I was looking forward to testing out an Ica 120 folding camera and had given consideration to a suitable location to test it out. After half an hours drive I arrived and proceeded to load the camera with film. Ohh no! I didn’t check to make sure it had a take-up spool, which it didn’t have. Can you imagine how I felt? What do I do now? Wait until another time, as I couldn’t drive all the way back home again?
After berating myself at my stupidity a thought popped into my head. Could I use my coat as a changing bag to unroll the film and release the only spool I had as a take-up spool. But what could I use at the other end of the camera to replace it? The cardboard box the film came in! I reduced it down to the size of a film spool. Then zipping up the coat and folding over the two ends of the coat I entered my ‘changing bag’ via the two arms. I first unfurled the film from the spool and then rewound the film onto my cardboard replacement. Viola`
Congratulating myself on what a genius I was, I proceeded to my location to shoot the film.
Well how do I do?
Doh! Looks like I have exposed the film although faint images could be discerned. How stupid could I have been?
Undeterred I went out another time with another roll of Fomapan 200. This time I was prepared, so I thought.
Take a look at the Camera 426 video for how I got on.
arhphotographic 