• Home
  • Reviews Index
  • Best Gear
  • Inspiration
  • Learn
  • Disclaimer
  • Staff/Contact Info
  • Media Kit
  • Membership
Bridging Tech and Creative Photography
Bridging Tech and Creative Photography
Bridging Tech and Creative Photography
Useful Photography Tip

Useful Photography Tip #187: How to Remember What 120 Film You Were Shooting With

Chris Gampat
No Comments
10/03/2018
2 Mins read
Chris Gampat The Phoblographer Mamiya 6 Film placement Ilford Delta 400

Last Updated on 10/03/2018 by Mark Beckenbach

Want more Useful Photography Tips? Click here. 

Most Medium Format cameras don’t have some sort of window on the back of the camera that you can peer into; one of the many way that they differ from 35mm cameras. So then the question becomes how to remember what film you’ve got in that camera? Well, the answer varies but the most consistent one that you’ll find is that you should be using the little note holder on either the back of the camera or the film back depending on what you’re using.

Let’s say that I was shooting some Ilford Delta 400 in my Mamiya 6. What I’d do is take a little tab from the box that clearly notes what film it is and slip it into the little holder. This way, it will stay in place and when I go back to pick the camera up to shoot, I’ll remember that Ilford Delta 400 is in there.

Why not just finish the roll, you ask? Well, 120 film usually has less shots per roll vs 35mm film. Depending on the format, you could have something like 16 shots when shooting at the 645 forma or even 9 at the larger variants like 6×9 format. Because of this, you also tend to be much more heavily selective of your shots. You’ll switch camera backs between color and black and white as well if you’re using an SLR style of camera that allows you to do so. Just to note, a camera like the Pentax 67 won’t let you switch backs but the Mamiya RB67 Pros S will. Otherwise, there’s a possibility that you can go for some time without shooting images with that camera and back, and you’ll just forget that there’s film in there. You may also forget what film you put inside unless you’re the type to really stick to a few emulsions.

120 back camera camera back film ilford mamiya slot
Shares
Written by

Chris Gampat

Chris Gampat is the Editor in Chief, Founder, and Publisher of the Phoblographer. He provides oversight to all of the daily tasks, including editorial, administrative, and advertising work. Chris's editorial work includes not only editing and scheduling articles but also writing them himself. He's the author of various product guides, educational pieces, product reviews, and interviews with photographers. He's fascinated by how photographers create, considering the fact that he's legally blind./ HIGHLIGHTS: Chris used to work in Men's lifestyle and tech. He's a veteran technology writer, editor, and reviewer with more than 15 years experience. He's also a Photographer that has had his share of bylines and viral projects like "Secret Order of the Slice." PAST BYLINES: Gear Patrol, PC Mag, Geek.com, Digital Photo Pro, Resource Magazine, Yahoo! News, Yahoo! Finance, IGN, PDN, and others. EXPERIENCE: Chris Gampat began working in tech and art journalism both in 2008. He started at PCMag, Magnum Photos, and Geek.com. He founded the Phoblographer in 2009 after working at places like PDN and Photography Bay. He left his day job as the Social Media Content Developer at B&H Photo in the early 2010s. Since then, he's evolved as a publisher using AI ethically, coming up with ethical ways to bring in affiliate income, and preaching the word of diversity in the photo industry. His background and work has spread to non-profits like American Photographic Arts where he's done work to get photographers various benefits. His skills are in SEO, app development, content planning, ethics management, photography, Wordpress, and other things. EDUCATION: Chris graduated Magna Cum Laude from Adelphi University with a degree in Communications in Journalism in 2009. Since then, he's learned and adapted to various things in the fields of social media, SEO, app development, e-commerce development, HTML, etc. FAVORITE SUBJECT TO PHOTOGRAPH: Chris enjoys creating conceptual work that makes people stare at his photos. But he doesn't get to do much of this because of the high demand of photography content. / BEST PHOTOGRAPHY TIP: Don't do it in post-production when you can do it in-camera.
Previous Post

Review: WhiteWall Acrylic Mini Prints (a Pretty Unique Way of Showcasing Your Work)

Next Post

East Africa Inspires Šuns Akis to Tell the Story of A Fisherman’s Secret

The Phoblographer © 2023 ——Bridging Tech and Creative Photography
Bridging Tech and Creative Photography
  • Home
  • Our Staff
  • Editorial Policies
  • Media Kit
  • Membership
  • App Debug