35mm cassette to cassette camera help ?

[BADGER.BRAD]

Hello ,

I have been looking at a Smena 1 camera to add to my Lomo/Smena/Cosmic camera collection, On campedia it says it is a cassette to cassette camera does this mean I would need to find extra cassettes to load the film on and would this also mean I would have to lose the start and end of the film as I would have to open the camera to cut the end of the film .

Thanks all

 

[StephenM]

It probably depends. My Exaktas allow you to either load to a cassette or use a simple take up spool. They also have a built in cutting knife, so you don't lose anything from the end of the exposed film.

If it's a question about that specific camera, sorry but I don't know. If you do have to cut the film with the camera back open, then you would lose frames.

 

[AndrewFlannigan]

Some pages on early Smena models that might offer a clue (if you haven't already seen them)...

http://www.sovietcams.com/index.php?942901083
https://www.mikeeckman.com/2018/10/gomz-smena-4-1958/
https://streetlifeedinburgh.wordpress.com/2011/10/04/smena-6-a-users-how-not-to-guide/
http://www.collection-appareils.fr/x/html/camera-12526-Gomz_Smena 1.html

The last one states that " it does not accept 135 cartridges but two specific cassettes. One is emptied while the other fills. There is therefore no need to rewind." which suggests you need to make sure you get the cassettes with the camera.

 

[BADGER.BRAD]

Thanks everyone for your info, much appreciated. I'm deliberately heading backwards with my cameras rather than forward, typical of me to be going the opposite way to the crowd
Having followed one of your links Andrew I came to a photo of the back of the camera showing the two cassettes which seem to be custom items, Would you have had to load the film onto the cassettes yourself before use ? It does say that you can get away with a standard cassette and a take up spool.

 

[dmb]

There was a similar system used in Agfa ISO Rapid cameras. The cassettes had no spool inside and the film was just pushed into the empty one and dragged from the full one. The pictures of the Smena don't look as if it uses exactly the same ones though.