 BetterPhoto Member |
How to avoid using a exposed film Just wanting to know how to avoid using exposed film. Thanks
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Alan N. Marcus |
Hi Samantha, Undeveloped film: Has it been exposed? Can I safely load it my camera? These are questions I have addressed countless times over the years. First, it is impossible to somehow examine the film itself to see if it has been exposed. Therefore if in doubt, best to go ahead and have the film developed. Worst case, the film was never exposed and film will turnout to be blank. All that you have lost is the value of the film and the cost of developing. When I entered the business in 1955, the cost to develop color negative film was $1.00 for the film plus $0.29 per print. Surprisingly the price has continued to drop ever since. 1955 was the year Kodak was forced by the courts to disclose formulas and techniques to develop their color films. Roll film is wrapped in protective paper. When placed in a camera, the film path causes the film to be re-wound on a take-up spool. When exposed, the paper backing clearly labels the roll as exposed. When it comes to 35mm film, there is no clear indicator to tell if the film has been exposed or not. 35mm film is housed in a light tight cassette, an inch or so of film protrudes (the tongue) through the lip of the cassette. Now for some clues to look for: Examine the cassette. Is the tongue visible? The 35mm cameras pulls the film out of the cassette for the picture taking session and then re-wind the film back into the cassette when over and done with. The film is normally re-wound completely and tongue will not protrude. Sometimes the camera or a particular camera model will fall short to completely rewind the tongue. You should get in the habit of checking and competing the re-wind when as you dismount the 35mm cassette from the camera. Examine the tongue, is it creased or bent over? Likely these are signs it has previously been loaded into the camera. When in doubt declare the film exposed and have it developed. Alan Marcus (marginal technical gobbledygook)
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Mark Feldstein |
Greetings Sam. I use a Sharpie, permanent felt-tip marker on every roll of film I shoot. I either write the subject and date on the tongue sticking out of the 35mm cassette or on a piece of masking tape or a sticky label I affix to the cassette itself. Even if the tongue is bent, no label/no subject means it's ok. And if the film is out of the box, I write the expiration date on the leader or canister for later on. Remember: Waterproof Sanford Sharpies (available in stationery stores everywhere and in fine point or bold, AND different colors like red, green, black, blue, are a photographers friend. And you can even use them to mark your laundry before sending it out to the hotel cleaners, making labels for packages, or graffiti. :>))
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Mark Feldstein |
Whoops...forgot one thing. When I'm shooting a lot of film, covering an event or on daily assignment, I usually wear a photographers vest of jacket of some kind. Exposed film always goes in one specific pocket (my left usually) while unexposed goes in the right. And I never mix them up. M.
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