Two sides to my 35mm film?!

[Cromlech]

Let me give some background information:

I have shot and used Ilford HP-5 to good use, in an Argus C3. No issues there, even though this loads right to left.

I recently got some Arista Ultra. 400 ISO. I go to use my Pentax K1000, and I look at the film.... there's TWO sides! One looks like the emulsion side (lustery, reflecting light) and the other side is a dull olive/drab green color. So, I went ahead and tried to load it with the luster side facing the lens.. I cam't do it without having the PORTRUDING side of the canister at the top! The only side that will load (and rewind) correctly is the olive drab side.

Am I doing something wrong? I feel retarded, but I just had to ask. I've already took 6 shots with this, and lost a whole entire roll over the first try-around.

Thanks,
Richard

 

[Sirius Glass]

If you are using the side curls toward the spool it comes off, you should be ok.

Steve

 

[Cromlech]

Steve,

I'm just going the only way the film canister will seat itself... the portruding end facing down wards, and pulling the film across to the right side with the advance lever.

I've just never seen an emulsion side look like this, which is why it bothers me. But it just doesnt want to work any other way without forcing it.

Richard
Anyone know more about this? Thanks!

 

[Sirius Glass]

I think you are ok.

Steve

 

[Cromlech]

Thanks Steve.

Just to be doubly sure, I will upload a cell snap to the forum of both sides of the film for you to see.

Coming soon.

Richard

 

[David Brown]

There is only one way everything fits. That will be the right way. Don't worry about the color of a film you have never used before ...

 

[Cromlech]

There is only one way everything fits. That will be the right way. Don't worry about the color of a film you have never used before ...

Yes.

Before taking the sna, I decided to google: the dull side of film.

Who would of guessed that the Emulsion side is dull, and the anti coating is lustery?

Looks like my first roll on my Pentax wouldn't of came out anyways!

Quite okay, regardless.

Thanks everyone, I feel much much better.

23 rolls left!

Richard

 

[AgX]

Who would of guessed that the Emulsion side is dull, and the anti coating is lustery?

What yo are seeing as the lustery side is no anti-halation layer but pure film base.

 

[Cromlech]

What yo are seeing as the lustery side is no anti-halation layer but pure film base.

ah, okay, and the anti is right above the film base?

I have a diagram in one of my books, but I never really looked to hard at it. I just had trouble indetifying which side was which.

 

[Nikanon]

If you are into pictorialist work or just want to try something different, you can shoot through the base of your film if you pull the film out in a darkbag, cut and re-attach (how you do this is up to you) it with the emulsion facing the other way, then wind the spool back in on the top until only the leader sticks out and load the canister as it will and your film will be shot on the wrong side. This is usually quite useless with black and white film, but with color (I recommend expired C-41 films so as not to waste the good stuff!) you will get an effect called red scaling, or whatever they call it now. What you do is shoot through the film base, anti halation later and reach the cyan layer first (reverse of red). The light then hits the magenta layer (green) and does not reach the yellow layer because of the filter that removes blue light. Usually the images are a deep monochrome red or a strange mixture of red and green with yellows. Its interesting to try, although I have not found it to be of any use for my work, you may for yours. Also, since you are losing some of your light through the film base and by not recording any blues, it is usually best to compensate with a factor of 2 - 3 stops, or as you see fit when you see your results.

 

[AgX]

AgX: What yo are seeing as the lustery side is no anti-halation layer but pure film base.

ah, okay, and the anti is right above the film base?

There are two ways to place the AH-layer:
-) above the base as you put it, which means between the emulsion layer and the base
-) below the base

 

[lxdude]

All 35mm cartridges load the same way in any particular camera. Just remember that.

 

[Cromlech]

All 35mm cartridges load the same way in any particular camera. Just remember that.

Thanks everyone for the advice!

 

[Steve Smith]

Who would of guessed that the Emulsion side is dull, and the anti coating is lustery?

Me!


Steve.

 

[railwayman3]

In my days, long ago, as an impoverished student when I loaded my own cassettes from bulk film, I have been known to put the spool into the cassette wrong-way-round, then spend a long time puzzling why it didn't fit the camera!

 

[removed account4]

hi richard

if you can get some reusable 35mm bulk load cartridges you can put the spool
in upside down, cut the tongue off and re-cut it so you shoot through the film base.

have fun !

john

 

[Worker 11811]

There's an old time projectionist's trick used to tell the emulsion side from the base.
Wet your lips and pinch the film between your lips. The emulsion will tend to stick to your moistened lips. The base side will not.

It's not really the recommended thing to do. It's not good for the film and it's probably not very good for you, either.

There's an alternate method. Wet your fingers and pinch the film between your moistened thumb and forefinger.
It works almost as well. If you do it on the tail of the film which is going to be cut off, anyway, you won't do any damage to the picture area.

I wouldn't rely on this trick all the time. I would chalk it up as old-timer's lore.
However, I have had a couple of situations where I used this trick because it was either too dark to see very well or where I had to find out quickly.

Sometimes the film will be partially threaded through a projector or camera and you'll want to quickly verify that it is threaded correctly. Just wet a finger and touch the tip or the very edge of the film. The tacky side will be the emulsion.

 

[AgX]

Randy,

If there is a gelatin based coating at the back of the film base, that wetting trick won't work.

Well, then you might go for the taste...