unloading film problem

ongakublue · Sep 4, 2015

hi everyone

i was rewinding film in my minolta x700, when i reached 36 and it seemed to snap loader than i expected. within a couple of seconds of turning the crank. i continued turning it but nothing has happened. it is loose and is clearly not pulling the film back into the canister. any ideas what might have happened and how can I safely proceed? Thanks. I hope I haven't lost a month's worth of pictures from out and about.

absolutedesmond · Sep 4, 2015

Hi
you can try opening it in a darkroom or changing bag, to feel whats going on.

pentaxuser · Sep 4, 2015

What absolutedesmond has said. Frankly opening the back in the total darkness is the only way I can think of to check what may have happened without affecting the film. It is almost certain that you won't be able to work out what did happen and correct it in the dark but the film can be taken out and rewound by hand in the dark. You can then look at the camera in room light or daylight and see what has happened

pentaxuser

StephenT · Sep 4, 2015

It sounds like the film let loose from the cartridge. You DID push the film release button, right?

Probably no big deal, just unload in the dark and re-spool if you are not doing your own development. Then you can test the rewind mechanism before you take the camera out again.

Sirius Glass · Sep 4, 2015

absolutedesmond said:
Hi
you can try opening it in a darkroom or changing bag, to feel whats going on.

What he said.

Absolutedesmond welcome to APUG.

MattKing · Sep 4, 2015

The film may not have advanced in the first place.

When that happens, the sound is so ominous, it sounds loud.

Xmas · Sep 4, 2015

When you load the film onto the take up spool you are supposed to tension the film in the cassette by operating the rewind knob until the tension increases?
Then close the back then wind on to frame 1 watching the rewind knob turn?
If it does not turn you need to open the back and start again...

If you open up in dark room and there is no film to touch you need a scrap bit of film to make up an extractor.

If there is film you need to pull the film off the cameras spool, wind it up and cache it in a all black cassette tub and develope it. If you hand it in to a lab you need to use an envelope with only open in dark room no cassette in tub loose film!

Sirius Glass · Sep 4, 2015

Xmas said:
When you load the film onto the take up spool you are supposed to tension the film in the cassette by operating the rewind knob until the tension increases?
Then close the back then wind on to frame 1 watching the rewind knob turn?
If it does not turn you need to open the back and start again...

If you open up in dark room and there is no film to touch you need a scrap bit of film to make up an extractor.

If there is film you need to pull the film off the cameras spool, wind it up and cache it in a all black cassette tub and develope it. If you hand it in to a lab you need to use an envelope with only open in dark room no cassette in tub loose film!

To amplify what Xmas said, when you close the back, tighten the rewind crank [my addition] and watch the rewind crank to see the rewind knob change. I learned this lesson over fifty years ago. It is great advice.

ME Super · Sep 4, 2015

Xmas said:
If there is film you need to pull the film off the cameras spool, wind it up and cache it in a all black cassette tub and develope it. If you hand it in to a lab you need to use an envelope with only open in dark room no cassette in tub loose film!

Been there, done that! When I explained what happened to Tony at the camera shop that gets all my film developing (I already had it in the black plastic film canister), he wasn't sure how to write it up on the envelope, so he got on the phone to the lab, and they told him how to write it up so they'd know what to do with it.

Xmas · Sep 5, 2015

It is easy to remove the film tongue if you wind it in by mistake. Google for instructions.

ongakublue · Sep 5, 2015

thanks everyone. might just give it into the lab and get them to remove the film, safely rather than me trying to do it. this is not the only thing wrong with this x700. on two occasions the shutter refused to fire when I took it out of my bag. I did everything to settings and so on but nothing. Then, for no apparant reason it would work again. I am not much into fiddling with stuff myself. Maybe I don't have the mind for it so I'd rather a camera that won't let me down like that.

jacaquarie · Sep 5, 2015

About the shutter not firing, have you replaced the battery?
This is not a mechanical camera, but electronic.
Needs good battery!

Xmas · Sep 5, 2015

ongakublue said:
thanks everyone. might just give it into the lab and get them to remove the film, safely rather than me trying to do it. this is not the only thing wrong with this x700. on two occasions the shutter refused to fire when I took it out of my bag. I did everything to settings and so on but nothing. Then, for no apparant reason it would work again. I am not much into fiddling with stuff myself. Maybe I don't have the mind for it so I'd rather a camera that won't let me down like that.

Remove battery and clean its contacts and the camera contacts with a soft rag and then replace battery.

Sirius Glass · Sep 5, 2015

jacaquarie said:
About the shutter not firing, have you replaced the battery?
This is not a mechanical camera, but electronic.
Needs good battery!

My experience too with the Minolta X-700.

unloading film problem

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