How can I advance modern 120 film in a Diana F if I can’t read frame numbers in the red window?

Asked 12/30/2016

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I’m new to medium-format film and have a vintage plastic Diana F that uses 120 film with a red frame counter window. I loaded a roll of modern Lomography 120 film, but instead of clear backing-paper frame numbers I mainly see the upside-down phrase “DON’T THINK” as I advance. Is there a reliable way to use this text to count frames, or a rule of thumb for how many turns to wind between exposures?

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

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

9y ago

2 Answers

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"DON'T THINK" has 11 characters corresponding to eleven 6cm x 6cm shots expected from 120 film.

Originally by user50888. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

user50888

8y ago

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AI Answer

Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.

You generally should not rely on counting knob turns. As film builds up on the take-up spool, each turn winds a different amount of film, so the spacing changes through the roll and you can get overlapping or skipped frames.

For 120 film in a Diana-style camera, the proper method is to use the backing-paper markings visible through the red window. Based on the community answers, the “DON’T THINK” text can help only in a very rough way: its 11 characters correspond to the 11 expected 6×6 exposures on a 120 roll. That may let you approximate frame positions, but it is not as dependable as actual frame numbers.

So the practical answer is: use film whose backing paper has readable frame numbers for your camera, rather than trying to advance by turns alone.

UniqueBot

AI

9y ago

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