Simple idea, ease of loading film...

[Gareth Blackstock]

A while ago I bought a Pentaflex kit, and while I have not had the chance to use it yet, life getting the way, etc. It struck me that loading the film cassette in a change bag was going to be difficult. Now unlike a professional, I don't get to shoot often, and becoming skilled at loading film in a change bag could take a long time with lots of mistakes, tight loops, not sitting on the gear, etc. And the more I looked at the Pentaflex's film cassette film path, the more worried I became.

 

So I thought up a way that I could thread the Pentaflex's film cassette in light, and also ensure that film such as negative is not exposed to stray light. I am not sure if it's old news, or been done before heaps of times, but I thought I will save me alot of time, and perhaps assist other film loaders who don't get a chance to load frequently and become skilled.

 

1. cut a small slit into a spare 100ft film cart, just under the lid.

2. place into change bag, place film inside, pull out enough film to thread camera through slit

3. close film cart lid, place tape over film and slit to ensure light proof and remove from bag.

4. in normal light, go about threading the film cassette, wind onto an empty reel. Leave film cart sitting ontop.

5. place everything back in the change bag, remove the unexposed film from the cart, place and secure into cassette, place lid on, and secure.

 

Below is a link to some pics:

 

https://goo.gl/photos/GfFWHTwRapWKLv6c8

 

I would be interested in thoughts....

 

cheers, Gareth

[Aapo Lettinen]

I thought the pentaflex 16 is supposed to use daylight spools so it can be loaded in light anyway without special arrangements you specify?

 

if you want to use cores, then the loading cart could be useful.

 

spare a roll or two exclusively for loading practicing so that you can practice dozens of times in both daylight and in changing bag. you can use the same rolls for camera run tests if you need to test motors or mags

[Gareth Blackstock]

Hello,

 

Yes, the Pentaflex uses daylight spools, and one can load in subdued light, however, I prefer to change in the bag, and also "general opinion" among film users appears to recommend changing in the bag. Also, when I got my K3, I practiced loading film, like you suggest, and yes, I can do it in the bag entirely, it just takes me quite a few minutes to be happy with the load.

 

However, the Pentaflex film path appears to me, an amateur, to be a hellava lot more complex than the K3. I just loaded one of my film cassettes, and from start to finish, the whole process took me 6 minutes. Considering I have not practiced loading the cassette, I reckon thats pretty good.

 

Cheers, Gareth