Down the Road

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A source of fresh 127 film

Jim Grey
13 comments on A source of fresh 127 film
1 minute

Fresh 127 film is hard to come by. Kodak stopped making it in 1995. Croatian film producer Efke kept 127 alive until they ceased all film production in 2012. The two remaining sources are Rera Pan b/w film from Japan or the Bluefire Murano color film from Canada. But they’re often out of stock.

I found a fellow on eBay, user jrdnmark, who cuts 120 film down to 127 size. He makes his own backing paper but uses old 127 spools. He offers a whole bunch of popular films in 127: Ektar, Portra 400, Provia 100F, T-Max 100 and 400, Tri-X 400, Delta 100, and HP5 400.

I bought two rolls of Ektar from him to push through my two 127 cameras (both Kodaks: a Brownie Starmatic and a Baby Brownie) soon as part of Operation Thin the Herd.

custom127film

This fellow also offers hand-cut film in 16mm format for spy cameras, if that’s your jam. Do check out his eBay store if this appeals to you.

Comments

13 responses to “A source of fresh 127 film”

  1. DougD Avatar
    DougD

    I can’t see myself with scissors in the dark, trying to cut film down to size. He must have a better system than that.

    Reply
    1. Jim Grey Avatar
      Jim Grey

      I’ve heard of people doing it with cigar cutters.

      Reply
  2. Bill Bussell Avatar
    Bill Bussell

    This 127 link is excellent. I have several cameras I wanted to try again, but I never got around to using the cigar cutter or other methods I know about. Working in total darkness never bothered me. I have used a guillotine cutter in the dark to cut color printing paper and film.

    Reply
    1. Jim Grey Avatar
      Jim Grey

      I don’t think I’d enjoy cutting/custom-spooling my own film, so I’m always happy when I find someone who will do it for me for a fee! I haven’t shot this stuff yet to know how well the fellow did — who knows, the film might be fogged or something. But stay tuned as I will sooner or later and will share the results here.

      Reply
  3. TBM3FAN Avatar
    TBM3FAN

    I guess one needs to be a big fan of 127 film and their cameras and that never was me. Especially so at almost 2-3X 35mm and 120 film.

    Reply
    1. Jim Grey Avatar
      Jim Grey

      All custom films come at premium cost because of the hand work involved in making them. This fellow’s pricing is typical of what I’m used to paying for custom films!

      Reply
  4. James Cockroft Avatar
    James Cockroft

    I shot two rolls of his hand rolled Ektar in two Brownies (a functional Reflex, and a Starflex with a broken shutter). It’s great to have a ready source of fresh 127, but I’ll probably hesitate before ordering again, and either hand spool 35mm or wait for the Holgamods (or CameraHack or whoever it was) film slitter tool, or file down a cigar cutter and do it that way.

    I got some light leaks and fat rolls on both rolls that I shot, and it seems like he cuts the film maybe a millimeter or two too short. The light leaks didn’t mar the images, but the fat rolls had me worried.

    The numbers on the backing paper are sometimes hand drawn, and given that the film is a bit short (vertically), it doesn’t roll on in a straight line, so by the end of the roll, the numbers were only partially visible in the windows.

    Still, it’s a great to have the option.

    Reply
    1. Jim Grey Avatar
      Jim Grey

      Thank you for sharing your experience! I wondered what his quality would be like.

      I decided to try it sight unseen because I could get Ektar this way. That film has always performed so well for me in my box cameras, which is what my two 127 Brownies essentially are.

      Reply
  5. windswept007 Avatar
    windswept007

    This is useful to know. I have only tried one 127 camera and no longer own it. But you never know what the future brings.

    Reply
    1. Jim Grey Avatar
      Jim Grey

      Stay tuned: results from this film eventually. Watch this space.

      Reply
  6. Sam Avatar
    Sam

    Thanks for the link Jim, could always use this!

    Reply
  7. James Thorpe Avatar
    James Thorpe

    Thanks for the info, and the link. Apparently, Rerapan was respooled Fuji Acros, which explains why it too has been discontinued. The gang over at FPP have been threatening to offer freshly respooled 127 for a couple of years now (as they do with 620)… and if that ever happens I’ll be one happy camper. I’ve been working my way through some old Bluefire Murano (respooled Portra), but as those rolls age, there is some MAJOR bleed through from the numbers on the backing paper.

    Reply
    1. Jim Grey Avatar
      Jim Grey

      I wondered if those films were rerolled other stocks. I couldn’t imagine who had the means to make fresh 127 film in small batches.

      Reply

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