What happens if I turn the film rewind crank while the film is still in the camera?
Asked 6/28/2017
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I accidentally turned the film rewind crank/knob while there was still film loaded in my camera. What effect can this have on the film? Can it damage the film, create slack, or cause double exposures?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
9y ago
2 Answers
5
The film "rewind" crank is usually directly connected to the shaft of the supply spool. Trying to wind it in the back direction with the film still in the camera and not released (usually a button needs to be pressed somewhere) will just tighten the film against the sprocket that is trying to hold the current frame in place. If you keep cranking, the first thing to give is probably the film ripping at the sprockets.
If you crank the other way, you loosen the film on the supply reel. If you go too far with that, and there is space available, the film will actually be wound around the supply reel again but in the opposite direction. This by itself causes no harm, but during the cranking the film can get damaged due to being bent in a fairly tight radius, nearly folded. It will also rub against itself, possibly causing scratches or other abrasions.
So no touchy da cranky thing until you actually want to rewind the whole roll.
Originally by user7603. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user7603
9y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Usually, the rewind crank is connected to the film supply spool. What happens depends on which way you turned it:
- In the normal rewind direction, if the film hasn’t been released for rewinding, you’ll usually just tighten the film slightly against the sprockets. A small accidental movement is usually harmless. If forced, the film could tear at the sprocket holes.
- In the opposite direction, you can create slack in the film. Too much slack may slightly ripple the film or wind some of it back onto the spool in an odd way, which can increase bending or rubbing.
- If the camera did allow actual rewinding because the rewind release was pressed or worn, you may move the film backward and risk a double exposure on the next shot unless you advance past that frame.
In most cases, a brief accidental turn won’t ruin the roll. If the film didn’t obviously snap and the camera still advances normally, you’re probably fine.
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