Re: [APML]: Tech Pan

[byen@ix.netcom.com]

Mike Regish wrote:
> 
> 
>         Another question about Tech Pan. The rolls come in 36 exposure only.
> With the weather and my schedule that would take me weeks, if not months, to
> shoot. At $7 a roll, I hate to shoot a few frames and develope it. How much
> trouble would it be to buy the bulk rolls and hyper, say, 12 frames (plus
> leader) at a time and would this be economical? I guess I could hyper more
> and store it. From what I've read, I think it can be stored for several
> months in a freezer (please correct me if I'm wrong). What kind of cartridge
> do you load it in? I still haven't bought a hyper kit, but I'd say it's
> definitely in the near future.
>         TIA.


 I use a 36 exposure roll of hypered 2415, and take whatever # of exposures 
(for me, it's a few piggyback shots).  Then at home, I take the camera body 
& film developing reel/tank into a camera changing bag.  There with back of 
camera face up, I hit the rewind button & pop the cover open.  Very 
carefully, I pull out the film canister & pull out a little more film & cut 
the film with small scissors.  (Too be on safe side, I usually advance the 
film by one frame - too minimize touching an exposed frame).  Then slowly 
pull on film (which is now unwinding from take-up spool) a few inches.  Then 
insert the film into the developing reel, and start the "back-and-forth" 
movement to load it.  Then pull out a little more film, and repeat.  
(Careful one doesn't kink TP, otherwise it'll show up as dark crescents.  
Practice on dummy roll before you try on real thing).  Eventually you'll get 
to the "end" of the film (which is the leader on the takeup spool).  Just 
cut this off, since it was exposed during film loading.  Put the developing 
reel into tank & seal it from light.

  Develop the exposed film.  Then use the remaining roll of TP for a future 
session.  Note that this works for TP, since it can store for several 
months.  I got this trick from Lumicon's pamphlet on astrophotography back 
in '85.



 I do the same above trick for 35mm shots on unhypered color film (say Fuji 
Super G800, or whatever).  Note that you place yourself in the position of 
developing your own color neg film!  (which I have to do anyway, since I 
develop single frame Schmidt Camera negs)  There is an alternative.  In the 
past, I have actually taken the film developing tank/reel to a pro-lab, and 
have them develop the "strip" (for a small handling fee).

  If you're real gutsy, you can do all this in the field for those multi-day 
outings. (drawback is getting dust on negs during drying phase, in non-clean 
environment.  Maybe not so, if you have an RV). Then you can evaluate the 
film shot on the previous night & see if you have to re-shoot.  I've did 
this one time for an excursion to Baja Mexico.  I even did C-41 color 120 
film out in the desert (from back of my van), for Comet Austin!



Bob Yen