 Today's episode is sponsored by Squarespace Dear Future Jason in case you ever get so goddamn hung over that your memory gets completely wiped Please watch this really informative speed run on how to shoot medium format film So you've already mastered the 35 millimeter format and you're ready to accept eternal medium format vibes in exchange for total crushing financial Bankruptcy good we're on the same page take everything you know about 35 millimeter and flush it down the turlet like a huge turd Actually wait keep some of the information like the exposure triangle That's still the same medium format film is different than 35 millimeter film for starters It's often referred to as 120 film you can call it 120 millimeter film if you really want to be shouldn't because technically you're wrong And someone might punch you in the throat medium format is more expensive There are less film stocks available and the lenses are generally slower However medium format film is quite a bit larger than 35 millimeter the rolls look like this because it's bigger We get more image definition and the mythical medium format look. What is the medium format look? It's basically just high image quality paired with a thinner depth of field awesome Now, you know one of the biggest secrets of the universe 35 millimeter film cameras produce pretty much the same image size across the board However with 120 film we are introduced to several different formats and guess what you have to pick one choose wisely Whichever one you pick will determine what gang you get initiated in worry not though I'll be your guide on this journey, which you may later come to regret, but let's do it anyway for beginners We'll just focus on three of the most popular formats for 120 in order of smallest to largest six four five six by six And six by seven, but there's also six by eight six by nine six by 12 six by 17 and for some unholy reason six by 24 Let's not worry about them for now Let's start with probably the most popular format six four five six four five refers to the six centimeter by four and a half centimeter Image and is by far the most economical format for 120 because it yields 16 shots per roll Which if you think that isn't actually that much you might want to sit down for the rest of this video because it only gets Worse six four five is often referred to as the 35 millimeter of 120 probably because it's the smallest format and some people claim You don't see much of the medium format look with it But maybe it's worth it to you to sacrifice a little bit of the look for more shots per roll I mean, I don't know what your standards are But we're not talking about large format today You may notice that six four five lenses and medium format lenses in general are longer focal lengths than 35 millimeter lenses This is where the fun begins for medium format each focal length is actually informed by the format size for example an 80 millimeter lens on six four five will not have the same viewing angles and 80 millimeter lens on six by seven I know this concept is a bit on rabble, but don't worry I'll try to help you figure this out Which actually should make you worry more if you're accustomed to full frame or 35 millimeter and would like to get a sense of what these medium Format lenses translate to if they were scaled down to full frame 35 All you have to do is multiply the lens focal length by point six two for example an 80 millimeter lens on six four five Is equivalent to roughly a 50 millimeter field of view in terms of full frame at 35 millimeter Here's some solid options to look into for six four five cameras depending on your budget next up in size We have six by six in which the image is six centimeters by six centimeters starting to see a trend here six by six is a perfectly square format Some people love this format and you might too for reasons I may never come to understand with six by six your roll of 120 will actually yield 12 shots And you won't ever have to turn the camera sideways for portrait orientation Unfortunately or fortunately depending on how you look at it all your shots will look like album covers because the format is larger Overall an 80 millimeter lens on six by six is equivalent to a 44 millimeter lens on full frame 35 Just multiply your focal length by point five five to get an idea of what you're working with if you're considering six by six Here's an array of cameras that shoot that format. Lastly. We have probably the most desired format Which also means the most expensive six by seven six centimeters by seven centimeters is quite large Your roll of 120 will yield 10 photos or nine and a half if you have a cursed Pentax six by seven camera like mine I personally think six by seven is where you see the medium format look shine And that's why I have four six by seven cameras instead of probably a house and a family that loves me a quick way to understand What full frame or 35 millimeter field of view equivalent? You're working with on six by seven is to just have the focal length of your lens So for example an 80 millimeter on six by seven will give you an equivalent field of view to a 40 millimeter lens on full frame 35 here are some good options for the six by seven format as I touched on earlier There are also larger less common formats like six by nine and six by 17 aka the long boy six by nine yields eight photos But gives you a massive image that's unlike anything else, especially if you shoot color positive film six by 17 is hella panoramic My dude, I think you get four shots on a roll or something like that great So now you understand format and you've selected your starter camera. Ah, I wish I could see you now brimming with the endless Possibilities of what you'll shoot first. All right. Well, let's stop around and load our shit already Some medium format cameras have film doors similar to 35 millimeter However, the difference is when you're done shooting 35 millimeter you rewind the film back into the cartridge 120 film had to go and want to be different 120 film actually gets wound onto another spool as you advance your film That means you need an empty 120 spool to start with typically your camera will come with one And if it doesn't you're totally and utterly just kidding order one off eBay They're cheap some cameras can also shoot this thing called 220, which is basically a dead format nowadays If there's a switch on your camera make sure it's set to 120 Okay, let's go ahead and start by transferring that spool over to the take-up side by releasing the bottom lugs now With your actual roll of 120 go ahead and cut the tape holding it together But be sure to firmly grasp it so the roll doesn't unravel place the roll in the empty side of the camera and close the bottom Lugs pull the film across the take-up spool and feed it into the slot use your film advance lever to make sure It's caught and advance your roll until you line up the arrows It is very important for you to line up your arrows otherwise your film will catch fire No, I won't but you'll likely get half a roll of shots if you don't cool That was easy now you can close your back door and advance your film until you see the number one in the frame counter Window if you don't know what the number one looks like you've got bigger issues there pal Now just follow the exposure rules you learned in my previous video entitled how to shoot 35 millimeter film a Star Wars story until your roll or your energy is drained whichever comes first when you're done shooting your shots Give the film advance a couple wines to make sure the roll is transferred completely onto the take-up spool We don't open the back and see the backing paper That's no bueno when you open the back of your camera You should see a lone roll of film now on the take-up side Go ahead and pop those lugs withdraw your roll and seal the roll with an overly sexual lick of the paper tab However with 120 film We're also introduced to a new concept the film back. Don't be scared It's just an alternative way to load your film and only some cameras use it Okay, you can be a little scared I have a Hasselblad back here, but in general it's pretty similar for other systems Turn the notch to withdraw your spool system out the back Flip the tabs open to transfer the empty spool to the other side lock your new roll in and pull out some of the Roll making sure that the black side of the paper is facing out typically There's a clip on the pressure plate You need to slide your film through and then insert the paper into the take-up spool on the other side again Look for the starter arrow and wind your film until the arrows line up Slam that bad boy back in the film compartment lock it up and forget about it Okay, well, maybe don't totally forget about it Just don't remove the dark slide until you're ready to shoot unless you love chaos and literally don't give a sh** about money Use the winder on the side to advance your film until you reach frame one when you're done shooting It's the same thing give the winder some extra spins to make sure your film has successfully transferred onto the take-up spool And once again withdraw the film compartment making sure this time to go way overboard and very sexually lick the film tab Because you're a dirty boy who is so enthusiastic about film backs I'm not gonna sit here for all eternity and teach you how to load every medium format camera ever built That's Niko's job But hopefully this gives you a good general sense of how it's accomplished most labs are able to develop 120 film No problemo if they don't they're weak and they will not withstand the test of time in this ever-changing Capitalistic hellscape the labs I trust are the dark room hidden light and if you're local to LA Sammy's camera Congrats, you just completed the second course in my how to spend all your money on old dwindling technology series Join me next time as we unravel the mysteries of large format and how that will surely cause you to default your Bank account, but before we go I'd like to quickly thank today's sponsor of Squarespace Squarespace is an all-in-one website building platform But that's not all it can do if you're a creator like me looking to get your vision out into the world and build an audience Squarespace makes that possible in any number of ways a great way to connect with your audience is member areas on your website Which you can strategically use to create membership only content and unlock an extra revenue stream If you're a photographer like me and interested in selling your prints Squarespace has the ability to help you open up shop and manage tasks like managing low inventory as well As discount codes you can even link up third-party print on-demand services to your website to ease the work on the back end Building an online photography portfolio and store has never been easier I've been using Squarespace to host my own portfolio for a couple years now And it's been incredibly easy to add new work or make room for the old work at a moment's notice So what are you waiting for if you're ready to build a website? You can start a free trial today at Squarespace comm slash grainy days And if you use the code grainy days to check out you can get 10% off your first purchase and Yeah, I haven't forgotten Kodak, please bring back air chrome