you don't process your own film, maybe your processor will return the spool.

 

[Dan Daniel]

But i think I’m having issues with the crank while loading film (or it could just be me loading the film incorrectly) , which caused me to only shoot 1 photo of all 12 that were took, the shutter works fine and while loading the film I really felt that the film roll did not advance as it should have. Any assistance with this is appreciated, also tips for not messing up the film while loading it please

Not sure what the problem is. So, first, you say you got one exposed shot out of 12 on the roll, yes? This means that the roll DID move forward and wind to the end?

If this did happen, the film went through the camera, you fired the shutter 12 times, but only one frame was exposed, the most likely culprit is that the sync between the wind system and the actual shutter firing is off. When you press the shutter button, you are moving two different mechanical systems. One system fires the actual shutter. The other system releases the winding mechanism for moving the film forward to the next frame. It is possible to press the shutter button, hear a click, and wind the film forward. But the click might be just the wind system releasing, not the shutter firing.

Put a spool in the upper chamber, close the back, and wind forward. Yeah, it sounds like crap and feels rough, don't worry. It's just that thin silver gear on the left of the upper chamber bouncing along the spool- wrap tape on the spool if it scares you. Anyway, wind to stop, 1. I like to set he shutter to 1 sec. or 1/2 for this kind of testing so I get the BUZZ noise along with hte leaves moving. Press the release slowly. Even if you hear a click, keep pressing. Are there two distinct clicks, the second one being the shutter firing? Wind forward and keep testing.

Good chance you just pressed far enough to fire the shutter on one shot while only releasing the wind system on the rest.

If this is what is happening, just be sure to press all the way taking a shot. If you release after the first click, you can't re-press and fire the shutter. You'll need to wind to the next frame.

As to what to do, get it fixed at some point. If the camera is new to you, and this lets you get exposures, I'd run a few rolls first to shake out the camera to see if other problems show up.

 

[ic-racer]

Can you post a picture of the processed film roll to see where this single exposure is on the roll? Also, do you recall how many winds it took to get to the first frame after closing the back? Is the shutter opening and closing?