Tutorial - 70mm Film to 120/220/620: A Guide on Hand-Rolling Medium Format Film (with PICTURES!)

Cholentpot · Mar 4, 2023

Update on Plus-X Aero.

I attempted to slit down a 4 roll long length of 70mm down to 120 instead of going one roll at a time. It works with non-perf. With perforated film I do not suggest doing this. It was jam-o-matic central.

MCB18 · Mar 4, 2023

Cholentpot said:
Update on Plus-X Aero.

I attempted to slit down a 4 roll long length of 70mm down to 120 instead of going one roll at a time. It works with non-perf. With perforated film I do not suggest doing this. It was jam-o-matic central.

Oh nooooes

Yeah, it’s hard enough to do it with non-perf. There are a few spots where the film got off-canter and caused rough spots. Can’t emagine doing it with perfs. I will be so happy if this lead on 61.5mm film pans out.

Cholentpot · Mar 4, 2023

MCB18 said:
Oh nooooes

Yeah, it’s hard enough to do it with non-perf. There are a few spots where the film got off-canter and caused rough spots. Can’t emagine doing it with perfs. I will be so happy if this lead on 61.5mm film pans out.

Developing a roll of the bad batch now. Might have been light stuck too. I had bad luck with that session.

didordure · Mar 5, 2023

I am making a cutting table with guides and levers around te cutter box to align the film properly. And yes, I have film with perfs that didn't like the half a millimeter of uncalculated varnish coating. A some point the film bent and one of the cutter didn't cut properly. But my guess is that if you hold the film in your hand the pulling is not even enough and can lead to desasters. I will test the mkII soon

kjm · Apr 25, 2023

Cholentpot said:
Here's some Aviphot 200 shot @ 200 developed in D-76 1:1 for 14 min. This was the first roll off the reel, I assume the mottling should clear up further on into the reel. I hope. I used a Mamiya M645 80mm 2.8

I rolled this up by hand. It has potential.

How did some of the rolls further in the spool end up? I'm considering getting some but the mottling has scared me off.

Cholentpot · Apr 25, 2023

kjm said:
How did some of the rolls further in the spool end up? I'm considering getting some but the mottling has scared me off.

I've had mottling but the film is so cheap that I don't really care.

MCB18 · Apr 25, 2023

Wait, is that what this “grain” is? Not grain, but mottling?

(http://imgur.com/a/bvgrgsD)

lamerko · Apr 26, 2023

Hello,
now it's my turn to order the Aviphot Pan 200 PE1. I am looking at the stock of a dealer from India who has several different offerings.
The first is for the 70mm x 45.7m Twin Pack - these are the only ones without perforation. They are dated 2012-12 - someone mentioned they had stains. Is it worth?
Other suggestions:
- 70mm x 60m (Pack of 2), date 2012-06, perforated;
- 70mm x 85m (Pack of 2), date 2005-06, perforated;
The latter has one more difference - it is marked as "Aviphot Pan 200 S PE 1". Does anyone know what that "S" stands for?

If anyone has tried these batches, let me know if they are problematic.

Cholentpot · Apr 26, 2023

MCB18 said:
Wait, is that what this “grain” is? Not grain, but mottling?
(http://imgur.com/a/bvgrgsD)

Looks like it to me. That's some mottling but I can't be sure without a closerup.

blee1996 · Apr 26, 2023

lamerko said:
Hello,
now it's my turn to order the Aviphot Pan 200 PE1. I am looking at the stock of a dealer from India who has several different offerings.
The first is for the 70mm x 45.7m Twin Pack - these are the only ones without perforation. They are dated 2012-12 - someone mentioned they had stains. Is it worth?
Other suggestions:
- 70mm x 60m (Pack of 2), date 2012-06, perforated;
- 70mm x 85m (Pack of 2), date 2005-06, perforated;
The latter has one more difference - it is marked as "Aviphot Pan 200 S PE 1". Does anyone know what that "S" stands for?

If anyone has tried these batches, let me know if they are problematic.

I only have the Aviphot 70mm x 45.7m unperforated twin pack (exp 2012-12), and have mottling on the film. However, I'm still at the first 10-15m range. Some say the inner core will be better.

From (same?) Indian vendor I bought 100ft rolls of Plus-X Aero perforated (2006-02) and that batch works quite well.

lamerko · Apr 27, 2023

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get the Plus-X - I thought it wouldn't be snapped up so quickly. I am hoping for new stock...
From the current batches - I will probably take 70mm x 60m (2012-06). I'm not too sure about customs procedures - they can be quite cumbersome and annoying. I've never ordered from India, but if customs goes quickly - I'll probably pick up some more to test.

JWMster · Mar 13, 2024

Love your adventure....but not expecting to follow in these footsteps. HOWEVER, for what it's worth I did want to pass along that the backing papers from ADOX 120 are some of the most beautiful I've ever run across. When peeling it off to develop a roll, I thought of you guys. Not cheap film, but worth shooting a roll just for the paper. Something to remember.

lamerko · Apr 12, 2024

Hello,
a year later, still haven't tried the procedure. But I have everything I need - a decent amount of 65mm and 70mm films, slitters, 120 rolls and paper... I keep procrastinating, but it's high time to start them.
And so. Maybe it's a "problem", but almost all of my film stock is perforated.
After reducing the width to 61mm, the perforations will be affected. I haven't tried, but such a film or any chance of it being wound on a standard Jobo or Paterson spiral?

blee1996 · Apr 12, 2024

lamerko said:
Hello,
a year later, still haven't tried the procedure. But I have everything I need - a decent amount of 65mm and 70mm films, slitters, 120 rolls and paper... I keep procrastinating, but it's high time to start them.
And so. Maybe it's a "problem", but almost all of my film stock is perforated.
After reducing the width to 61mm, the perforations will be affected. I haven't tried, but such a film or any chance of it being wound on a standard Jobo or Paterson spiral?

70mm perforated or non-perforated, can be wound on older versions of Ansco plastic reels that support 116 film format (or any Paterson/Jobo tank & reel that supports 116 film format). They look like below image. Unfortunately there is also a smaller version of almost identical Ansco tank and reel that only supports 135/120. So without the outer package, you have to ask the seller to measure the diamter of the tank. The right version should have a diameter of about 5.5 inches.

lamerko · Apr 12, 2024

Yes, I know those, but my camera (Bronica SQ) does not have an option for a 70mm back - there is simply no way I can shoot this film. I might try to load the 65mm directly into the 120 back, but I'm not too sure if it will work.

Donald Qualls · Apr 15, 2024

One method I've seen is to cut 70 mm down to 61 mm, all on one edge (IIRC, I saw this done with HIE when it was freshly discontinued). This cleans up the perforations on that edge, leaving two smooth edges and no problems loading into a 120 size developing reel. Of course, you have perforations in the image area on the other size, but a mask in your view finder will let you compose for the resulting crop.

lamerko · Apr 17, 2024

Okay. First test with the 70mm slider. With non-perforated film, there is no surprise - everything is perfect. What's more interesting is with the perforated film - the slide tactfully does not affect the perforation on one end, which makes things easier later.
The big surprise here was that I was able to roll this piece on a standard Jobo roll. Granted, it wasn't the full length of a 120 film, much less a 220, but I have high hopes for that.
These days I will roll a few rolls of both films and test them in real conditions. Too bad the weather has seriously turned bad at the moment

lamerko · Apr 30, 2024

My concerns about the injured perforation proved unfounded. Surprisingly, the film wound quite freely in the Jobo 1501 reel.

WD4AON · May 9, 2025

Fredrixxon said:
This kind of pull-through slitters always looked barbarian for me. I've built a slitter that has pairs of foam covered reels inside to transport the film.
But whatever you use - your biggest enemy is dust.

Can you share pictures/plans of your slitter device? Terry

WD4AON · May 9, 2025

Marcelo Paniagua said:
Has anyone cut Aviphot 200 on 70mm to 2 1/4 x 3 1/4 sheet film?.

I cut it half and use it as 35mm in cameras having only one toothed wheel and in my Canon 10s without toothed wheel.

MCB18 · Thursday at 4:28 PM

I updated this guide, now including pictures of how 220 paper is made and attached, and a video of me rolling a 120 roll!

Check it out here!

Tutorial - 70mm Film to 120/220/620: A Guide on Hand-Rolling Medium Format Film (with PICTURES!)

Cholentpot

MCB18

Cholentpot

didordure

kjm

Cholentpot

MCB18

lamerko

Cholentpot

blee1996

lamerko

JWMster

lamerko

blee1996

lamerko

Donald Qualls

lamerko

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MCB18

Tutorial - 70mm Film to 120/220/620: A Guide on Hand-Rolling Medium Format Film (with PICTURES!)

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