Loading 35mm Film

[Kid_Rock_GTX]

Sorry this is such a basic question but im interested in learning how to use my moms old K1000 camera. I got the film and It looks pretty basic but what im a little confused about is how do i make sure the film is in frame with the shutter? cause to me it seems if it was off it would take half the pic on the pic and the other half on a different pic. Does that make any since? lol this is such a stupid noobie question. I looked on the net but didnt find much help and I really dont want to throw away a roll of film trying to figure it out, thats why i hope someone here can give me the low down on film loading

 

[Alex_B]

actually, on a roll of film the emulsion is continuous along the film, there are no "frames" on the actual film ... if the camera transports the film correctly after each shot, it does not matter where exactly you started, as every bit of the film will be only exposed once.

The pattern you see on the developed film is just the pattern of that area of the film which was not exposed ... it is not intrinsic to the film.

 

[Alex_B]

just googeled and found this one: not your camera, but at least the right type of film

http://www.dummies.com/WileyCDA/DummiesArticle/id-866.html

 

[Kid_Rock_GTX]

actually, on a roll of film the emulsion is continuous along the film, there are no "frames" on the actual film ... if the camera transports the film correctly after each shot, it does not matter where exactly you started, as every bit of the film will be only exposed once.

The pattern you see on the developed film is just the pattern of that area of the film which was not exposed ... it is not intrinsic to the film.

Oh ok, that makes since, I was wondering that but i didnt think it would do that. Thats cool though i learned something new today! and now im going to load my camera wish me luck!

 

[Torus34]

I just checked out the link suggested above.

One point which was not stressed was a simple way to check for correct film advance.

After you've loaded the film and closed the back of the camera, wilnd off one exposure and click the shutter. Then carefully turn the rewind knob until you feel resistance. What you have done is take up the slack in the film cassette. Now wind off a second exposure while watching the rewind knob. If it turns, you've loaded the film correctly and it is being wound out of the cassette and onto the take-up spool. Click the shutter. The film exposure counter should be one index mark before the '1' index.

You're ready to go. Make it a practice to wind the film just before you take a picture, not after. In other words, when you put the camera away for the night, the shutter should not be cocked.

That's all there is to it.

And remember - when you finish the roll and wish to re-wind the film, depress and hold the button in on the bottom of the camera while rewinding. One newbee on this site didn't do this -- just forced the camera with brute strength. Busted it up.

 

[Alex_B]

Oh ok, that makes since, I was wondering that but i didnt think it would do that. Thats cool though i learned something new today! and now im going to load my camera wish me luck!

tell us later if you succeeded ... and if the images came out well

 

[markc]

The pattern you see on the developed film is just the pattern of that area of the film which was not exposed ... it is not intrinsic to the film.

You see this happening with the size of the frames also, but more often with medium format. 6x4.5, 6x6, 6x7, and 6x9 cameras all use the same film. On a 110 roll, you'll get 12 images of 6x6 or 10 images of 6x7. On 35mm, the good panoramic cameras will use the height of the film and extra width.

 

[Kid_Rock_GTX]

I just checked out the link suggested above.

One point which was not stressed was a simple way to check for correct film advance.

After you've loaded the film and closed the back of the camera, wilnd off one exposure and click the shutter. Then carefully turn the rewind knob until you feel resistance. What you have done is take up the slack in the film cassette. Now wind off a second exposure while watching the rewind knob. If it turns, you've loaded the film correctly and it is being wound out of the cassette and onto the take-up spool. Click the shutter. The film exposure counter should be one index mark before the '1' index.

You're ready to go. Make it a practice to wind the film just before you take a picture, not after. In other words, when you put the camera away for the night, the shutter should not be cocked.

That's all there is to it.

And remember - when you finish the roll and wish to re-wind the film, depress and hold the button in on the bottom of the camera while rewinding. One newbee on this site didn't do this -- just forced the camera with brute strength. Busted it up.

Really... I didnt do the rewind trick to make sure all the slack is gone. but i am sure i got it i there good. And i saw that button on the bottom and im glad i know what its for now.

Now my big problem is making **** in focus, is there any trick to this or just like doing a wheelie on a bike, you just got to get good at it?

 

[ironsidephoto]

you should be able to tell when things are in focus. the trick is having that 'photographic eye'. like everything, though, it takes practice.

 

[Torus34]

The following site
http://www.pentaximaging.com/customer_care/manuals_literature/show_manual

includes the K1000 manual as a .pdf file.

Read it through, ask here about anything you don't understand, and you should be OK.

 

[Mad_Gnome]

Now my big problem is making **** in focus, is there any trick to this or just like doing a wheelie on a bike, you just got to get good at it?

I was fortunate enough to start taking photos with Minolta's X-Series cameras when I was younger. When focusing, the center spot in the viewfinder was split horizontally, and as the image came into focus, the top and bottom image halves would slide horizontally toward each other until they matched, and the photo was in focus. It gave me a good idea of what the image was supposed to look like when it was sharply focused, and I've kept that in my head ever since. Modern cameras don't have that nice little perk, but it taught me to know what a sharply focused image is supposed to look like. Once you get it down, you'll never forget it.