Using an Instamatic X-90 in 2023

Cholentpot

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I was given an Instamatic X-90 today, aside from the vinyl needed some cleanup the camera is in tiptop shape. It even came with an unused roll of Fuji 126 film in there. I bodged up a PX-90 replacement and the camera lights up and goes.

Question, is there any way to use this thing with reloaded 35mm like I've done with my X-15 in the past. The film advance is a pull string kind of gadget so it's automatic? I guess? I'd like to use this camera as it feels pretty solid and has a fast 38mm 2.8 lens and a rangefinder! Woo! I can also select B-1/250 with the camera selecting aperture.

Any ideas folks?
 

Truzi

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I don't see why you couldn't use it, though you may have to get creative with the film. The spring-driven advance mechanism can be an issue.

On 126, a pin goes into an index-hole in the film, which stops the advance. If the pin lines up with the 35mm film sprocket holes it will stop after moving a tiny bit - but you could experiment to see how many times to fire the shutter in order to get the right frame spacing. It won't be perfect, and after figuring it out, you'd have to cover the lens each time you did this.

At one time I'd found a bulk roll of unperforated color 35mm film and used a hole punch and "jig" to create indexing holes. You might also find unperforated microfilm, or slit 120 to size.
I taped over the window on the 126 cartridge and did not use backing paper - opting to count shots (post-it note on back of camera).

Also, Ilford's yearly special format run of B&W film often includes an unperforated 35mm bulk-roll of film.

The question is whether it is worth it for you. I enjoy doing it occasionally so I can use my grandmother's Minolta Autopak and my Father's Kodak Instamatic 414.

Here are some previous threads on reloading the cartridges - I think you may have participated in some:

126 film for a Keystone K 1020 SLR Reflex?

I had purchased a Keystone K 1020 SLR Reflex in pretty good condition from a vintage retail store a few years ago. It came with an empty roll of 126 film with its label removed. Is it difficult to get a hold of this type of film or it possible to convert a roll of 35mm film to work with it so I...
www.photrio.com

Hello and 126 Film Resurrection Project

Hello all, This is my first post here on Photrio, however I have been lurking here for a few years. I'm a senior year industrial design student and have been shooting, developing, and experimenting with film for a little over 2 years. I'm always looking for new photography projects so I've...
www.photrio.com

126 Camera w/35mm film (File/No File Indexing Pin?)

It would seem that filing down the indexing pin on a 126 camera for 35mm use would totally solve the "perforated vs unperforated vs unperforated w/ strateg- ically punched holes" question. One would just file down the pin, then use whatever 35mm film one wanted to. (Of course, advancing the...
www.photrio.com

Non Perforated B&W 35mm film?

I can't find any recent posts concerning this. I've been trying to find some to reload for my Kodak 500 Instamatic. I've been working through a dozen rolls of wonderful HR100 fuji and saving the 126 cartridges and backing paper to reload. I've seen color film (Portra and Konica) but the only bw...
www.photrio.com
 

Don_ih

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If you wanted to annoy yourself a little, you could cut a series of 24 little pieces of clear tape, exactly the correct length and width to cover the unneeded sprocket holes on 35mm film. Then you could meticulously put those little strips of tape on the bottom edge of the film. Might be tricky not making a mistake. But if it's only 20 exposures, it's only 20 pieces of tape.
 
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Cholentpot

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With this camera I think that by bypassing the sprocket feeler it would just wind through the whole roll. I thought of using some exposed 120 film slit down to 126 size as stand in backing paper and punching in the sprockets and then rolling up some 35mm into it. The 35mm is still going to give an issue with its holes though. It might take two or three shots if going the way of 35mm to get to the next frame.
 

Don_ih

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You have a roll of 126 film. If you take it apart, you can ditch the backing paper and cover the number window. You can keep the old, probably useless film and use it for its holes. You can cut a piece of 35mm film and trim off the bottom row of sprocket holes. You can then tape the top of the film to the top of the old 126 film and wind it up in the cartridge. That way, the feeler will use the old, proper holes, you will expose on new, correctly spaced film, and life will be pleasant once again.
 
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Cholentpot

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Exactly what I wanted to try. Challenge would be getting the sprockets cut off the 35mm and aligning the trimmed film. I can also use the 126 film as a template to cut down some 120 and punch holes in it.
 

xkaes

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There are plenty of people -- apparently not on THIS FORUM -- that reload 126 cameras with 35mm film. There are sellers on EBAY that sell refillable cassettes, etc.

Just like there are lots of people who still reload 16mm cassettes -- like Minolta, Mamiya, Steky, Ricoh, Yashica, et.c -- 126 can be reloaded. Lots of people reload HIT-type cameras as well.

It's just a case of if it's worth it to you. I don't know about the X-90, but there were some great 126 cameras made.

Depending on the camera, film and cassette you might need to make adjustments/changes to the film, cassette and/or camera to get it to work properly.

Over at the SUBCLUB there are lots of people modifying and adjusting -- and using -- 110 cameras and cassettes, and enjoying it.

www.subclub.org
 

Truzi

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I kind of like Don's tape idea. It would add thickness, but simply go with fewer frames per cartridge (there is the urge to do 24+, lol).

With unperfed film, I used a small hole-punch with a stick of balsa wood attached (taped) to it. At the correct distance of the index holes I put a small screw (from a computer I'd disassembled) in the wood.

In a changing bag I punched a hole, pulled the film until the hole settled in the screw, punched another, etc.

The reason I did not use backing paper is I was not confident I could line the backing paper holes with the film holes even if the spacing was correct. I glued a piece of backing paper on the inside of the cartridge at the film gate to have the right thickness/distance - not that this would matter on my cheap 126 cameras.

Similar to Don's other idea is to simply slit the "bottom" row of sprockets off 35mm film, and when re-rolling it for the 126 cartridge, make sure the "top" edge is flush with the top edge of the backing paper. (Bottom and top relative to where the pin is in the camera).

This way there would be no film for the index pin to touch, but the backing paper should take care of that. It would sacrifice some of the frame, but so would sprocket holes, and I'm not sure if the paper would hold up and if the film would stay in place relative to the backing paper.
 
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xkaes

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Do the 126 cameras use the sprocket holes to cock the shutter, like in MOST 110 cameras?

(FYI, Lots of 110 cameras DON'T use the sprocket holes to cock the shutter.)
 
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Cholentpot

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One of the most active threads on here is the 110/16mm thread. I'm one of them folks who reload Minolta, Kiev, Auto 110 cameras. I love doing it.

It seems the X-90 was near the top of the line in 126 world. I think the simplest way would be reloading it with 16mm film and using it as a sprocket/panorama camera. Just measure out the holes and punch it into a new backing film or paper.

xkaes said:
Do the 126 cameras use the sprocket holes to cock the shutter, like in MOST 110 cameras?

(FYI, Lots of 110 cameras DON'T use the sprocket holes to cock the shutter.)
Click to expand...

This camera does.

I have a few 110 cameras that require the feeler to be pushed but a simple piece of tape solved that problem.
 

Don_ih

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I got inspired yesterday to punish myself, so made something to split unperforated 70mm film into 2 strips of 35mm, then I made something to punch the edge holes into one strip to reload into a 126 cartridge. Tedious. I'm currently trying to decide which 126 camera to put it in. It's Aviphot 200. 1/90 at f11 would be good outside on a fairly bright overcast day. I have a very small supply of Magicubes that I kinda want to save for sheet film in the Polaroid Big Shot.

I'm not going to buy an Instamatic 500, though. I really don't need another camera.
 
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Cholentpot

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I forgot about this thread.

In late June I managed to get a roll through my X-90. In the dark I punched holes into some slit down 70mm film and rolled it into a 126 case. It worked! Granted the film got pretty beat up and the exposure wasn't all that great but the camera wound to next frame no issue and I shot out the whole roll.










This is Aviphot 200. Kodak X-90. I lost interest once I got the thing to work and proved it would and that's it's technically possible to make 126 film still.
 

xkaes

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Now all you have to do is buy a Suzuki X-90 to lug that Kodak X-90 around.

 
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