Tent for loading film/where to find short ends

M Joel W · July 28, 2021

I have an Aaton LTR-X I wanted to start shooting with. I haven’t loaded 16mm film since shooting on a Bolex many years ago or used a tent since I shot large format.

I was wondering how to get practice loading 400ft film. Is there anywhere to buy 400ft dummy rolls? Anywhere that offers short ends?

Also was looking at changing tents.

Deciding between Harrison Pup tent and the $50 Adorama pop up tent, which is much cheaper.

The big difference I notice is both hands go in front for the Pup tent and with the Adorama tent they go in at either side. Is the Pup tent worth it? If so I'll buy one. Thanks.

Lastly, how can I determine if a battery has enough charge to run at 24fps? Thanks. I want to re-cell my batteries eventually, but I believe two of them are okay. Also, is it easy to re-cell batteries?

Edited July 28, 2021 by M Joel W

Aapo Lettinen · July 28, 2021

personally I like to re-use dummy rolls by using a rewinder and cleaning the film when winding it back for reuse. for loading practicing this works perfectly well and you will only need one dummy roll (until you use it enough times that it needs to be replaced because of the film base cracking or perforations damage etc).

I would use a shorter rolls like between 50ft and 200ft for loading practicing and then have another full 400ft roll which is only used for pre-shoot mag tests to see that the takeup works correctly with full loads and the speed is accurate all the time etc. Then couple of short unused rolls for scratch tests.

M Joel W · July 29, 2021

Thanks! Where can I find a re-winder? On eBay I figure? I'm just getting back into shooting film.

Tyler Purcell · July 29, 2021

I have a few changing bags and tents. I absolutely prefer the Harrison standard size over the pup or extra large. It's nice to have a bigger tent so you can do multiple rolls at once. I also store my cans and such in the tent during the day and then come back after and unload, without taking anything down. The pup may work fine, but in my eyes it's a bit on the small side, more for stills cameras than movie cameras. I also have a nice changing bag I got from Amazon for $40 bux which works nicely for one roll at a time, but it's not something I'd use as my (A) kit. I leave it in the box with the camera for smaller shoots.

The camera will blink a red light when the battery is dying. Honestly without putting a drain on them ya don't know. DuAll has replacement battery kits, I'd just replace 2 of the batteries cells. Easy to do, just need a soldering iron. I actually bought a kit from them for my Aaton, but never did the swap because I found a great deal on lithiums and moved over. For running the camera with no tap, the OEM NiHM batteries and charger work fine, it's when you run the tap and monitor that the batteries drain a lot more.

In terms of a dummy roll, I agree with aapo just get a little 50ft roll and practice loading that way. Ya don't need much film. Just load it, then rewind it in camera and load it again. I would absolutely do a camera test, these cameras are getting old and we are seeing a lot of unique issues caused by electronic failures. I'm running into more and more issues related to the capacitors going bad on both the main boards and motor board. I have a feeling these older cameras are going to lose their value once people realize they have issues. Hopefully you won't run into any of those issues, but just be aware they can happen.

M Joel W · July 29, 2021

3 hours ago, Tyler Purcell said:

I have a few changing bags and tents. I absolutely prefer the Harrison standard size over the pup or extra large. It's nice to have a bigger tent so you can do multiple rolls at once. I also store my cans and such in the tent during the day and then come back after and unload, without taking anything down. The pup may work fine, but in my eyes it's a bit on the small side, more for stills cameras than movie cameras. I also have a nice changing bag I got from Amazon for $40 bux which works nicely for one roll at a time, but it's not something I'd use as my (A) kit. I leave it in the box with the camera for smaller shoots.

The camera will blink a red light when the battery is dying. Honestly without putting a drain on them ya don't know. DuAll has replacement battery kits, I'd just replace 2 of the batteries cells. Easy to do, just need a soldering iron. I actually bought a kit from them for my Aaton, but never did the swap because I found a great deal on lithiums and moved over. For running the camera with no tap, the OEM NiHM batteries and charger work fine, it's when you run the tap and monitor that the batteries drain a lot more.

In terms of a dummy roll, I agree with aapo just get a little 50ft roll and practice loading that way. Ya don't need much film. Just load it, then rewind it in camera and load it again. I would absolutely do a camera test, these cameras are getting old and we are seeing a lot of unique issues caused by electronic failures. I'm running into more and more issues related to the capacitors going bad on both the main boards and motor board. I have a feeling these older cameras are going to lose their value once people realize they have issues. Hopefully you won't run into any of those issues, but just be aware they can happen.

Thanks. Any tips for extending the longevity of the capacitors? Humidity controlled cabinet?

And what $40 changing bag did you buy?

Doesn't a 50 foot roll mess with the footage counter? I'm just getting into film again and it was between this and a Bolex. For a larger project I would more likely rent an XTR Prod or 416.

Tyler Purcell · July 29, 2021

2 hours ago, M Joel W said:

Thanks. Any tips for extending the longevity of the capacitors? Humidity controlled cabinet?

Na, they're already gonzo from not being used much. That's what kills them, inactivity.

2 hours ago, M Joel W said:

And what $40 changing bag did you buy?

Oh it was $25 bux!
https://www.amazon.com/Darkroom-Bag-Film-Changing-Anti-Static/dp/B077N4DQ2S/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=photography+changing+bag&qid=1627535826&sr=8-3

2 hours ago, M Joel W said:

Doesn't a 50 foot roll mess with the footage counter? I'm just getting into film again and it was between this and a Bolex. For a larger project I would more likely rent an XTR Prod or 416.

The footage counter is a roller that hits the film itself, its not a big deal if you have a small roll.

Duncan Brown · August 13, 2021

I mentioned this in another thread, but I'm a big fan of the Fuji Dark Box, model FDB12L - these were used by minilab operators to load paper cassettes, so they flooded onto the used market when the world went digital and minilabs all got chucked into the dump. If you stalk them on ebay or your other favorite used equipment site you're bound to stumble upon one eventually. They fold up into a briefcase sized package with hard sides, but then expand into a generously sized box, without being all collapsed on your hands and your film like a changing bag is.

Duncan