Photographic film type-120

The filmmaker was Eastman Kodak . For some time, the company labeled the films according to the name of the cameras for which they were intended. In 1908, for convenience, film labeling was transferred to Kodak digital signs. The numbering of film types was serial. Initially, the digital designations of the films were used by the manufacturer only for internal needs, but by 1913, the number designation of the film types fell on the product catalog pages. Further, the digital code of the film could not be ordinal: it required clarity to the buyer.

Type 120 film was introduced by Kodak in 1901 for its Kodak Brownie No.2 camera . However, it got its present name only in 1908. The film was conceived for use in amateur photography, but by the end of the 1960s in this field was replaced by a film of type 135 . The latter exceeded the popularity of the 120th type, which until then was the most common.

By the dawn of digital photography for the medium format, essentially only two types of film remained: 120 and 220 . To date, the 120th type (and its variation 220) is used mainly in professional shooting, less often in amateur photography. A film of this type, although not often, is found on sale. At present, film photographic equipment is being aggressively supplanted by digital equipment, and assumptions about switching to another type with a classic medium format film are already unlikely. In addition to digital backs for existing film cameras for film type 120/220, more and more fully digital medium format cameras with similar photosensor sizes are being produced.

Type 120 film is supplied non-perforated, in reels without a cassette. The coil was originally made of wood with metal tips, in later years - entirely of metal, today - entirely of plastic. Despite the absence of a cassette, the film is designed to charge in the light. Flare protection is provided by racord : a layer of black opaque paper covering the film along the entire length. Film marking and frame numbers (for rewinding and positioning frames in the camera) are printed on the record. A number of cameras allows you to observe the number of the installed frame through a special window on the rear wall of the camera (usually closed by a red filter ) ^{[P 3]} . The pickup coil is located inside the camera. When charging the camera, the first few turns of the cord are unwound, and its end is inserted into the slot of the receiving coil. This does not threaten the flare of the film, since the record is made with a large margin in length. After charging and closing the camera, winding onto the receiving coil is continued until the designation of the first frame appears in the window on the back of the camera. In those cameras where film rewinding is blocked with the cocking of the shutter, the record is wound on the receiving coil until the characters match (on the leader and on the camera body), then they close the camera and cock the shutter several times according to the instructions.

The film is 61.5 mm wide and 806-850 mm long. The length of the leader is 1475 mm ^[1] . Specifications for Type 120 film are defined by ISO-732 . Earlier, he regulated the standards of films not applicable today, such as 127 and 620 .

The frame size can vary as the camera itself, and interchangeable backs or frames applied to it. The number of frames on one film depends on the format used and the features of a particular camera. Formats 6 × 12 and larger are used by special panoramic cameras ^{[P 4]} .

Type 105 reel film was proposed by Kodak in 1898 for their first folding camera and had a 6 × 9 cm frame format. In 1900, Kodak introduced type 117 film for its first 6 × 6 cm Brownie camera . Both of these the format used a film of the same width as type 120 (61.5 mm), but with different coils. For type 105, the coil was similar to that used for type 116 . The coil of type 117 was slightly narrower than that of format 120. Both types ended their existence in 1949 , and type 116 - in 1984 .

The 620th type was introduced by Kodak in 1931 as an alternative to the 120th type. Although it was mainly used by Kodak cameras, it gained great popularity. The 620th type was, in fact, the same 120th, but used a thinner all-metal coil instead of a wooden one. Such a reel allowed Kodak to create more compact cameras, although there were cameras ^{[П 6]} for film type 120 smaller than cameras for film type 620. The 620 type ceased to exist in 1995 , however, you can rewind to the used 620 reel film from the 120th and use in a 620 format camera.

In 1965, a film appeared with a "talking" name - type 220 . This was a type 120 film of double length. This amount of film was able to fit on the reel due to the almost complete removal of the record . It remained only at the beginning of the film and at the end and served to transport the coil and charge the film in the light. Due to the lack of a record, such a film cannot be used in cameras equipped with a control window on the back wall. In addition, the film without a leader has become thinner, and this must be taken into account when adjusting the pressure table of the camera. On some cameras, a selector of his position appeared ^{[P 7]} , on others - a removable backdrop ^{[P 8]} .

• Type 220 film
• Medium format

• (English) History of Kodak reel films.
• (English) Film formats on Ken Rockwell's website