TX-1 (Xpan) film loading issues

[robert.raymer]

I just received a Fuji TX-1 so of course I was excited to load film into it and start shooting. Well, turns out I didn't read the manual and forgot to turn it off before loading. The camera only spooled half the roll. No countdown on the lcd display. Read the manual to see what the issue could be and realized the camera has to be off when loading. No big deal, wasted a 36 exp roll of Tri-X. Re-spooled it and tried again, knowing it would be wasted roll, but just to get the hang of it. It still would not work properly. Tried a few more times. Still nothing. At this point Im thinking I may have to return it, but I didn't want to give up, so I found a roll of cheap Kodak gold 200 24exp. No issues. Film took up perfectly and I shot the roll without issue. Problem solved. Or not. Tried another roll of Tri-x 36 exp and same results as the first time. At this point Im thinking there may be an issue with Tri-X specifically, strange as that may be, so I try a roll of Portra 160 36 exp. Same issue. Only winds about half the roll, no countdown in the LCD. But here is the thing. I load another roll of Gold 200 24exp and again it takes it up perfectly. Has anyone else had this issue. As far as I can tell it seems that it will not properly load 36 exposure rolls but has no problem with 24 exposure rolls. Am I crazy? Am I doing something wrong? Is there an issue with the camera I need to know about? Right now Im really confused.

 

[reddesert]

Don't have a TX-1/XPan, but immediate thought is to clean the DX contacts, because DX encodes film length as well as ISO. If you look at the key for DX codes, 36 turns "on" a contact that is not used by 24, so that would be a place to look. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DX_encoding#Reading_DX_Camera_Auto_Sensing_codes

 

[robert.raymer]

Thanks. Someone replied to my reddit feed with the same thought. I don't think that DX coding is the issue, as the Xpan allows loading of film with no DX coding with no change in function, and I tried loading both with the DX coding on and with manual selection of ISO with the same result, but it is definitely still worth a try.

 

[Huss]

Also the DX coding does not matter because some rolls of film are longer than others. When I load Fuji 36 exp rolls, I get 20 exposures on the counter (in pano mode). But when I load Kodak 36 exp rolls I get 21.

Your camera is defective. Sorry.

 

[Huss]

p.s. do you have the camera in pano or 35mm mode? In pano it should show 20/21 while in 35mm it should show 36/37

 

[robert.raymer]

DX coding should not matter, for a number of reasons, but I did check the contacts just in case. No issues. Also pano vs 35mm does not matter, as the roll was not wound the full length. It would stop winding mid roll and nothing would be displayed on the LCD. I have come to the conclusion that the motor drive is probably wearing down and that it will still handle a 24 exposure roll but that there is too much resistance to pull a full 36 exposure roll. I called the only repair shop around here that even had a clue (even though they no longer service the cameras) and they seem to agree with my assessment. Regardless, the camera is defective and I have already contacted the seller about a return. It is a shame though because I did shoot the 24 exposure roll (13 frames in pano) that did manage to load properly, and for the short time I had it it was everything that I had hoped it would be since I first laid eyes on the camera 20 years ago. I always knew that some are close to the end of their service life with repair shops that service them almost as scarce as the parts needed for repair (not to mention the expense), but I kind of hoped I would have a good experience. Now that the first one I even briefly owned had to be returned as defective, I am very apprehensive about considering a new one.

 

[Huss]

..Now that the first one I even briefly owned had to be returned as defective, I am very apprehensive about considering a new one.

What was the shutter count on that camera? Xpan/TX1 show that, and that would give an indication as to how much it was used.

I've had one TX1, one Xpan, and one TX2. No issues with any of them.
I do recommend the TX2/Xpan2 over the 1 because Fuji changed the on switch. On the 1 it can wear out over time, and is hard to find a replacement for it. I could see that on mine - the Xpan had started to become stiff to turn on (but still worked fine), while the lower mileage TX1 still had a silky smooth switch.
The Xpan2/TX2 has a different design. Guess Fuji realized there was a problem.