Film Binge

[GeneW]

I loaded up today when I was in Toronto. A 100' roll of Tri-X (400TX), 6 36-exp rolls of Tri-X (for my trip to the States in May -- I don't want to cross the border with bulk-loaded film), 6 36-exp rolls of Reala 100 for some upcoming EcoSource/Evergreen planting events, and 4 DX-encoded film canisters - 2 for 100 and 2 for 400. Set me back $150 Cdn! Yikes! The Reala was the most expensive part of the purchase.

I debated special ordering a 100' roll of Neopan 400 but the bulk Tri-X was in stock, I like Tri-X, and I didn't have to wait 2 weeks for it. Call me Mr. Patience :D

Gene

[back alley]

sounds like a productive day of shopping.

one of these days i will have to take a deep breath and start bulk loading my film.
i have 150 feet in the fridge now.

gene, i hope i thanked you for those instructions. they are waaay more clear than the sheet that came with my bulk loader.

joe

[GeneW]

Joe, glad to hear those instructions are better. I'm about to start my bulk loading -- I still have a small number of standard rolls to use up first.

Gene

[RayPA]

I...(for my trip to the States in May ...)
Gene

Gene,

I would hate to be without Tri-X. Where will your trip take you? If you don't mind me asking. And why would you not want to bring bulk-loaded film? :)

[peter_n]

I just loaded up with Fuji Neopan from B&H in NYC for my upcoming trip to Spain. I'm taking 100 Acros, Neopan 400 and also 1600 for night shots. :)

[James Burton]

I bought $AU600 of film in september with the excuse of needing it for our holiday in NZ. Let me see if I remember what. 10 rolls XP2, 10 rolls provia, 10 rolls NPH-400, 2 100ft rolls HP5+. Most of the colour film remains unused. BTW do you guys have trouble with your reloadable cassettes? I find that every few rolls one will 'stick'. It depends on what camera what actually happens.

[GeneW]

Gene,

I would hate to be without Tri-X. Where will your trip take you? If you don't mind me asking. And why would you not want to bring bulk-loaded film? :)
I'll be visiting family in Arkansas. I fly from Toronto to Dallas, Dallas to Fort Smith then drive to Russellville. It's an annual trip -- I'll be there for my Mom's 82nd birthday!

I'm getting paranoid about getting hassled by airport security these days. I figure factory-loaded film looks more legit ... Anybody ever had bulk-loaded film questioned?

Gene

[RayPA]

... BTW do you guys have trouble with your reloadable cassettes? I find that every few rolls one will 'stick'....

I've not had any problems. I use the metal cannisters and recently acquired some plastic ones (I added them on to a recent order of 100' Neopan 400). Define "stick."

:)

[peter_n]

Gene I'm going to ask for a hand inspection and expect them to comply. (I've never had a refusal - yet.) Also I'm taking a fair amount of 1600 which the airport people know is x-ray sensitive. I take all my film out of the boxes and have it in one plastic bag for them to examine. They're generally very nice, at least at Boston Logan.

[RayPA]

...
I'm getting paranoid about getting hassled by airport security these days. I figure factory-loaded film looks more legit ... Anybody ever had bulk-loaded film questioned?
Gene

aaah. That's what I thought. Those suspicious-looking little black cannister! I'm the same way with airport security. I've never done it, but I wonder if it is possible to reuse the "legitimate" cannisters, using a bulk-load endcap(s). Do you use a protective lead bag for your film when going through the airport?

[GeneW]

Peter, I can certainly see why you'd want hand inspection for that iso1600 film. So far I haven't asked for a hand inspection.

Ray, no, I've never used one of those lead bags. I go through x-rays twice on the trip and in the past I've seen no effect on my iso400 film. That's the fastest film I take with me.

Gene

[bmattock]

I may be able to help a bit here. I used to travel for a living, in and out of airports twice a week every week until last year. I took a lot of film with me.

First of all, the TSA has film guidelines on their website. They insist that film up to ISO 800 won't be harmed by x-rays going through carry-on inspection, but say NOT to check your film unless it's been DEVELOPED. Not exposed, developed. The baggage scan WILL ruin it if you check your film with your bags, it is very powerful.

I don't believe them about the x-ray damage - because the damage is cumulative, not based on ISO. Enough exposure and any film will suffer to a noticeable degree. That means even ISO 100 will have a problem if it goes through 5 or more scans.

Yes, you can REQUEST a hand-inspection. I have had mixed luck. I know, I know, some of you have had 'no problems'. Well, what can I say? Maybe it was the "TSA Sucks" T-shirts I used to wear in the airport. But sometimes they'd refuse to hand-inspect.

Other times, a 'hand inspection' meant they took the film out of the foil wrappers (120 film) and ran it through the x-ray five or six times. Seriously.

And sometimes it meant that they just asked - "Is this professional film" and I'd nod yes and they'd hand inspect it.

A lead bag is NOT RECOMMENDED. The x-ray machine sees an obscured object. Guess what they want to look at REALLY BADLY now? The thing they can't see into. Don't do it. You end up with the TSA anal probe. Believe me and don't ask me how I know that.

What often works is this - carry all your film in a labeled, clear, baggie. Put at least one or two rolls of ISO 1600 film in it along with your other film. In fact, I had a sacrificial roll of Ilford 3200 for just that purpose. I'd point out that I had 'fast' film and they would often accede to my request.

If you're only going to pass through security once or twice with less than ISO 800 film, I'd say forget about it and just go on through. I haven't seen any difference, but you never know - you pays your money and you takes your chances, etc.

And don't refer to the TSA guys as swill sucking weasels who would rob their grandmothers for crack money if you know what's good for you. They have a special room at the airport for people like that. Oh yes. And then the doctor comes in and he...oh god. I can't go on. Just don't do that. Peeing yourself is so undignified.

Good Lord, I'm snockered. Gotta to go bed.

Best Regards,

Bill Mattocks

[Kin Lau]

Don't forget, with Diafine (should be here this week, it's shipped) Tri-X is about 1250-1600iso.

I had a couple of rolls of bulkrolled b&w with me going to Hawaii, and it was no problem.

[Stephanie Brim]

Jeebus, Gene. I need your funds for film.

I'm pondering a pretty good deal I saw on Ebay. A 100' roll of T-Max with a Watson bulk loader and ten cartridges. Probably won't come to more than about 40 bucks shipped from the way it's going.

[bmattock]

Jeebus, Gene. I need your funds for film.

I'm pondering a pretty good deal I saw on Ebay. A 100' roll of T-Max with a Watson bulk loader and ten cartridges. Probably won't come to more than about 40 bucks shipped from the way it's going.

Help me, Jeebus. I put in my application for pope. They didn't even call. Rats.

[GeneW]

Jeebus, Gene. I need your funds for film.

I'm pondering a pretty good deal I saw on Ebay. A 100' roll of T-Max with a Watson bulk loader and ten cartridges. Probably won't come to more than about 40 bucks shipped from the way it's going.
LOL! That's the problem. I don't have the funds to keep doing this :)

If the T-Max is fresh, that sounds like a good one. Is it T-Max 100 or 400?

Gene

[Stephanie Brim]

100, I think, and fresh. Perhaps it will go well with the Diafine I'm hoping to get.

[doubs43]

Help me, Jeebus. I put in my application for pope. They didn't even call. Rats.

Almost got it right, Bill. That's Ratzinger...... with a "z" and not an "s". :D

Bet he uses a Leica too!

Walker

[bmattock]

Well, like it or not, he's my pope. Denzel the 165th or something. I'm celebrating! Yeah, that's what I'm doing. Actually, i twas a toothache and now that's all gone. Now there is just me and all this film to scan from the wedding and I've got dire straits on the m3p player and wooo yayh buddy. Wife giving hairy eyeball of doom. Hehehehehe.

[James Burton]

I've not had any problems. I use the metal cannisters and recently acquired some plastic ones (I added them on to a recent order of 100' Neopan 400). Define "stick."

:)

I use the plastic AP cassettes, because that is what is available here. I load
37 frames according to the counter from which I get 31 or 32 exposed frames. I found the sticking problem much worse when I wound more frames into the cassette.

- In my EOS300, the camera will decide it has reached the end of the roll and rewind (but fail to rewind). I stopped using the cassettes in this camera beause I needed the changing bag nearly every time.
- My EOS30 rarely gets stuck, mostly during rewind in which case pressing the rewind button usually fixes the problem. I assume the motor is stronger.
- On the canonet 17 QLIII, the take-up spool slips for a frame's length or so (sounds like the sprocket holes are tearing but they are OK), then locks up. Can't complete the wind-on to cock the shutter. I have to press the take-up release button which only allows me to rewind the film. Rewinding is very stiff at this point. I havn't found a way to use the rest of the film.

This happens at about frame 18/32. I presume that loading less film would improve the situation but there comes a point at which it isn't worth doing. I should try 24 frame rolls but with losing 5 frames/roll for leader I am reluctant. The only other thought I have is that maybe the film is getting stuck between the spool flanges and the outer casing. How would I tell? I can't reproduce with a test film, I've tried quite a few times by loading a dud film (one that got stuck at frame 1) into a cassette and running it through the camera 10 times or so.

[Doug]

They wouldn't allow the lead bag to go through without inspecting its contents... which could be anything, really, including weapons. So it's pretty useless. Just a clear plastic zip-lock bag works well, I've found. And the inspector ladies who tore the wrappings off every one of my rolls of 220 Fuji film (NPZ800) probably expected me to chip my gums at them over the delay, but I just thanked them for their careful work. Grrrrr.

If you reuse commercial 35mm cassettes, then there's nothing to alert the inspectors. I haven't done this, but some have suggested just taping the end of the fresh bulk length to the 1/4" or so of film sticking out through the felt lips of the cassette, so it never needs to be popped open. I have only reloaded Agfa and Ilford cassettes that can be opened without damage, and reassembled over and over.

[James Burton]

I use the plastic AP cassettes, ... the take-up spool slips for a frame's length or so (sounds like the sprocket holes are tearing but they are OK), then locks up. Can't complete the wind-on to cock the shutter. I have to press the take-up release button which only allows me to rewind the film. Rewinding is very stiff at this point. I havn't found a way to use the rest of the film.

Update: FWIW

OK, for a start the manual wind camera DOES tear the sprocket holes. Perhaps
not always, at any rate I hadn't noticed before.

Secondly I think I've fixed it. I rubbed a candle-end on the outside of the flanges,
removed the solid lumps (of wax) and it runs much more smoothly now. I actually thought of this years ago but never tried it because I thought it would stick the surfaces together - and drop lumps into the film. We'll see how successful this is.

[wierdcollector]

Just my two cents worth, last trip to Nevada I asked for hand inspection in Minneapolis and was told a straight "No". They said their xray device wouldn't harm my film but with no options I said okey dokey. Pics turned out ok, but with no option what else can you do? Also I've never bulk loaded film but my latest buy on that durn E==y site was a lot of 100 rolls of expired Mitsubishi 100 asa film. Haven't had any developed yet, but should be perfect for my purposes: old camera test shots from vintage cameras with limited choice of shutter speeds and sometimes dubious shutter speed accuracy. Never heard of Mitsubishi film before, but I hadn't ever heard of Chinese (PRo Click 400 Dollar store film) film before and it has been excellent. If the weather ever cooperates maybe I'll burn some film tomorrow. Take care and good shooting.

[bruhl]

I recently took a trip to Germany and carried a dozen rolls of Fuji film, mostly ISO 100. Rushing through security in Boston, I momentarily forgot the film in my backpack and sent it thru the carry-on scanner. Film was unboxed in a clear zip lock bag.

On my return, I was mindfull of the exposed film, and asked for hand inspection in Germany. No go. Reply was always "the scanner is film safe". Sent exposed film through approx. three different inspection stations.

Back home I had the film developed, and it was fine.

[imagecircle]

I'm having trouble with my Canonet advancing bulk TRI-X. After about 6 shots,
the sprokets can't move the film any more and it makes a terrible noise.
The camera works fine with factory spooled cassets, and my home rolled
stuff works fine on my other cameras. Also, I got a mail from one guy who said
his canonet advanced bulk Ilford fine. I'm *guessing" it may be due to the
fact that bulk Tri-X (which is thicker and less flexible than Ilford) doesn't want to
roll up as tightly and small as factory spooled film (which has been in a tight curl its whole life). I'm *guessing* the canonet's special load/advance system doesn't
deal well with this. Anybody ever used bulk TRI-X (or other kodak film) in a
canonet successfully? Did you have to do anything special? Thanks.