How To Know If Your Film Camera Is Taking Pictures

 Sign In  Sign upward
 Forums
-  All Recent Discussions
-  General Photography
-  Images
-  Exercise & Technique
-  Equipment
-  Site & Forum Help
 Learn
-  How-To
-  Inspiration
-  Gear
-  Business
-  News
 Explore
-  Browse by Categories
-  Trending
-  Editors' Picks
-  Seeking Critique
-  Photo Of The Day
-  Photo Of The Week
-  Photo Contests
-  Shop

Is in that location a way to check and encounter if your camera is loaded with film?

Word in 'Nikon' started by gabi_l, October 11, 2007.

This is probably a very stupid question, simply I have Nikon FE2, and I can't
remember if I loaded it with flick or not the last time I used information technology. I've made the
error of taking pictures with no film in at that place, so is there anyway to check
this (as well going into a darkroom, which I don't accept?)? Information technology is wound to the
fourth shot, simply I'yard not certain if I took 3 pictures or what. Are there any
visible, obvious signs that at that place is moving picture in my camera?
I tried searching online just couldn't actually find annihilation. Anyway cheers for
the assist
See if there's any resistance on the rewind knob.
If the camera is loaded with picture, when yous movement the lever to accelerate to the next motion picture, the knob on the opposite side should motility, if it does not move, there is not picture into the camera.
I promise this help.
Without pushing the rewind button on the bottom of the camera, turn the rewind crank as if you were rewinding house. If there's resistance, the camera is loaded. If y'all tin can keep turning the creepo, the camera is empty.
If the photographic camera does not take a rewind crank, the flick count is obtained from the sprocket which turns as the motion picture is pulled by. If you accept a count, you lot have film and it is advancing. Cameras with rewind knobs will cause the knob to turn (or some part of the knob, east.grand., Leica) as the film is advanced. Take up the slack first, and then wind off a shot.
Those of united states of america who learned photography from the manual-focus SLR days all learned the rewind creepo trick. That was earlier motion-picture show cameras have the niggling window on the back to display film type. When you initially load the motion picture, rewind it a bit to make certain that there is proper tension. From that point on, every time you lot accelerate your film, the rewind crank should rotate forth with it.
One thing to keep in mind is that if y'all rotate the rewind crank in mid roll to check tension, you may potentially motility portions of your last exposed frame dorsum to behind the shutter, and when you shoot your next frame, you can get two overlapping frames onto your film. Therefore, if yous check tension, I would play information technology safe and waste a frame past shooting information technology with the lens cap on (and manual shutter speed at the maximum ane/4000 sec). I learned that lesson the hard fashion some 30 years ago.
If yous have film, but don't know what kind, there is a highly irritating way to check. You lot tin note the frame number on the frame counter, rewind back to the beginning, open up the camera back and wait, pull the leader back out of the cartridge if yous wound information technology back in (with a motion picture leader retriever), rethread the picture show, and wind it back to the original frame plus 1 or 2to prevent overlaps. To practice that you put on the lens cap and I too put the lens on the table meridian and continually click the shutter and advance and click the shutter and accelerate, etc. That's what yous have to exercise if yous want to alter film in a camera that doesn't take a film dorsum (the way many medium format cameras exercise).
Notation that if you're paying attention when yous rewind, you'll feel the leader disengage from the takeup spool and can stop rewinding in that location safely, with the still leader out
Go into a dark room, open the back and feel for the film. If it's there, but close it up and off you go.
If you don't have a darkroom, you can use a irresolute bag. It's a handing affair to take in instance the motion picture gets stuck in the camera for some reason.
If its wound to the fourth shot, I would assume that there'southward film in it. And there are only iv exposures. Since you tin't think taking whatever exposures, opening the camera in daylight would crusade the loss of a few shots only. No need for a darkbag or annihilation else.
And if you don't take a changing bag: start, get yourself to the darkest and most light tight room avalable, to improve your odds. Place your photographic camera on something secure similar the middle of a bed, and cover with a heavy coat, with the inside downwards, against the photographic camera. Slip your artillery into the sleaves of the coat, in reverse, and check your camera. Just be very careful to non lift upwards on the coat.
Changing bags? Feeling around inside coats in dark rooms? Come on - no need to make it more complicated than it needs to be. ;-)
It's an FE2. Manual advance with a rewind crank. If there is increasing resistance on the rewind crank when turned clockwise, information technology has film on the takeup spool (camera is loaded) and the dorsum should non be opened.

If there is no resistance, then there is no film in the photographic camera, or any flick that might be in it has been rewound safely into the cannister, so you can open the back to see what'south what.

Simple every bit that.

The frame counter showing "iv" is not an absolute indication that there is flick loaded, equally these cameras volition advance the frame counter with no movie loaded.
If this is a problem for you a lot of the time, the FM3A back has a window that shows the cassette and pic type. If yous can become your easily on one from Nikon, it pops right on the FE2.
While I have used the sports jacket "changing pocketbook" technique, at that place is one sure way to decide if in that location is picture show in the camera: Under subdued lighting (1) Remove the lens. (2) Set the shutter to Time. (3) Burn the shutter. (4) Await into the front of the photographic camera. If yous see a gray or beige matte surface, you are looking at the film. If information technology is glossy blackness y'all are seeing the pressure plate and there is no film loaded! Advance the film and you are ready to go. (But be sure to reset the shutter!)
While information technology'southward piece of cake to check if a film is loaded I frequently used to forget the type of film in utilise. Then for my older cameras I now use habitation-made single-folded 18x36mm cards that slide into the wink shoe equally a moving-picture show reminder. The card is coloured on the 4 faces, for case: yellow for colour negative; blue for colour slide; black for you-know-what; and "EMPTY" - and and then on. (The cards take seconds to brand and are re-usable).
Alternatively I'll fold the stop tab from the movie carton into 4, and normally it'll slide in the shoe - no such reminder ways the camera is empty ..... AC
Actually the all-time way is to shoot the whorl off completely. After all that is what Motion picture IS FOR eh?
When y'all terminate the roll and paw it in for processing, if they look at you lot as though you're insane, then there wasn't a film in at that place.