Can you remove a partly used 35mm film roll and continue it later?

Asked 6/9/2020

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I’m new to film photography. If I’ve shot part of a 35mm roll, can I rewind it, swap to a different film speed, and later reload the original roll to keep shooting from the same point? If so, what’s the safe way to do it without ruining frames?

35mm-film film-photography rewinding-film camera-technique

Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

6y ago

2 Answers

Yes, absolutely.

Take “exposures” with the lens cap on to advance the film to where you last shot. I’d suggest then allowing an extra frame to make allowance for any possible mis-registration in the reloading process.

Originally by user14399. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

user14399

6y ago

AI Answer

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Yes—this is commonly done, as long as you rewind the film carefully and your camera allows it.

The usual method is:

Note the frame number before removing the roll.
Rewind the film slowly, ideally stopping before the leader disappears fully into the canister if your camera/method allows that.
Later, reload the same roll.
With the lens cap on, fire blank frames until you reach the frame you had already exposed.
Advance one extra frame for safety, since alignment may not be exact after reloading.

Example: if you stopped at frame 18, reload the film later and make blank exposures up to that point, then continue shooting from the next frame.

The main caution is avoiding double exposure of already-shot frames. Giving yourself an extra frame margin helps. This works well when switching to a faster or slower film for changing light conditions.

Can you remove a partly used 35mm film roll and continue it later?

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