An
Introduction to 110 Film Format Cameras
I thought it would be difficult for me to write this while keeping a straight face, for I have never had the slightest respect for the 110 Pocket Instamatic film format: too many disappointing experiences with several different 110 cameras in the 70's and early 80's cured me of using them and left me thoroughly convinced that the deficiencies in the film cartridge rendered even the best 110 cameras incapable of producing sharp, pleasing photographs. Recently I had my memory jogged by seeing a Canon 110ED 20 at auction on ebay; because the seller was only asking $5.00 for the camera in mint condition, with full kit of accessories, I let myself be sucked into buying it. Truthfully, I vaguely remembered these cameras being touted as the finest 110 cameras ever made, and fully expected it to sell as a full kit in the $30 to $50 range; getting it for $17.00 as I did, made it seem like an experiment well worth undertaking. I'm glad I did now: I'm fully convinced this really is one of the finest 110 cameras ever made, along side the Minox 110S. Not only is the quality of the camera superb, but I was startled to find that the quality of the photographs are very much better than anything I remember from my earlier experiences.
And therein lies the crux of my recent discovery: given excellent quality
cameras to shoot them in, the highly improved 110 films available today are
capable of producing far, far better quality photographs than I ever expected.
I'm now fast becoming an unabashed convert to the capabilities of the 110 film
format, if shot in high quality cameras…of the 20 million or so
110 cameras sold, there were an awfully large number of very cheap, poor
quality cameras with equally cheap lenses to go with them: the results from
these cameras are still largely abysmal. High quality cameras have superior
lenses in them; quite often they are as fast as F/2.7, making them excellent
low light shooters…the Canon lens is even wider, at F/2.0.
First
let me explain that my disdain for the 110 Instamatic cartridge film format
stemmed largely from my bad experiences with them, but I've discussed these
experiences with a number of photographers over the years and found that they
have noticed this as well. It appeared that the problem lies in the film
traveling in channels in the cartridge itself that seemingly prevents it from
being held perfectly flat at the film plane during at the moment of exposure. I
spent years believing that this was the reason (coupled with cheaper quality
cameras with correspondingly cheaper quality lenses) my photographs came out
less sharp than I expected…no better than the plastic lensed Kodak X-15
Instamatic I had started with as a young boy. I found this to be the case,
disappointingly enough, even when shooting a Minolta Autopak 70 camera (which I
absolutely loved) and even a Pentax Auto 110 SLR system camera (which I adored,
as a concept…and soon sold, such was my disappointment with the quality of the
resulting photographs), among other 110 cameras. I've recently learned that
this is not really the case: one of the reasons the photographs taken with a
Minox 110S camera are so noticeably better is that, in addition to having a
superb lens, Minox used a larger film pressure plate that clamped the cartridge
to the film plane more fully. I've found that Canon also had worked to overcome
the film flatness issue, and been successful with it.
You
may be surprised to find out just how much life there is left in these cameras:
film for 110 cameras is still fairly readily available, although many consider
the format to be effectively dead by now. Fuji's Superia 200 is an excellent,
fine grained, medium speed all-purpose film for colour prints. Kodak still has
Gold 400 available, which, while grainier, is great for low light shooting.
Agfa still has an offering and rebadged film is available in many Walmart,
K-mart and some 7-11 type stores. A Better Photo, a store profiled on the
"Resources" page of this section of the web site currently has a 3
pak of Fuji Superia 24 exposure rolls selling for $5.95; as they will process
and print Minolta 16mm film by mail (with a $3.00 flat shipping charge), you
might write or call them to order some 110 film if you find you can't locate it
easily in your area. A Better Photo, and many other 1-hour film processing
stores still process and print 110 film as well. For the diehard worrier, there
is even a very thorough and very detailed explanation on how to roll your own
from recycled 110 film cartridges: read all about it on the Sub Club's
excellent web site at http://www.subclub.org/darkroom/roll110.htm
Seeing the light…
There are some interesting facts regarding the current crop of 110 format
film cartridges worth knowing. The original cartridges introduced with the
cameras in the early '70's had a ridge running full length down the side of
them that keyed the camera (via a feeler arm sensor) exposure meter to ISO 100
film (shown on the left side of the cartridge in the photograph near the
beginning of this article). Later, "advanced" model cameras were
produced whose feeler arms could detect the old ISO 100 cartridges as well as
the (then) new ISO 400 cartridges (both the Canon 110ED and the Minox 110S
cameras were built this way, as was the Kodak Trimlite 48).
The
interesting thing is that now, fresh ISO 200 and ISO 400 film seem to be all
that is available - and they are BOTH packaged in cartridges that key the
camera exposure meter for ISO 100 film! - or at least, the Kodak brand ISO 400
film is. Now, in practice, if you're having your film processed and printed at
a 1-hour photo store, it has little net effect: the very wide exposure latitude
of modern films still produces excellent prints. However, in the case of the
ISO 400 film, if it is packaged in ISO 100 keyed cartridges, you're not getting
the most out of the camera's exposure meter, which is why some advanced
enthusiasts will carefully file down the ridge beginning from the middle of the
ridge down to the bottom of the cartridge, leaving the top half intact (or use
a pair of fingernail clippers to quickly clip the bottom half off, filing down
the little bit that’s left with a fingernail file if needed). The easy way to
visually check whether your ISO 400 rated film is in a proper 400 type
cartridge is to examine the ridge on the edge: if the bottom half is present,
it's been packaged in the older, ISO 100 keyed cartridge. I've been told that
this is currently a normal practice with Kodak brand "Gold 400" film.
If the bottom half of the ridge is "missing", then your film has been
loaded into a cartridge keyed for ISO 400 film.
Another interesting tidbit, if you're interested in reloading your cartridges with 16mm film (courtesy of the article on reloading 110 cartridges in the "Darkroom" section of the www.subclub.org site): the easiest cameras to use reloaded cartridges in are those that do not need the perforations in the original 110 film in order to cock the shutter. If they do need the perforations to cock the shutter, then you can still reload the cartridges, but you'll have to wind the shutter, cover the lens and release the shutter 3 times after every picture to advance to the next full frame. While this can seem like a major inconvenience, the thing to keep in mind is that at least you can use reloaded cartridges and your choice of a wide array of films in this manner.
Cameras that do not rely on the perforations to cock the shutter will work perfectly normally with reloaded cartridges, and you can use unperforated film quite easily in them. If you have a film slitter like the ZipSlit for 16mm film, you're already well prepared to start - the Sub Club article will give you all the detailed information you'll need to begin.
How can you tell if your camera needs the perforations to cock the shutter? Easy: open the film door on your camera and leave it open. Remove any film cartridge from the camera, operate the film advance to cock the shutter, and then trip the shutter release button. If the shutter fires (opens and closes), then your camera does NOT need the film perforations to cock the shutter (doesn't even need perforated film at all, really) and life is good. All of the cameras profiled here fall in to this category - any camera that needs the perforations to cock the shutter will have that fact specifically noted in the article about that camera.
…And the Available Light…
There’s an interesting facet to the operation of all of the 110 cameras profiled here, in terms of their low light shooting operation: all of them, with the notable exception of the Trimlite 48, are capable of setting their shutters automatically for long time exposures in excess of several full seconds. What is not always well documented is the fact that should your camera be mounted on a tripod with the shutter tripped either by your finger or a cable release, the full time set by the shutter will not be achieved unless you keep the shutter button pressed or the plunger on the cable release pressed until you hear the second click of the shutter actually closing. In other words, if your camera has set a shutter speed of 4 seconds, and you simply press and release the shutter button, the shutter will open and then close immediately, and you will have greatly underexposed your photograph – you have to keep the button down to allow the camera to give you the full four second exposure. In day to day use, this is not an issue at all, in fact, it was apparently quite normal for the huge majority of 110 cameras produced at the time – it is simply something to be aware so that you can get the fullest benefit out of your camera’s low light capabilities.
The K Factour…
For those of you who would like detailed, photographically illustrated instructions on how to reconstitute a "K" battery, see the article in this section of the web site entitled "The K Factour"; the link is provided below.
The original 110 film format cameras were introduced by Kodak, who invented the cartridge format. At that time, they also had the marketing weight and muscle to convince battery makers to produce the very proprietary "K" size battery that all the Kodak cameras (and many other maker's models as well) utilized to power their exposure meter and automatic shutters. These batteries can be readily recognized as a small, flat, plastic cased, rectangular battery with a sloping front end containing a metal electrical contact in it. One of the things that make the Minox, Canon, Rollei and other high end 110 cameras still useful today is the fact that their makers wisely chose not to commit to the K battery, instead designing their cameras to use industry standard photo batteries that are still available today (or for which acceptable substitutes are readily available today).
K batteries have not been made in years, and your chances of finding any
even at a flea market are next to nil…even if you could, the battery is stone,
cold dead. Grab it if you can!
Even if you have to spend a dollar or two at a flea market for a broken, irreparable 110 camera, it might be well worth it if you first check inside and find an expired K battery: with surprisingly little effort on your part, it can be made into a brand new battery, ready to power any number of older 110 model cameras that require them. The plastic K battery shell can be reused like this, with a little care, for years…and now, so can your cameras that require this odd little battery! Many thanks to James Jones for passing that invaluable tip on to me.
This site is about the high end, premium quality 110 cameras, the best in their classes, the ones that I believe will make the best photos and provide the most pleasurable photographic experience. Being available today in excellent condition at prices that are just pennies on the original dollar, they represent some of the most exciting photographic values on the market today – if having this much fun were any less expensive, it would have to be illegal…<g>…
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Kodak Pocket Instamatic 20, 30 & 40 |
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Minolta Autopak 470 |
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Rollei A110 & E110 |
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© January, 2003 by D. Scott Young