How to Load Film: 35mm, 120 Rolls and Sheet Film Holders

Loading film badly is the quickest way to lose a roll. The good news is that every common mistake, from a leader that slips off the spool to a fogged first few frames, is easy to avoid once you know what to watch for. Here is how to load 35mm, 120 roll film and large format sheet film holders.

General rules for any format

Load in subdued light. Turn your back to the sun or step into shade. Bright light can creep past the felt lips of a 35mm cassette or the edges of a 120 spool.
Set the film speed on cameras without DX coding as soon as the film is in.
Check the film is advancing before you start shooting.
Note what's loaded, with the box end in the memo holder or a piece of tape on the back.

Loading 35mm film

Open the back and pull up the rewind knob so the cassette drops into its chamber.
Push the rewind knob back down, turning it slightly to engage the cassette.
Pull the leader across the shutter and slide its end into a slot in the take-up spool. Some cameras have a quick-load mark instead: lay the leader end on the mark and close the back.
Advance once with the back open and check that the sprocket teeth engage holes on both edges of the film and that the film is winding onto the take-up spool.
Close the back and advance and fire two or three blank frames until the counter reads 1. These frames were exposed to light while loading.
Gently turn the rewind crank in the rewind direction until you feel slight tension, then watch it turn backward each time you advance. If it doesn't turn, the film isn't moving.

Rewinding 35mm

At the end of the roll the advance lever will stop. Don't force it. Press the rewind release button, usually on the camera's base, and turn the crank until you feel the tension release as the leader pulls off the take-up spool. Rewind a turn or two more and the film is safely in the cassette. If you plan to develop it yourself, you can stop just as the tension releases to leave the leader out.

Loading 120 roll film

Move the empty spool from the previous roll to the take-up side.
Insert the new roll in the supply chamber with the colored side of the backing paper facing out, away from the lens, as the camera's diagram shows.
Break the paper seal, keeping the roll tight in your fingers so it can't loosen.
Pull the paper leader across and thread its tapered end into the slot of the take-up spool. Give it a turn or two and make sure it winds on straight and tight.
Advance until the start arrow on the backing paper lines up with the start marks in the camera, then close the back and wind on to frame 1. Cameras with a red window instead show frame numbers through the window.

At the end of the roll, keep winding until the backing paper has fully passed onto the take-up spool, then open the back, fold the tapered end under, and seal it with the sticky tab. Never let an exposed 120 roll loosen: light leaks in along the edges and fogs the frames, a fault called "fat rolls."

Loading large format sheet film holders

Sheet film is loaded into double-sided holders in total darkness, either in a darkroom or a changing bag or tent.

Dust the holders with a brush or blower before you start. Dust on the film shows as clear spots on the negative.
Pull a dark slide out until only its lip remains in the holder, with the white or silver side of the handle facing outward. That side marks unexposed film.
Find the code notches cut in one short edge of each sheet. With the notches at the top right corner, the emulsion faces you.
Slide the sheet under the guide rails, emulsion facing out, and make sure it is under both rails before closing the flap.
Push the dark slide back in. Repeat for the other side.

After exposing a sheet, reinsert the dark slide with the black side of the handle out so you know that side has been used. Exposing the same sheet twice, or none at all, is the large format equivalent of a blank roll.

Instant film

Instant film packs load in seconds: open the door in subdued light, slide the pack in until it clicks, and close it. The camera ejects a dark slide first. Keep freshly ejected Polaroid prints shaded from light while they develop.

Troubleshooting loading problems

Blank roll, clear negatives with edge printing: the film never advanced. Check the rewind knob turns as you wind.
Fogged start of a 120 roll: loaded in bright light or the paper wasn't tight.
Overlapping frames: a worn advance mechanism or a 120 back set to the wrong format.

Common film problems covers these and other faults in more detail.