A Cheap n' Easy Way to Use 120 Film in a 616 Camera

Six-16 film is pretty near impossible to find and when you do the developing cost is high and probably not worth the expense. Here's how I modified 120 film spools to fit inside a 616 camera. Keep in mind that 616 film is much taller than 120 film. As a result you will end up with images that are shorter, but long, not unlike panoramic shots.

Materials

Method

1. Eyeball the length of the 616 spool that came with your camera.

2. Insert a wall plug into the end of your 120 or 620 take-up spool. If it is too long remove the plug and cut it down with an x-acto knife to an approximate length. Accurate measurements really aren't necessary since this is a "shove-it-in-and-make-it-work" method. [See a Photo]

3. If using a 620 take-up spool you can skip this step. I bought these crappy 120-620 Adapters on ebay some time ago. Actually the seller threw them in when we had a disagreement about another item but I digress. At the time they weren't worth a thought (I've got plenty of 620 spools) but now I've found a use for them. The opening at the ends of 120 spools are much larger than those of 620 or 616 spools. As a result the end of the winder thingy doesn't fit snuggly into the end of the 120 spool and you can't wind the film. These little adapters are basically thin washers with a hole cut to the correct size (like a key hole, with the winder being the key). I'm not sure but it may be possible to find these things in a hardware store. Anyways, I used contact cement to bond the washer/adapter with a 120 spool. I used a metal 120 spool for a more permenant bond. (Don't forget to ask for your spool back when you take the film in for developing). You only need one on one spool end as only the end inserted into the winder side requires a special shape. [See a Photo]

4. Cut the second wall plug to the length of the first. Insert into one end of your unexposed roll of 120 film. Load up the camera.

5. Watching the film counter, advance your film to #3 for your first shot. For every shot thereafter advance three frames. i.e. Your second shot will be on frame #6, and then 9, etc resulting in 5 photos on a normal 120 roll.