Unveiling Film from a 110-Year-Old Camera - Cold Film Development!

[@Orbnoticas]

I have been shooting film for years and have never seen anything like this. It's so cool! Can't wait to see your own photos from this camera!

[@mhaustria]

Thanks a lot, I am excited as well to see what the camera is capable of.

[@user-xc9pd4sq4x]

Thank you for this report on the beautiful old camera and your attempt to "save" the film. It must have been an impressive experience for you. 😀

[@mhaustria]

@@user-xc9pd4sq4x very welcome 🙏 I enjoyed it a lot. It’s always the path to the finish line that I enjoy the most.

[@jong542]

Well you don't get that opportunity every day! Too bad there weren't any salvageable images. It was certainly woodth a try! Thanks so much for sharing your journey with us! 😎👍

[@mhaustria]

@@jong542 thanks a lot for your comment. I was quite excited, but even with that outcome, I learned a lot about developing old film. I read many days into it. Sometimes the journey is so much fun.

[@jdelaney9325]

4 minutes in and I’ve already had to watch 2 sets of commercials. YT is getting ridiculous

[@Mr.HarryPotter]

Use the Browser that starts with B.

[@ProfithuntingXXX]

Should have watched it on Google no commercials lol

[@AckzaTV]

​@@ProfithuntingXXXlol u mean on the Google News story?

[@RandallDennant]

​@@AckzaTV Google Chrome desktop with ad block. No ads ever.

[@isDatBoi]

The KZbinr who actually set the ads on his video.. blame him

[@KRYoung_dev]

I took a (B&W film) photography class in college and loved it. I love seeing all of your home developing process! I never considered it could be done without a darkroom. Very admirable attempt at restoring the film. Extremely beautiful camera!! 😍

[@mhaustria]

Thanks a lot. If you like this one, have a look at my wet plate videos, I think you will enjoy them

[@MrShanePhoto]

Lovely video. Nice to see the AGO working in the wild and not in a sponsored video. I had a similar experiences about a decade ago bought a kodak picket camera at a stall in a market and discovered it had a roll of film in it. Took great care developing it. Turns out someone had exposed the whole roll to light. Nothing on it 😅

[@mhaustria]

Thanks a lot! I have one of these pocket cameras as well, there was a film in it, but back then Somebody developed it for me... I love my AGO processor, its such a nice tool to work with and I can spend my developing time with doing something else...

[@MrShanePhoto]

@@mhaustria I have one on my wish list. Would love one. I see now it's worth it

[@KALASgodpills]

I still enjoyed this video. Mostly because of the narration. Thank you for the attempt AND the passion for your art.

[@mhaustria]

Thanks a lot! Often the path to the result is so much fun, but I would have loved to see some more on the film for sure :)

[@davepirtle9790]

The care and precision you take to attempt to restore the film is top notch. This reminds me of the camera Sandy Irvine was supposedly carrying on My Everest. One rumor was the Tibetan government had the camera and tried to restore the film but nothing came out Even though the results may be disappointing the process was A plus and you have my ultimate respect. Thanks for sharing. Dave from the US

[@mhaustria]

Thank you so much. Exactly that is what I enjoy often the most. Learning by doing -> the journey is often more fun than the result.

[@peterrenn6341]

I have one of these, though smaller format. The tripod mount is a tapered peg which fits the hole in the camera (put a 1/4 UNC thread on the bottom to mount to conventional tripods). I made mine by copying a picture in the accessories catalogue. Lovely camera!.

[@mhaustria]

Thanks a lot, this is very helpful. I am sure I can 3D print this and I have enough 1/4 threads at home.

[@SinaFarhat]

Nice! I like how you experiment with a test strip, especially since there is always a higher chance of getting nothing out of rolls that has been waiting to be developed for many many years!

[@mhaustria]

Thanks, I read about this kind of test several times and thought this makes totally sense, Today I went through it again in my head and thought that I use next time the next darker one. Maybe I should try it again with a normal roll of film to see how it would look like.

[@FROSTBURG2]

​@@mhaustriaUsing the time of the next-to-darkest strip is generally the best (there are a lot of variables with film this old so it might not have helped in this case) because the test strip has basically been maximally exposed so there is going to be nothing denser in the roll.

[@mhaustria]

@@FROSTBURG2 thanks a lot for clarifying!

[@LizGibson-wk5uo]

Thank you...

[@mhaustria]

very welcome!

[@ArmoredVenom007]

I'm pretty sure the first picture that was shown with the side by side was a train and train track. When the color version is shown, definitely looks like a train

[@mhaustria]

the lines could look like that.

[@DirtyPlumbus]

I tend to crease the end of my 120 film to help stabilize it and make it easier to get into the spool.

[@mhaustria]

@@DirtyPlumbus interesting , what do you use for that?

[@DirtyPlumbus]

@mhaustria i just fold it over by hand. The crease is just enough to stiffen up the film, so it's easier to get into the spool. By the time you're done developing it, you can't even tell it was done.

[@Birdnerd1968]

This was pretty cool to watch, very informative. I know nothing about older cameras (although I'm getting old enough to almost be in that age range for the film). Google suggested your story to me on petapixel and from there I saw the developed pictures on your site. It looks like possibly it could be pictures of a picnic in a park in the first couple and last one. Or that's just my brain seeing trees that aren't there, since I just came in from outside with my dog chasing squirrels up trees and dragging me along for the ride. At any rate, have fun with the new film and "new" camera.

[@mhaustria]

thanks so much!. The more I read about what people see, the more I think I should have looked closer for a longer time. Thanks for pointing that out!

[@joerubio3391]

Thank God we are in the digital camera age 📷 📸

[@mhaustria]

For many applications I agree, but after arriving at a point where a camera shoots 120 frames per second and pre shoots 60 frames before you press the shutter button, I am not sure anymore that I want to work with a computer like that. Sometimes its really nice to step back, take some time and capture an image by hand.

[@ChrisTDownTheRabbitHole]

Thanks! I have had some luck with found films once or twice, but other times seemed like they came from the same photographer in the past as yours 😂 Keep it up!

[@mhaustria]

@@ChrisTDownTheRabbitHolehaha 😂 at least we learned something. Like how not to capture images ;)

[@tomgdownhill]

always difficult with old film processing, you never know if its even exposed correctly or had some light leaks/accidental openings. but its still so fun to see what was forgotten in the camera 😄 could possibly try ir imaging to see if can pull more info out of the negatives? 🤔

[@mhaustria]

@@tomgdownhillthats a great idea. I have an old Sony dsc f808, that can capture IR. I never thought about that

[@tomgdownhill]

@@mhaustria i just remember a documentary about the Mona Lisa, where they use some pretty advanced ir to see different layers of paint 😅 and since film can capture the ir spectrum, why not try 😋

[@mhaustria]

@@tomgdownhill love it, will do

[@andriamsimpsonrussell]

I learned to develop b&w film in 1983ish during my freshman year in high school in my Graphic Arts class, never did it again but WOW have things changed. 🤯

[@mhaustria]

@@andriamsimpsonrussell I remember just using the tank, but with this tiny processor it’s so much easier. Even color should be easy like that.

[@piranhaowner1967]

So Cool!!! ❤❤😊😊

[@mhaustria]

Thanks, I am working right in that moment on an adapterr to shoot tintypes with it.

[@piranhaowner1967]

@@mhaustria wow!!!!!! I actually held tintypes a few years back from a senior where I worked…. Very Cool to see the old stuff… Thank You for the Upload 😊👍❤️

[@kickingfox8183]

I was excited, wanting to see images in the photos. Sorry it didn't work out for you. You did a great job. I didn't think it had anything to do with you or the chemicals. Maybe a child played with the camera years ago, it's difficult to say. Great video and very informative. Thank you

[@mhaustria]

Thanks you so much. Yes, I hoped for more, but I also think it's good to show different possibilities to develop old film. I didn't find much about cold film developing on the web, with my video there is one more available now.

[@UncleDansVintageVinyl]

I once developed some 127 black-and-white film from a camera from the 1950s. I suspect that the film was from the same era. I used stand developing with HC-110. If memory serves me well, I used a 1:100 ratio for one hour. I got fairly decent images, but they were still fogged in places. And, wow, was that film brittle! Some of it broke off as I was spooling it up.

[@mhaustria]

@@UncleDansVintageVinyl I got another roll souring here and will do the exact same thing like you did, can’t wait.

[@UncleDansVintageVinyl]

@@mhaustria Good luck!

[@SomeUnremarkableGuy]

Interesting camera. I have never seen it before. Are you planning to test it in the near future?

[@mhaustria]

Absolutely, I will get some 127 film and build a plate holder so I can use it with the wet collodion process. I am also thinking to build multiple plate holders, so I can shoot different distances.

[@mhaustria]

Forst I have to build a tripod mount.

[@fffbone]

I thought it looked like trees with the sunlight coming through.

[@mhaustria]

Finally, thats what I thought as well! But some others had also some good imagination what it could be.

[@lazerboy22556]

These look like heat damage artifacts like in Robert Landsburg’s famous photos, RIP my dude Low key some synth band could make some banging art from these

[@mhaustria]

I could try to play with it to make some abstract prints as well.

[@fritzedward]

You might be interested to know there are now digital cameras available. The results are instant and no chemicals are necessary.

[@mhaustria]

I even have some of these “digital miracles” at home and work with them. But sometimes they can be really boring.

[@sbcinema]

which software did you use to convert the images into 3d ? I built a 3D camera but unfortunately the software I could find (which I could find for free) didn't work well.

[@mhaustria]

Google for StereoPhoto Maker - its free and its recommended from section stereo from our photographic society

[@laurensnieuwland4657]

Cool! I've got an even older plate camera, an R.J. Beck from 1901, but the shutter mechanism is broken. Any advice on fixing it?

[@mhaustria]

Thank you, I guess its a box camera? Depending on the fstop and film, you just could expose by hand.

[@laurensnieuwland4657]

@@mhaustria It is. Its my first camera I'm working on, but I like tinkering. Preferably I'd get the mechanism functional again, but I find it hard to figure out how it works exactly. For me it's not really about actually taking pictures, but more so the repair process.

[@mhaustria]

@@laurensnieuwland4657 I feel you, I like this kind of work as well. I serviced and renovated lots of my cameras. You probably will find a tutorial here on KZbin . Enjoy!

[@laurensnieuwland4657]

@@mhaustria Thanks! Sadly it is so old and unknown that I haven't been able to find any information apart from the original sales advertisement and a vague description. I'll have to keep looking I guess!

[@mhaustria]

@@laurensnieuwland4657 if you get stuck, you can send me over some images of the shutter

[@ricardoyan7657]

I did not know that Junghans made darkroom timer. what a handsome looking on you got.

[@mhaustria]

@@ricardoyan7657 thanks, it is took me some time to get one.

[@ContentlyBroken]

I think that the two photos is of a baptism. In the left photo I feel like you can see a hand in the front-left foreground raised palm upward like praying and in the second photo you can see it reaching out more in the center of the photo to bless the baby. First photo I feel like you can see in the center there is a woman, I think the mother. To her right someone is holding the baby I think the priest but he has one of those tall hats on and in the second photo the woman is holding the baby, closer to the camera, I think she has a veil on. Bottom right I believe there is an alter boy kneeling with cross. I traced it out on the photos, I can send it to you

[@mhaustria]

I can't see anything you described. You can send it over on insta, happy to share it in my renovation videos for the wet plate process.

[@adagalera9852]

The first image I see a woman with a veil above head .

[@mhaustria]

@@adagalera9852 interesting, never looked at it like that.

[@petragodfrey-db9lo]

Would love to see the fotos ?

[@mhaustria]

Easiest way is to go to my blog, there are the scans of that what was visible on the negatives.

[@AckzaTV]

The front of that camera in the news article looks SO new, i thiught it was an xbox kinect

[@mhaustria]

@@AckzaTV I was looking to get this kind of a camera since I build my ultra large one. I never thought of the Kinect, but now when you mention it…

[@FattommyDrives]

I've got 3 old cameras. One is from like 1920 looks like this camera

[@mhaustria]

What brand is it?

[@Iceman-gm1fu]

Would have been great to see the photos but unfortunately the video suggestions at the end cover up the result.

[@mhaustria]

I linked the full video that I show at the end in the top corner, or you just visit it here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bWbVp3V7h9psrqcsi=WUIIguyM82p-hUow

[@MezeiEugen]

Ein richtiger Scanner könnte mehr rausholen aus diesen Schatten.

[@mhaustria]

Ich werde es vielleicht mal mit meinen Screen Cezanne versuchen, aber zum Thema scannen kommt heute ein drittes Video raus.

[@randallstewart1224]

The film probably dates from the 1950s, mid -60s at latest. It used a proprietary Agfa color process not compatible with Kodak color negative chemistry, both pre-dating the current C-41. The stepped development of a trial strip in B&W developer is a cute method of getting it into the ballpark. Using the film processing at very cold temps meant that whatever the development achieved, there was almost o=no effect fixing, and the film transparency was probably obstructed by a heavy veil of undissolved, undeveloped emulsion.

[@mhaustria]

Thats why I said in the video that I guess the film is between 50 and 70 years old. If you meant fogging, I don't think there happened much fogging and fixing on the film in the tank looked like it worked as expected. Otherwise with no fixing happening, it should have been a black roll of film? Have you had a look at the original article that I linked on my blog about cold developing? The more I think about it, the more I want to try, normal developing vs stand developing, vs cold developing with a new black and white or color film.

[@INK__622]

A forest stereoscope shot

[@mhaustria]

I am working already on a concept for tintypes and will get some 127 film for it. Forrest sounds good, I have to figure out the hyperfocal distance. But I will create a plate holder that allows portraits as well.

[@javier-m75]

so in other words you messed it up. nice going

[@pandnh4]

Lemme save you 10 minutes: there was nothing discernable on the film.

[@jaya7760]

The 10 minute process was still worth watching. Well narrated and interesting. While he knew the outcome he still sounded like someone thoroughly enjoying his craft as he did the voiceover and, even though the result didn't come out, it's still nice to hear someone who has passion share their niche.

[@mhaustria]

Thanks a lot, often the journey is more fun than the result. For me it was important to share the cold development process. Because I searched for it and did not find much about it. Most people recommended a specific restrainer, that is not easy accessible. On the other hand a fridge is available in most households

[@darkftforce]

may be the film was empty, never shot anything!

[@mhaustria]

I dont think so, otherwise I would not have stereo pairs of something.

[@WitnessTheComingOf]

I was hoping the camera would show something but it 100 plus years old. Nice video and thanks for trying.

[@mhaustria]

@@WitnessTheComingOfoh Boy, I was so excited when I was opening it. I already had dreams of a family picture or something like that. But I actually have a box of 100 year old glass plates

[@batchint]

we used to have a camera shop in neal street london… that converted some 35mm cameras to stereo… back in the eighties that was quite cool…🎉

[@mhaustria]

@@batchint at some point I will get a 35mm stereo camera as well. I bought the book of Brian May some time ago, I think he only used 35mm

[@dangilmore9724]

Old film stock, color in particular, is dodgy at best.

[@mhaustria]

The Agfa is supposed to be one of the better ones. (from film rescue)

[@dangilmore9724]

@mhaustria I've run into some very old AGFA color film from the late 1930s and 40s that was undeveloped and used old chemicals to develop it and it worked out fine. I have a few rolls of old unexpired Kodachrome stock in the freezer. I'm saving them for color cars shots to simulate it on digital formats to get the right color profile. There are a few labs out there that can process it in color. I used to develop it myself, but the process is very complicated to do by hand. I used to use it all the time in 4x5 format for commercial photography.

[@mhaustria]

@@dangilmore9724 I guess these labs mix the chemicals by themselves?

[@dangilmore9724]

​@mhaustria Yes, for the most part. The very old AGFA color film wasn't a chromogenic subtraction process like Kodachrome reversal film. The bleaching and dying process can be approximated unlike the Kodak processes.

[@cyrilwingnek-qw1ik]

113 year old camera,with nothing in it.whats wrong with that title

[@zipkknight]

No photos… just the ray of light you create while extracting the film in you dark bag 🙄😒

[@mhaustria]

@@zipkknight My film changing bag can not create stereo ray of light pairs. Otherwise it would be a stereo film changing bag ;)

[@ayechae.r.shaloam6733]

👎👎👎👎👎👎👎

[@lordk.blaueswunder]

Warum stehst Du nicht zu Deiner Muttersprache?! Offensichtlich kommst Du doch aus dem deutschsprachigen Raum...

[@mhaustria]

Weil ich seit Anfang mit Englisch begonnen habe. Ich habe zwischendurch versuche eine zweite Sprachspur hochzuladen, die Funktion gibt es auch, aber die wird auf meinem Kanal nicht freigeschaltet… Ich hab dann mal sogar die Videos in deutsch und in englisch hochgeladen, das sah sich damals niemand an. In der c‘t fotografie gibts meine Artikel in deutscher Sprache.

[@jaya7760]

KZbin runs on English. It promotes English videos more often if you have also previously watched English videos. If you only watch videos in one language it will promote that language to you more. So, if you don't like English, don't watch English KZbin videos and you'll see less of them.