Fomapan 35mm films Too long

PhilippReichmuth · 2005-09-08T20:00:38+00:00

Hallo Forum, gerade habe ich einen Fomapan-Kleinbildfilm auf meinem Trommelprozessor entwickelt und festgestellt, dass er etwa 15 cm länger ist als normale...

PhilippReichmuth

Hello forum, I’ve just developed a roll of Fomapan 35mm film in my drum processor and noticed that it’s about 15 cm longer than standard 36-exposure 35mm films. The films are wound onto the outside of the drum and held in place by clips spaced at fixed intervals. A film that’s too long is obviously a disaster in this setup. I hadn’t really noticed this as much with the Fomas before, because I developed them in the canister. It was obvious, of course, that a film that consistently holds 38 to 39 exposures has to fit those shots in somewhere. I suppose there’s nothing to be done about it, except always trim the first 10 and last 5 cm off the film and hope that the length of Fomapan is reasonably consistent. Philipp

cfb_de

Philipp, I was a bit taken aback just now; listening to Bach and smoking a cigar isn’t helping either. Are you really complaining that you get *more* than you paid for with a 35mm film? Fittingly, the Largo from BWV 596 is playing here right now. So, music suitable for a funeral. Oh, right. I’d forgotten: apparently there are some automatic film processors that can’t cope with this and insist on rewinding after 36 frames. There are even lab technicians (and the finale is just starting here) who can’t simply let the last ten centimetres dangle loosely around the outside of the reel and hope and pray. Usually, hoping and praying helps in such cases. And if not: then you haven’t fiddled the film into the can carefully enough. Best regards, Franz (I’m going to listen to the Organ Concerto No. 5 again through my headphones in a moment. It doesn’t annoy my landlords too much. But it’s worth it as a genuine artistic pleasure and prevents stupid questions on internet forums.)

RomanJRohleder

Franz, As far as I know, Philipp is one of the fully automated types; he took over that old Colenta from Ralf Radermacher. The camera doesn’t have a film canister; the film is wound around a spindle. Too long? Tough luck, it won’t fit. I wonder if Foma has kept the net length of the old ‘Leica-Leader’ Fomapan 21? Roman

cfb_de

Roman, Oh, I see. So that’s right, then, as I’m going to squeeze in the Kaiser Quartet and only then go to bed. Because if I’d been the Kaiser, that wouldn’t have happened. Or something like that. “Colenta”… Sounds a bit like a washing machine… Oh, right, that’s where you put films in… What’s actually really sexy is what’s hidden behind Hob. III:77. Especially the “Poco Adagio”. That’s truly “cantabile”. And you can sing the text of the Becher Hymn to it as well. Besides, as we all know, the title is “God Save Franz the Emperor”. <duck> Franz

Gast

Roman & Franz, It’s not a Colenta, but ‘washing machine’ is about right… a massive block the size of a cubic metre, packed with 220V solenoid valves and (factory-fitted) punch-tape control :( The extra length from the Leica film cut on the Fomas might work, with a few more centimetres ‘for good measure’. Cutting it off isn’t a big deal, but I’ll probably have to say goodbye to getting forty shots out of it with the Canonet QL :) Philipp

RomanJRohleder

Philipp, I could have sworn... so who towed the Colenta away in Cologne? Roman

Gast

Roman, are you sure you haven't got something mixed up? I actually got mine from Ralf, but it's this one: Mafina V50E. It works exactly the same as the Colenta machines, though: the film goes on the outside of a rotor, which then spins inside the tray. The washing machine comparison is actually quite apt. Philipp