Last Fall I purchased this sprightly little plastic camera from an antique store. Even though I knew its flash bulb would be basically impossible to replace, I liked the camera’s weird name and vintage design, and I thought it would be fun to shoot some 120 film with.
At home I quickly realized the camera was defunct, made for an extinct film format called 127. I tried to jam a roll of 35mm film into the back, but there just wasn’t enough room. The only hope was a pitch black room and a whole lot of electric tape.
Fortunately, the camera came with two empty 127 spools. In darkness I unspooled the 35mm film from its canister and rolled it onto the 127 spools. It was tricky work and I realized later that there was a slight crack of light in the door. I was sure I had fogged the film, but I decided to shoot it anyway. A few months later I got the roll back from the lab and I was pleasantly surprised.
I still can’t believe any of the film came out. Some light leaks, weird banding and unintentional cropping aside, I really enjoyed the results and plan to shoot another 35mm roll through this camera in the future.