loading / unloading 120 film in a TLR

[Saha]

Can anyone help me understand how to load / unload film on/from a Seagull TLR? My manual came in Chinese. I have figured out how to set aperture/shutter/focus and the function of the crank, but am lost on film loading...

 

[Tetrode]

Can anyone help me understand how to load / unload film on/from a Seagull TLR? My manual came in Chinese. I have figured out how to set aperture/shutter/focus and the function of the crank, but am lost on film loading...

1. First of all, you will need an empty spool if there isn't already one in the camera. You should be able to pick one up from labs like RGB for free. The smaller minilabs might not have them.

2. Load the empty spool onto the film catches that are closer to the WLF at the top of the camera.

3. Load the new roll of film in the bottom set of catches and feed the tongue of new roll into slot cut into the axle of the empty spool. Wind the advance lever several times till the film tongue overlaps itself on the empty spool. Keep a firm pressure on the film with your thumb while you are doing this to keep the film taut over the film chamber and to ensure that the film is wound tightly onto the empty (takeup) spool.

4. Continue to do this till you see an arrow on the backing paper of the roll appear. Match this arrow with the red dot or arrow machined into the side of the film chamber at the bottom right hand corner.

5. Close the door and wind the advance lever till the counter reaches 1. You can now start shooting.

6. Once you have finished the roll (12 shots). Make sure you wind the advance lever several times after you go past 12 on the counter (do at least five more full clockwise rotations of the lever before opening the camera back).

7. Take out the roll which has now wound over the empty takeup spool. Fold the exit tongue, lick the paper catch and wrap it around the expended roll and send it for processing.

8. Take the now empty spool of your original new roll from the bottom catches and transfer it to the top catches. Repeat from Step 2 to load another roll.

P.S. It is actually easier in practise than I have written it.

 

[NashVillian]

this might help

http://www.photo.net/equipment/medium-format/seagull.html

there might be a english manual here:

http://medfmt.8k.com/mf/seagull.html#sgman

this is for Pearl River...might be similar

http://www.butkus.org/chinon/pearl_river/pearl_river.htm

 

[Saha]

Tetrode,

Thanks for taking the time to provide the detailed instructions. The loading process is pretty clear, I seem to have missed something in the unloading process - dont you need to wind the film back from the take-up spool into the original roll before opening the back cover (like you do in SLRs)?

 

[RemAcuTetigisti]

Nope. You don't. Yo ujust remove the spool with the film (on top of the camera) and send it in for processing. Then take the empty spool from the bottom and fix it on top and repeat for next roll.

Take care to load / unload in a shade / fairly dark area. You may fog exposures in bright day light.

 

[Saha]

but doesn't the roll get exposed if you simply remove the spool with film?

 

[patch17]

apparently 120 roll film has a paper backing which protects the exposed film while it's rolled up in the take up spool. (i also want to try out tlr photography, and found this out recently.) need to watch out on the edges of the film which, if not wound tightly around the spool can let light leak in.

question, is it possible to get the spool back from the shop when you send the film for processing?

 

[RemAcuTetigisti]

That is correct, the paper backing and tight winding protects the film from extraneous light. The spools are typically wound nice and tight and rarely are loose. You may have to send in for service if the spools are consistently loose.

You can get the spool back from the lab (just ask them). But there is no need to: unless you need them specifically as back up if you lose the ones in the camera etc... Good idea to have a few empty spools if you are in the field though.

 

[Tetrode]

Tetrode,

Thanks for taking the time to provide the detailed instructions. The loading process is pretty clear, I seem to have missed something in the unloading process - dont you need to wind the film back from the take-up spool into the original roll before opening the back cover (like you do in SLRs)?

Hi Saha,

As others have already mentioned, you do not have to. Pls re-read Step 6 of my instructions. The takeup spool now holds your expended film, remove it and send it for processing.

Remove the now empty original roll's spool from the bottom catches and transfer it to the top catches. Repeat all steps from Step 2 to load new roll and continue shooting.

WRT to loose takeup of the film, usually it is caused by not placing just enough pressure on the film using your left thumb(if you're right handed) on the new roll (to make the film taut over the film chamber) when winding to match the arrows.

Rolleiflexes and Rolleicords generally do not suffer from this problem because of the fact that all the gearing in these cameras are made of brass which don't strip or go out of alignment easily. They were built like tanks as compared to the Seagulls and later Yashicas which have plastic gears.

 

[Saha]

Thanks once again to all who have taken the time to reply, especially Tetrode. I managed to load almost perfectly (but that will be confirmed when I unload and develop!). It seemed to go through OK, except that the film was slightly frayed at the right edge, not sure why that was happening....

 

[Tetrode]

Thanks once again to all who have taken the time to reply, especially Tetrode. I managed to load almost perfectly (but that will be confirmed when I unload and develop!). It seemed to go through OK, except that the film was slightly frayed at the right edge, not sure why that was happening....

It is probably that you either haven't aligned the paper tongue into the takeup spool axel properly.

Or your left thumb was not placed in the middle of the backing paper to which you applied pressure when advancing the film to match the arrows. Remember to place your thumb in the middle, this is so that you do not skew the film to right side of the spool (causing the film to be frayed at the right edge) bec you have applied more pressure to the left side only.

You can still make minor adjustments after you have wound the new roll onto the takeup spool once or twice and before you close the back. It just takes a bit of practice.