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I accidentally removed the battery from my Ricoh RT-550 camera and the film counter reset back to 0. I was in the middle of using it and still had ~10 frames left...

Does this mean I should just remove the film and process it with ~10 blank frames or can I still use it to finish shooting the roll?

OnBreak.
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Pamela Lemmuela
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    it might not make much difference, but what camera exactly is it? – osullic Sep 26 '18 at 16:49
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    @osullic this can make a huge difference as some cameras have a setting for the rewinding mode to either push the film into the cartridge all the way in or to let some of it hang out. This is crucial for re-inserting the film. – null Sep 26 '18 at 17:32
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    The options available to you are completely dependent on your camera. Please let us know what model camera you are using and also what the status of the film is...for example, on inserting the new battery, did it rewind? Did nothing happen except the film counter rest (film is still in the same position)? – OnBreak. Sep 26 '18 at 17:34
  • The camera is Ricoh RT-550 – Pamela Lemmuela Sep 26 '18 at 19:05
  • @PamelaLemmuela you would have heard and felt the camera rewind the film when you put the battery back. If this did not happen - then the film hasn't moved. Shoot a frame into the cap to make sure that you don't double expose a frame and then continue to shoot as normal. The film will rewind automatically when you reach the end. – OnBreak. Sep 26 '18 at 19:48
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    If any question, and if the existing pictures are important at all, then simply have the roll of film processed now as is, with no risk. The remaining blank space is very inexpensive to waste. Why worry with it? – WayneF Sep 26 '18 at 20:34

2 Answers2

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If the film actually rewound in conjunction with the counter reset, then you could take enough shots with the lens cap on in a dark room to get you back to approximately where you thought you were. If you're off by a couple, or if the alignment isn't exact, you may lose a couple of your shots, but that's better than losing all of them.

If the film did not rewind, and is actually still in the same position, then you can just continue shooting until you hit the end of the roll. Your counter will be off for the duration, but should hopefully be correct for your next roll. If rewinding at the end of this roll doesn't also reset to 0 (i.e. it counts backwards past zero as it rewinds), then you may need to redo the battery insertion between rolls or at the start of the next.

Depends on how the counter works, I guess.

twalberg
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  • This is assuming that the film rewound to the first frame, not just that the counter reset to 0? – mattdm Sep 26 '18 at 16:25
  • What do you mean by "losing all of them"? What option would lose all images? – null Sep 26 '18 at 16:25
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    @null Double exposing them would be a form of loss... Or creativity... – twalberg Sep 26 '18 at 16:31
  • @mattdm Yeah, that's a valid point... Maybe rewinding and then redoing the battery remove/replace to get to a consistent point would be required first, I guess. – twalberg Sep 26 '18 at 16:37
  • I was under the assumption that reshooting from the beginning wasn't considered as a solution by Pamela, but you're right: it might be. – null Sep 26 '18 at 16:46
  • Auto rewind cameras sense the tension on the end of the roll before rewinding - the film count doesn't really matter. So, if the camera simply froze up on the battery being taken out and didn't move the film at all, then she can keep shooting the rest of the role having done nothing. If it's a manual rewind, then there's also no worries - just be careful using the film advance near the end. And finally, if the film did rewind - it's likely all in the canister without the leading end sticking out. No point in cracking the can to reset it - simply get it developed. – OnBreak. Sep 26 '18 at 17:32
  • Thank you for answering! My camera is Ricoh RT-550, how can I tell if my camera rewound in conjuction with the counter reset or not? – Pamela Lemmuela Sep 26 '18 at 19:06
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    @PamelaLemmuela, in my experience, film rewinding is rather noisy. If you didn't hear the film-advance motor running for a substantial period of time when you put the battery back in, it didn't rewind. – Mark Sep 26 '18 at 19:39
  • @Pamela, if you are still unsure (and haven't done anything), just remove the battery again and re-insert it, paying full attention to the camera. If you don't hear any motor noise after that (even a brief attempt), you are safe to continue shooting; you just won't know how many frames left exactly. – Zeus Sep 27 '18 at 01:04
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Carry on shooting. If there's any doubt about the rewind, open the camera under a blanket. You can finish the rewind manually if required. The processing house won't care if the tail is lost into the cassette.

Laurence
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