Sprocket Holes: 135 Film in a 120 Roll

There are many ways of shooting with 135 in a 120 camera to sensitize the sprocket holes. This is an option in wich you can use the paper protection roll of 120 films.

The advantage of doing this is that you can leave your home with as many rolls as you want, and load your camera as it is a normal 120 film without needing a complex procedure in a dark room. Your 135 film won’t be unprotected inside the camera, and better: you will be able to use the numbers on the back of the paper to count the frames, saying a goodbye to the method of counting clicks that ends in failure.

With the paper on place, you can choose between the formats 4,5×6, 6×6 and even 6×9, depending on your camera. The materials that you need are:

• 135 film roll
• 120 empty film roll with protection paper
• adhesive
• dark room

I chose a12-frame ‘cause of it’s size, that is the closest to 120mm one. This way it yelds around nine 6×6 images. You can use a 24-frame film, but the photo counting will be on your own as the length of this film is bigger than the numbered part of the paper. It has to be done in the dark because the light “burns” your film.

First, find the place where the 120 film was fixed on it’s paper. It usually has a piece of adhesive paper on the black side. Unroll the 135 film with the 120 paper. It helps keeping them aligned.

When you reach the end, stretch it carefully and start to roll it with the 135 film in the middle, making a mini rocambole with paper and film. Finish with a piece of adhesive paper, so it won’t open itself and also for the identification of the film that is inside. And there is your 135 film for making sprocket holes in any 120 camera, with the advantage of the extra protection and can change the films without being in a dark room. Ah, and you have the paper number counting too!

To get it developed, it’s better putting it back on it’s original roll. Simple. If you want a redscale, just put the film the other way around. Have fun!

written by dux_x on 2012-01-12 in #gear #tutorials #film #tipster #sprocket #35mm-films #120-films #top-tipster-techniques