jonnyrg
Good evening,
A few days ago, I came across a box belonging to my grandfather containing all sorts of photographic material from 60 years ago. Among other things, there were some unexposed glass negatives in their original packaging (Isopan F), which can only be opened under green light (I’m so lucky to have inherited these from my grandfather). One pack of negatives still looked as good as new, the other had tarnished, probably gone off. As I also have a camera to go with them, but unfortunately no cassette for it, just the focusing screen, I was wondering whether it’s still possible to get fresh film, and where?
Kind regards,
Richard Gordian
piu58
You won’t be able to do it without a cassette. With a bit of luck, you might find something on eBay. There are many different cassette formats, so you’ll need to do some research beforehand.
Plates are no longer manufactured as standard; you need to use sheet film. So you’ll need sheet film cassettes, or you’ll have to place a glass plate behind the film every time.
CPD
As I’ve got a camera for this too, but unfortunately no film cassette for it – just the focusing screen – I was wondering whether you can still get fresh film, and where?
Hi Richard,
What sort of camera do you have? Perhaps I can help you out. By the way, you should only use the green light for a very short time. I used to develop Pan films by eye, hence my “caveat”!
Bye!
jonnyrg
Hello,
This is a Zeiss Ikon Maximar 107/1
Urnes
Hello,
According to the old Rada catalogue, Zeiss fitted standard-fold cassettes. You can find these quite often. But you should try it out first. I’m assuming the film format is 9x12 cm. What’s the focal length of the lens? At 135mm, it should be 9x12. If you have the cassettes, then as piu has already written, you’ll need a metal insert to load conventional sheet film; alternatively, a glass plate will do.
Regards, Sven.
jonnyrg
The lens has a focal length of 105mm and there is also a focusing screen at the back for adjusting the focus. I’d like to attach a few photos to illustrate this, but I can’t seem to find a way to do so at the moment.
Urnes
For 105mm, it would need to be a 6x9 cm format. You could use sheet film (although you’ll probably find very few sheet films in that size these days) or roll films in a roll film back. The advantage is quite clear: there is still plenty of roll film available, although it is more difficult to find a suitable back. Here is the link to the old Rada catalogue:
http://www.fotografische.de/wp-content/uploads/rada-katalog-fotografische_de.pdf
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Regards, Sven.
CPD
I could get hold of 9x12 cm cassettes, but not 6x9 cm ones. But you can find them quite regularly; the question is simply whether roll film wouldn’t make more sense. I do own 6x9 cassettes (for the internal back), but I don’t use them. In my opinion, it would make more sense to get a Rada roll film cassette. In my experience, the ones with red windows are more reliable than those with a counter.
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Ciao!
jonnyrg
I’ve actually found another 3 cassettes in the estate *Yay!*
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One is empty, one has a fogged-up disc inside, and the other has one that looks a bit scratched and appears black on one side. The glass side is facing the light. The light-coloured layer side is facing backwards. The question now is: how do I carry out the development? I’ve got the A49 powder developer here and the Eukobrom paper developer. Is any of that suitable for this?
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Kind regards
TR
A-49 will work well. Eukobrom (positive developer) less so. Plates that have been exposed to full light are, of course, ruined (your last post sounds as though you might have done just that). Generally speaking, you can assume that the old plates all have a heavy grey haze and are completely devoid of contrast. You could always give it a go. Personally, though, I’d bin them or keep the glass to perhaps make collodion wet plates with later.
jonnyrg
I opened them briefly under dimmed green light. It was a really nasty, dim light. I read somewhere that they can apparently handle this kind of light (see first post: Isopan F).
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I’ll have a go at it over the next few days and see if anything comes out. Should I just use the developer as it is, or add an anti-fogging agent, such as potassium bromide? (Also something I found online.)
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Kind regards
Morte
I’d definitely develop and scan them. By adjusting the black and white balance in Photoshop, you can still get a surprising amount out of even completely faded photos. It’s really fascinating, this old story. Don’t throw them away!
