110 Processing - The Gauntlet

A list of processing labs would be good.  I shot my first roll of 110 film in December and took it to my local lab who sent it out, to Dwayne's I assume.  Blue Moon Camera also does 110 film, but I don't know of any other labs other than those two.

Tank and reel for self-developing...

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/63619-REG/Yankee_YARFC15T_Clipper_II_Roll_Film.html

Hi, I just wanted to add my thoughts on my (current) favourite film format.

My current favourite 110 cameras are my Pentax Auto SLR (in particular the 70mm telephoto lens), my Minolta 110 Zoom SLR (a little trickier to use than the Pentax but you can get really nice DOF and Bokeh effects, and it has zoom and macro). I also very much like the Rollei A110.

I have several cheaper point and shoot 110 models which probably aren't going to get used much. I have also just acquired a Kodak Instamatic 60 and am going to try and rig up a battery using the guide posted by Mike Durling above. I have heard a lot of good things about this camera but am pretty underwhelmed by it's looks. It looks more like the low end cheap shooters rather than the SLR 110 cameras but I look forward to seeing the results.

On the topic of batteries, a while ago I had to find a battery for the Rollei a110. It took a fairly small 4.5v battery originally. In Maplins (uk store similar to Radio Shack) I found a small 4.5v battery that looks like it was meant for a car key fob. It was a bit too small for the battery compartment but with the help of a small metal spring that I attached to one end it worked a treat and lasts a long time. I don't have the details on me at the moment but I will get them and post here. I am thinking it may also be a good replacement for the K battery.

I had the good fortune a while ago to buy a batch of 30 Kodak gold 400 asa 110 films. They are still giving great results and are being stored in my film fridge. Here is a recent example:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/81646658@N03/7625006276/

I develop all of my film at home in the kitchen sink (although I have recently got a Jobo CPE-2 processor that I have modified to accept a patterson tank which means that I can use my 110 patterson reels). Extracting the film from the cartridge isn't too hard. All you need is a changing bag and a very sharp craft knife - and CARE! If done carefully, you can re-use the cartridge and the backing paper.

I have reloaded several cartridges. I used to do so without the backing paper, however, I got frustrated with overlapping images and never knowing when the film is finished. I now reload the cartridges and re-use the backing paper, but I don't bother putting sprocket holes in the film. It really isn't necessary and is an incredibly fiddly job.

Here are my tips for reloading:
1) make yourself a good film slitter. This is easier than it sounds. I managed to make one using scraps of ply-wood, perspex and cardboard that I had in the shed, together with 3 razor blades and some felt. Here are some images of it, it's not pretty but it works: http://flic.kr/s/aHsjBnkkA9 I think you can get them on ebay now and again.
2)My best advice for using a film slitter is to mount it at the top of a door. Obviously make sure this is done in a room which can be made lightproof (a downstairs toilet works well). Mounting it at the top of a door gives you both hands free and gives you the necessary drop to pull the film through the slitter in one easy, smooth motion - this is essential for a clean cut and a straight cut. Until I mounted the slitter on the door I had very patchy results slitting in a changing bag.
3) Use 120 roll film for your slitting. The way I have my slitter configured means that I get one roll of 110 film and one roll of un-perforated 35mm film from the one roll of 120. It also removes a few milimetres from each edge of the 120 roll so that you don't get any intrusive markings from the original film.
4) Use your bonus 35mm un-perforated film to load into an old 126 cartridge and stick it in a Kodak Instamatic - great fun!
5) I'm not going to lie, loading the slit film and backing paper into the empty cartridge takes some concentration but it gets much easier with practice
6) get some good lightproof paper tape to tape up the parts of the reloaded cartridge that could leak light - both edges (take care not to cover the speed selector tab) and the 2 bits that you cut into with the craft knife to open the cartridge in the first place (here is the tape that I use: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/290714195221?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649#ht_500wt_923)

My current project is to try and get the right combination of camera and film to evoke a super-8 kind of feel to the photographs - without resorting to photoshop.  I think the 110 format lends itself very well to this being a relatively small format.  I have recently shot some Kodak E100vs through the Pentax.  I believe this is the same film stock that is currently used by Kodak for their Ektachrome E100D super-8 films.  The film produces very vivid saturated colours.  Here are a couple of results from the test:

http://flic.kr/p/cQQbxo  and  http://flic.kr/p/cQQc9N

They are pretty rough scans but you get the idea.  I have some old stock of Kodak Ektachrome 64 EPR 120 film on it's way and am hoping this provides some decent results also.

One last point worth noting - not all 110 cameras will take reloaded cartridges without sprocket holes.  The Pentax does it with no problem, the Minolta needs a little piece of the cartridge filed away.  I think there is a reference list somehwere on the submin website that tells you which ones work.

Anyway, I hope this long and rambling post has been somewhat useful.