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New (to me) Minolta Maxxum 5 -- loading a lot of excess film!

Started 8 months ago | Discussions
QuantumTarsus New Member • Posts: 7
New (to me) Minolta Maxxum 5 -- loading a lot of excess film!

Just got a new-to-me Minolta Maxxum 5 and set out doing some tests today. I loaded up some bulk-loaded Fomapan 400 and found that, even though I loaded 12 frames (i.e. 12 + 4 in my Watson loader for a total of 16 frames) I only got 10 shots out of the roll. When I developed the film, here is what I saw:

https://imgur.com/a/MURIDeZ

In addition to the ~3 frames that were exposed during loading, it loaded up nearly 3 more frames of film. I don't have any problems with my manual cameras and can get the intended number of frames no problem. Is this pretty typical for this late-model automatic SLRs? I typically load 24 exposure rolls, but now I'm looking at having to load 27-28 for the same number of frames.

TIA!

neilt3
neilt3 Veteran Member • Posts: 3,008
Re: New (to me) Minolta Maxxum 5 -- loading a lot of excess film!

It is what it is . Not sure if you have a problem with yours .

How much unused film is there at each end of your exposed roll ?

Compared to how much you cut of your bulk roll .

Some manual focus cameras by design can waste less film , both the amount wasted when loading , and how much is left unused at the cassette end .

That said the Dynax 5 is quite a compact camera .

When I bulk load film , I can't say as I've taken any notice how many shots I've gotten. Largely because I can't always remember how many shots I loaded onto the cassette!

Easiest way to rule out a camera fault ( which is unlikely) is to buy either a 24 or 36 exposure film , shoot it and count the pictures.

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Hike Pics
Hike Pics Senior Member • Posts: 2,917
Re: New (to me) Minolta Maxxum 5 -- loading a lot of excess film!

The last time I shot my 5 (early 2019) I got 24 shots off of a 24x roll of Fuji.

I don't own a bulk loader but have done a LOT in my lab days. It seems I would click off 3 start frames, then click off 20 shooting frames, then click off 3 frames at the tail. Something about those numbers worked best for us.

FrancoD Forum Pro • Posts: 19,261
Re: New (to me) Minolta Maxxum 5 -- loading a lot of excess film!

Apart from the film leader (about 4 frames)

your camera should expose all the rest of the film.

neilt3
neilt3 Veteran Member • Posts: 3,008
Re: New (to me) Minolta Maxxum 5 -- loading a lot of excess film!
1

The OP doesn't appear to be interested enough to even respond to their own thread , so we'll never know if the whole roll is being exposed or if there even is a problem.

A shame when people ask for help but don't have even the basic manners or are too ignorant to respond back to you .

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OP QuantumTarsus New Member • Posts: 7
Re: New (to me) Minolta Maxxum 5 -- loading a lot of excess film!

neilt3 wrote:

The OP doesn't appear to be interested enough to even respond to their own thread , so we'll never know if the whole roll is being exposed or if there even is a problem.

A shame when people ask for help but don't have even the basic manners or are too ignorant to respond back to you .

Edit: My reply was snarkier than necessary. Simply put, I've been too busy to shoot over the past week (having spent Friday-Sunday helping a friend organize her mother's house [who was a terrible hoarder]), and have not had anything to add until today.

I was actually able to shoot another roll of film through my Maxxum 5 yesterday, developed it late last night, and was finally able to scan this evening. A 24-exposure roll (not bulk loaded) Ilford HP5+ yielded 24 frames and probably would have gotten a 25th frame if I hadn't been dumb and cut mid-frame while loading it onto the spool before developing.

I will obviously have to experiment and adjust my frame count while using my Watson film loaders. I also ordered a Lloyd film loader which should allow me to reduce the number of exposed frames while loading the cassettes. (I refuse to use a daylight film loader in a change bag just to get a few extra frames.)

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