Film edge Fomapan by the metre

gurkensaft · 2009-01-25T15:45:00+00:00

Moin zusammen! Trägt die Fomapan Meterware grundsätzlich keine Beschriftung auf den Filmrädern? In meinem Fall der 200er. Grüße, Torsten

gurkensaft

Hi everyone! Does Fomapan roll film generally not have any markings on the spools? In my case, the 200 ISO film. Best regards, Torsten

mdeutgen

Hi everyone! Does Fomapan roll film generally not have any markings on the spools? In my case, the 200 ISO film. Regards, Torsten

It definitely doesn’t; my Fomapan 400 is blank too. That surprised me with the first roll, so I asked Foma via my supplier. Foma’s response was that it isn’t technically feasible for them. Martin

gurkensaft

Right then, thanks a lot! Best regards, Torsten

mdeutgen

Oh yes, there’s one more thing about Foma’s roll film: The 17-metre reels are wound onto a rather thick plastic core, which means the reel doesn’t fit into my 17-metre camera as it is. So I’d have to rewind it, and the lack of markings actually worked in my favour, as otherwise I’d have had to rewind it twice. Martin

cfb_de

Oh yes, there’s another feature of Foma’s roll film: The 17m reels are wound onto a rather thick plastic core, so the reel doesn’t fit into my 17m camera as it is. I therefore have to rewind it, and the lack of markings actually worked in my favour, as otherwise I would have had to rewind it twice. Martin

Hmm. So that’s the difference between ‘reel’ and ‘core’. My Foma roll film is wound onto a reel and therefore fits perfectly into the Füllfix, even with 30m lengths. On top of that, it was cheaper than the ‘core-wound’ stuff in the same shop. However, with more modern loaders, you have to rewind both. What doesn’t fit in terms of diameter with “core” gets stuck in terms of width with “reel”. The ultimate revenge of moving-image snappers on still-image snappers since the invention of the Motodrive... Owners of older film loaders actually have the advantage. Best regards, Franz

mdeutgen

Franz, I may have expressed myself a bit unclearly: For years, I fed Ilford roll film in 17m and 30m lengths through my Füllfix camera, and this roll film was wound onto relatively thin cardboard spools. That worked perfectly. The Foma roll film was wound onto a plastic core (it looks like the undersized inner part of a cable reel) and the 17m reel was a few millimetres too thick to fit into my 17m camera (I’ve already written about this elsewhere and it may well be a ‘running gag’ by now: I’m still on the hunt for my 30m unit; it must still be in one of the moving boxes from 2001 – I’ve certainly found the three 17m units again). So my only option was to re-wind it. For me, the question of a new film loader never arose; the question now is more about buying film by the metre at all. In the case of Foma, this has already been decided: I’ll go back to the pre-spooled films (once the roll of 400 is empty), as the price difference is marginal... Martin

cfb_de

Hi Martin, You’re right. Two 17-metre rolls were too much for me, as I don’t have a 17-metre film loader. That won’t work with the new cores; the only solution is to rewind it onto the thinner cardboard roll. Or – if you’re lucky – buy film ‘on a reel’. If it’s available in 17m lengths, that is (I’ve never seen it). Best regards, Franz

Wolfgg

In case you're interested: my last 100ft roll of Kodak EDUPE had a natural yellow plastic core with a diameter of 49.6mm. I use a Rowi loader that's over 30 years old, and I've never had any problems with any film. Best regards, Wolfgang

mdeutgen

Hi Martin, You’re right. Two 17-metre rolls were too much for me, as I don’t have a 17-metre film loader. That won’t work with the new cores; the only solution is to rewind it onto the thinner cardboard reel. Or – if you’re lucky – buy film ‘on a reel’. If it’s even available in 17m (I’ve never seen it). Best regards, Franz

Franz, are you really surprised that I have a few more Füllfixes than usual? I don’t think so. By the way, I did a quick measurement in the cellar: The 17m Füllfix measures 65 mm inside, whilst the old plastic tin in which I bought my FP4 20 years ago measures 54 mm in diameter inside. So 17 m of FP4 was clearly smaller than 54 mm – so much for the film and the gap to allow for movement. Just a bit of information on the side. I can’t find the Foma spool core at the moment; my two boys have stashed it away somewhere. Martin

cfb_de

Are you really surprised that I’ve got a few more Füllfixe than usual? I don’t think so.

Hi Martin, That doesn’t surprise me at all, actually :-)

So 17 m of FP4 was clearly smaller than 54 mm – forget about the film and the gap, so there’s still some leeway.

That matches my recollection. Although the cardboard core inside the film spool was about 10–12 mm in diameter. The cores I’ve come across recently were all over two and a half centimetres. Best regards, Franz (by the way, I only have a 30-metre Füllfix made of Bakelite and two more recent AP Bobinquicks)

mdeutgen

Are you really surprised that I’ve got a few more Füllfixe than usual? I don’t think so.
Hi Martin, That doesn’t surprise me at all, actually :-)
So 17 m of FP4 was significantly smaller than 54 mm – forget about the film and the gap, there’s still room for manoeuvre.
That matches my recollection. Although the cardboard core inside the film spool was about 10–12 mm in diameter. The cores I’ve come across recently were all over two and a half centimetres. Best regards, Franz (by the way, I only have a 30m Füllfix made of Bakelite and two more recent AP Bobinquicks)

Franz, please be so kind as to measure the inner diameter of your 30m Füllfix. How do you get on with the Spanish cameras? You can also email me outside of this forum; the address is simply firstname.surname@gmx.de. Martin

cfb_de

Hi Martin, I won’t be able to measure it over the next few weeks. There’s still a nearly full 17m roll of HP5+ (on a core, which fits inside) in there, and I’d rather not take it out. Speaking of measuring: my Füllfix seems to be a 17m model as well. It’s probably a bit too low for 30m. Unfortunately, the large metal (?) plate is no longer attached. The crank is made of nickel-plated steel, the white shutter button beneath the Füllfix logo says ‘Made in Germany’, the counter knob is made of Bakelite with white inlaid numbers, and the shutter button for the housing cover is made of aluminium on a steel screw. The sealing felt on the film lip is brown. I’ll take some photos when I get the chance and email them to you. The unit is about 8.5cm high, 14.5cm long and 5.6cm wide on the outside. I’m fairly happy with the Spanish units so far; one currently holds my last roll of TC27, the other the residue of the roll of TechPan I bought (or rather, was practically given). It easily holds 30m, and I find the remaining-metres indicator handy. I have mixed feelings about the removable crank: on the one hand, the device becomes nice and compact when you pack the crank away; on the other hand, you can lose the crank (or destroy it simply by stepping on it when you find it again...). I find loading the film roll fiddlier than with the Füllfix: the extra sealing lip only unlocks when the flap is closed and the crank is inserted. This means you’re fumbling around not only in the dark but also without any way of knowing if you’ve done it right. And since the PET carriers came along, it doesn’t make any difference anyway. Best regards, Franz

mdeutgen

I won’t be able to measure it over the next few weeks. There’s still a nearly full 17m roll of HP5+ (on a core, which fits inside) in there, and I’d rather not take it out. Speaking of measuring: my Füllfix seems to be a 17m model as well. It’s probably a bit too low for 30m. Unfortunately, the large metal plate is no longer attached. The crank is made of nickel-plated steel, the white release button beneath the Füllfix logo says ‘Made in Germany’, the counter knob is made of Bakelite with white inlaid numbers, and the locking pin for the housing cover is made of aluminium on a steel screw. The sealing felt on the film lip is brown. I’ll take some photos when I get the chance and email them to you. The unit is about 8.5 cm high, 14.5 cm long and 5.6 cm wide on the outside.

Franz, No need to worry, I don’t want to be the reason you get rid of your HP5+. Your Füllfix is definitely a 17m model; mine is exactly the same size. Does yours have a square or round shape at the back? I have both versions. By the way, mine has a manufacturer’s sticker on the top and a white label on the left-hand side, which is meant for labelling the contents just loaded; there’s no large label. I’ll wait for the photos and will take a picture of my three as well; they should be different versions. Martin

cfb_de

Hi Martin, Mine is ‘angular’ all round. It doesn’t have any metal plates anywhere on it; I would have thought that things like serial numbers or film markers should have been attached to the missing plate, which I assume is made of aluminium (German grammar… Latin does it better!). The size of about a credit card and the same depth suggest such a plate. As I said, mine is missing it. Besides, I now find it almost “elegant” how we’re both chatting about these Füllfixes. Apparently you’re a collector of these things? :) Best regards, Franz

gurkensaft

I can’t find the Foma film core at the moment; my two boys have put it away somewhere.

My Foma core is just under 50 mm. I’ll admit it then: I’m a Füllfixer too. :) Where the ‘credit card-sized indentation’ is, I have the white panel. Regards, Torsten

mdeutgen

My Foma core is just under 50 mm. I’ll admit it too: I’m a Füllfix user. :) Where the “credit card-sized indentation” is, I have the white panel. Regards, Torsten

Torsten, Welcome to the club! The sound you described is the 17 m Füllfix mentioned earlier, which Franz also seems to have. There are two bigger versions of this, namely one for 30 m and one for 60 m. If the Foma spool core really measures 50 mm, then it’s no wonder it doesn’t fit. I’ll try to take a photo of my Füllfix with the round rear end over the next few days and post the picture here. Martin

cfb_de

The device you’ve shown is the 17 m Füllfix described earlier, which Franz also seems to have.

Hi Martin, It looks exactly like mine. So I’ll spare you the photos. Could you perhaps still show a picture of your “round-arched” one? I know such a thing existed, but I’ve never seen one before. Perhaps you could show a picture of it from your collection? Best regards, Franz

mdeutgen

The device you’ve shown is the 17 m Füllfix described earlier, which Franz also seems to have.
Hi Martin, It looks exactly like mine. So I’ll spare you the photos. Could you perhaps still show a picture of your ‘round-ass’ model? I know such a thing existed, but I’ve never actually seen one. Perhaps you could show a picture of it from your collection? Best regards, Franz

Franz, I made the most of Saturday and disappeared into the attic. The third Füllfix, which I’d always pictured as having a rounded back, turned out to be angular as well. So my (still missing) 30m unit must have a back like that. I think I’ll have to have a chat with the family to get a bit of information on the history. For now, though, I’ve got two or three instruction manuals that I could scan and send to you. Let me know your email address, and I’ll get them sent over... Then I’ll send the photo with the three devices as well. Martin