Loading 120 Film Into a TLR

Step by step procedure illustrating how to load 120mm film in a TLR. The camera in the example is a Yashicamat 124-G, a common camera type for medium format beginners. General familiarity with the loading procedure can be applied to other 120mm systems. For beginners in medium format; but with some knowledge of film photography; video concentrates on the mechanics of loading the camera and describes the basics of handling the 120mm roll film.

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• film
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[hopegal96]

WAIT i have a mat 124g and it doesnt have a green arrow! only a red one!

[agxphoto]

@hopegal96 Look carefully around the corner in the film bay. The green arrow is for aligning the mark for 12-frame rolls. The red arrow is for aligning the longer 220 film. There's a green arrow in there. It'll be more on the underside of the camera.

[JigokuNoRose]

I lost one my spindle thingys at the bottom of the two pegs which is for the film...is it necessarily to have two or is one fine?

[agxphoto]

@JigokuNoRose You have to have both. I usually save one from the last roll of film.

[hozbwilliams]

Thank you! I tried turning that cover before and it was not budging so I thought it best not to break anything. I got the battery out after a little more "elbow" grease. The battery was encrusted in crystals, I cleaned the compartment out and I'll try to hunt down some batteries. Thanks again.

If you have the time,could you tell me what the Day N and day R are about and also the flash M and X. I'm assuming the M is for manual.

Thanks for your time.

[agxphoto]

@hozbwilliams Flash M is M-synch, which was a form of timing for using flashbulbs. They were fired mechanically; it was like a piezoelectric firing of some combustable materials, usually metal shreds with magnesium compounds, locked up in a glass tube. X is for X-synch, which is like modern electronic flash. It stands for Xenon-synch; xenon has to do with the materials in strobes. Almost all flashes that you see today are X-synch; you can hook them up to the Yashicamat with a PC cord. 

[tubewatcher155]

Very easy to follow and very informative. I am borrowing a friends TLR to try out medium format film. This was very helpful.

[TL250Rider]

One Fantastic Camera 

[PeteFallsEast]

Thanks for the video. I just inherited a Yashica-Mat -- an alien piece of equipment to me. I love it. I love the mechanics of it. I haven't even taken a picture yet. But I've successfully loaded the film!

I also appreciate your use of crystal-clear still photography for the video. Says it all.

[triviani1234]

Maan, you could just record an actual video of it!!

[AaronA74]

Love the "we see a common situation" line in regards to the spool.

Definitely reminiscent of a military training video. Thanks for the info.