Hello everyone. I have acquired a beautiful Kodak Instamatic 500 camera from the mid 60's. There is still 126 slide film in it. I was wondering how this film is developed....is there anywhere in the U.S. that still develops this?

-josh

Do you know what kind of film it is? The 126 tells us the size of the film, not the type of development it needs. If it's Kodak Kodachorme, it is developed in a K-14 porcess. I think there is only 1 or 2 labs in the States that still develops this. Check out www.k14movies.com.


If it's E-6 film, it should be pretty easy to find a lab, as this is still a pretty common type of film. You may still have to send it to someone, but you will have a lot more options. I think you can even take it to Wal-mart, but they will have to send it out, and it could take up to a week or two to get it back.

How old is the film? If it's too old it might not be worth processing.

How old is the film? If it's too old it might not be worth processing.

You never know. If the camera was in a HOT environment forget about getting the film developed, but if was in a cool dry place it just may develop OK. The problem is getting film for that camera, there are only one or two companies making limited runs of 127 film.

Do you know what kind of film it is? The 126 tells us the size of the film, not the type of development it needs. If it's Kodak Kodachorme, it is developed in a K-14 porcess. I think there is only 1 or 2 labs in the States that still develops this. Check out www.k14movies.com.


If it's E-6 film, it should be pretty easy to find a lab, as this is still a pretty common type of film. You may still have to send it to someone, but you will have a lot more options. I think you can even take it to Wal-mart, but they will have to send it out, and it could take up to a week or two to get it back.


yes its k14. i would like to see the photos come from this camera...if its not worth it though..

-josh

I say it would be worth to have it processed just to see if anything comes out at all. That is, if you can find a place to have it processed.

You never know, you just may get one gem out of the bunch. :-)

I would give it a shot. Ya never know what could be on there. You may have an image of a man holding a smoking gun on the grassy knowl. :D

9.00 at Dwayne's for 126 K14 processing. I think they come back sleeved. I just looked it up because I was given some 126 cartridges from the late 80's-early 90's, but had no camera.

I asked to borrow one & it must be spring cleaning time because the guy GAVE me 2 cameras, an Instamatic 500 like the OP's and a Rollei A26. The latter needs a battery.

The 500 allegedly was supposed to be a Kodak AG Retina half-frame camera, but Rochester told the German factory to switch to 126 format instead.

If the shutter isn't gunked up it should be a pretty good lens.

Frugalphotographer or whatever their name is has that Ferrania Solaris stuff for just under $8 a roll/cartridge. I don't really care to read their economic justification theories - just price it how they want. Buncha BS about 1968 dollars vs, today's blah blah. $8/'roll' for anything is expensive, and better be good, right?

Film for Classics I think has to hand cut & wind their products, so I guess that would explain some of their prices. I don't know if they do 126 because it is probably a lot harder to reload.

I also learned that couple more trivial things this week Kodachrome is pre-flashed to sensitize the film as they need to, and indexed with the sprocket holes. I thought originally about pulling some Kodachrome out & putting it into something else like a 2x3 sheet film holder. Because of the pre-flashed frames, odd stripes of different exposure would result if it were not indexed properly by the sprocket holes. The other thing is that 126 and 35mm don't have the same sprocket holes, so you can't reload one with the other, despite the film being the same physical width :O( .

I guess I will have to try a roll at Dwayne's. Someone said WalMart discounts K14 processing but has to send it to Dwayne's. I haven't verified availability of this service at WM yet.

Murray