24 vs 36 Exposures?
p.1 #124 vs 36 Exposures?
I need to know if I'm the only person here who has trouble capturing 36 images from a roll of fiñm.
I recently purchased a Pentax Spotmatic SP 500, and I wanted to test it out. All I had im the fridge were rolls of 36 exposures. It's been two weeks now and I can't seem to capture 36 images!!
With my digital equipment I have no issues capturing several dozen images per day, whereas with film it seems to take me forever to fill up one little roll of 36 images.
I ordered a few rolls of 24 exposures to see if that will make it easier for me in future.
Anyone else have trouble finding suffucient things to photograph to fill up a 36 exposure roll of film?
p.s. The lab I use will not cut me any deals or discounts if I shoot less than 36 exposures on a roll, so it would be a waste of money if I shot less than 36 exposures.
I recently purchased a Pentax Spotmatic SP 500, and I wanted to test it out. All I had im the fridge were rolls of 36 exposures. It's been two weeks now and I can't seem to capture 36 images!!
With my digital equipment I have no issues capturing several dozen images per day, whereas with film it seems to take me forever to fill up one little roll of 36 images.
I ordered a few rolls of 24 exposures to see if that will make it easier for me in future.
Anyone else have trouble finding suffucient things to photograph to fill up a 36 exposure roll of film?
p.s. The lab I use will not cut me any deals or discounts if I shoot less than 36 exposures on a roll, so it would be a waste of money if I shot less than 36 exposures.
Jul 05, 2026 at 11:04 AM
p.1 #224 vs 36 Exposures?
The same is true for me. Yesterday and today I actually made a real effort to finish most of the film loaded in various cameras (120 and 35mm), because I discovered earlier this week that my developer is going to expire soon. I’m so used to being careful with film, whereas with digital I’m not.
Must say I loved that tactile feeling of advancing the film, but I also took pictures today that I probably wouldn’t have taken if I hadn’t set out specifically to shoot those rolls. And I still have one roll left in one camera, but in that case I’m suspecting that the camera’s meter or aperture control isn’t functioning properly. I may just take the roll out and see what’s wrong.
Now I’ve got some developing to do. Five rolls…
Must say I loved that tactile feeling of advancing the film, but I also took pictures today that I probably wouldn’t have taken if I hadn’t set out specifically to shoot those rolls. And I still have one roll left in one camera, but in that case I’m suspecting that the camera’s meter or aperture control isn’t functioning properly. I may just take the roll out and see what’s wrong.
Now I’ve got some developing to do. Five rolls…
Jul 05, 2026 at 11:30 AM
p.1 #324 vs 36 Exposures?
Man I just like shooting film and don't worry about pinching pennies to make it happen. I really don't mind pulling a roll early just to see results.
Jul 05, 2026 at 11:35 AM
p.1 #424 vs 36 Exposures?
I keep a half-frame camera in my pack for snapshots and it can take me several months to get 72 photos; sometimes I use 24-exposure rolls to get 48 if I'm feeling impatient. I'm usually surprised when I develop those rolls as they often include photos I'd completely forgotten about.
One time my lab sent me someone else's scan's by mistake and of course I couldn't resist having a look before I deleted them (I notified the lab and they re-sent them to the right person). That roll of 36 was taken over the course of a pregnancy through the infant's first few days, so it took them at least 9 months to finish it (the first photo was of the positive result of a pregnancy test), and I've talked to people who've had the same roll of film in their camera for more than a year.
I watched a documentary about Kirsten Klein, a great photographer from Denmark, who mentions that she's a frugal person so when she finishes a roll of film she puts it on the shelf until she has enough rolls to max out the capacity of her tank. I don't think I could do that; a finished roll of film just fans the flames of my curiosity and I need to develop it right away so I can see the results.
One time my lab sent me someone else's scan's by mistake and of course I couldn't resist having a look before I deleted them (I notified the lab and they re-sent them to the right person). That roll of 36 was taken over the course of a pregnancy through the infant's first few days, so it took them at least 9 months to finish it (the first photo was of the positive result of a pregnancy test), and I've talked to people who've had the same roll of film in their camera for more than a year.
I watched a documentary about Kirsten Klein, a great photographer from Denmark, who mentions that she's a frugal person so when she finishes a roll of film she puts it on the shelf until she has enough rolls to max out the capacity of her tank. I don't think I could do that; a finished roll of film just fans the flames of my curiosity and I need to develop it right away so I can see the results.
Jul 05, 2026 at 11:49 AM
p.1 #524 vs 36 Exposures?
Sometimes I have a 36 exposure film in a camera for over a year! No need to rush
Jul 05, 2026 at 12:11 PM
p.1 #624 vs 36 Exposures?
snegron7 wrote:
I need to know if I'm the only person here who has trouble capturing 36 images from a roll of fiñm.
I recently purchased a Pentax Spotmatic SP 500, and I wanted to test it out. All I had im the fridge were rolls of 36 exposures. It's been two weeks now and I can't seem to capture 36 images!!
With my digital equipment I have no issues capturing several dozen images per day, whereas with film it seems to take me forever to fill up one little roll of 36 images.
I ordered a few rolls of 24 exposures to...Show more →
Nope, never. As a studient in the 70s I used to buy rolls of 20 (there was no 24 exp.) because the film and processing was cheaper than 36 exp. I'd use one roll over a weekend and then take it in for processing. I always wanted to see the results sooner rather than later!
By 1990 I had a fast camera, e.g., F4s that could do 5.7FPS and go through a lot of film, mainly limited by buget. I maxed out around 20 rolls of 36 per day with F5 or EOS 1v HS. Film was cheap though carrying it a round was a pain. I avoided London Heathrow like the plague.
Now in the digital era I've captured nearly 15,000 frames in about 3.5 hours. It's only one memory card, so like one huge roll.
EBH
I need to know if I'm the only person here who has trouble capturing 36 images from a roll of fiñm.
I recently purchased a Pentax Spotmatic SP 500, and I wanted to test it out. All I had im the fridge were rolls of 36 exposures. It's been two weeks now and I can't seem to capture 36 images!!
With my digital equipment I have no issues capturing several dozen images per day, whereas with film it seems to take me forever to fill up one little roll of 36 images.
I ordered a few rolls of 24 exposures to...Show more →
Nope, never. As a studient in the 70s I used to buy rolls of 20 (there was no 24 exp.) because the film and processing was cheaper than 36 exp. I'd use one roll over a weekend and then take it in for processing. I always wanted to see the results sooner rather than later!
By 1990 I had a fast camera, e.g., F4s that could do 5.7FPS and go through a lot of film, mainly limited by buget. I maxed out around 20 rolls of 36 per day with F5 or EOS 1v HS. Film was cheap though carrying it a round was a pain. I avoided London Heathrow like the plague.
Now in the digital era I've captured nearly 15,000 frames in about 3.5 hours. It's only one memory card, so like one huge roll.
EBH
Jul 05, 2026 at 05:10 PM
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p.1 #724 vs 36 Exposures?
bjhurley wrote:
I keep a half-frame camera in my pack for snapshots and it can take me several months to get 72 photos; sometimes I use 24-exposure rolls to get 48 if I'm feeling impatient. I'm usually surprised when I develop those rolls as they often include photos I'd completely forgotten about.
One time my lab sent me someone else's scan's by mistake and of course I couldn't resist having a look before I deleted them (I notified the lab and they re-sent them to the right person). That roll of 36 was taken over the course of a pregnancy through the infant's...Show more →
I have three tanks. One for a single reel of 135, one for two reels of 135 or one 120 and one for four reels of 135 or two 120s. I don't use the small one very often but it's handy when I really want to see what's on a roll of 135.
I keep a half-frame camera in my pack for snapshots and it can take me several months to get 72 photos; sometimes I use 24-exposure rolls to get 48 if I'm feeling impatient. I'm usually surprised when I develop those rolls as they often include photos I'd completely forgotten about.
One time my lab sent me someone else's scan's by mistake and of course I couldn't resist having a look before I deleted them (I notified the lab and they re-sent them to the right person). That roll of 36 was taken over the course of a pregnancy through the infant's...Show more →
I have three tanks. One for a single reel of 135, one for two reels of 135 or one 120 and one for four reels of 135 or two 120s. I don't use the small one very often but it's handy when I really want to see what's on a roll of 135.
Jul 05, 2026 at 05:46 PM
p.1 #824 vs 36 Exposures?
I shoot maybe 10 or 12 images between loading the camera, and putting the leashes on my dogs before I head out of the door. I usually have to reload before I get one block away.
Jul 06, 2026 at 10:55 AM
p.1 #924 vs 36 Exposures?
Same here - one reason at least for B&W films why I am rolling the films myself from a 100' roll. I can control the amount of frames on each roll - I had situations where I actually made a roll just with 15 frames for a quick walk-around and images I wanted to develop directly after taking them and finishing the roll.
Jul 10, 2026 at 07:47 AM
p.1 #1024 vs 36 Exposures?
You point out a great reason to shoot 645 rangefinders. I guess this is a pretty lame justification for purchasing another camera system.
Jul 10, 2026 at 08:26 AM
p.1 #1124 vs 36 Exposures?
bwcolor wrote:
You point out a great reason to shoot 645 rangefinders. I guess this is a pretty lame justification for purchasing another camera system.
I have several new rolls of 120 in the fridge (b&w and color). I haven't found anything worthy enough recently to justify using them over 35mm!
Jul 10, 2026 at 11:42 AM