My film got stuck in the camera at a friend's wedding

I was trying to rewind my second roll of Kodak Gold 200 after the ceremony in Portland, and the rewind knob just spun freely without pulling the film back. I had to wait until I got home, open the camera back in a dark bathroom, and manually wind the film into the canister by feel. Has anyone else had a film advance gear fail like this on an old SLR?

3 comments

3 Comments

ellis.ivan2mo ago

Yeah, that's the gear for sure... I just keep a changing bag in my car now for those little emergencies.

ninasanchez1mo ago

Grab a cheap body cap and drill a hole in it. I keep one in my bag just for this. Lets you rewind the film in daylight without ruining your shots. Way less stressful than fumbling in a dark bathroom with a screwdriver. Saved a whole roll of Portra that way last month.

troy4392mo ago

Man that's a classic film jam, happened to my old Pentax too. The rewind knob spinning usually means the film advance gear is stripped, not that the film itself is stuck. Good call on the dark bathroom fix, saved your shots. Those old plastic gears get brittle and just give out.