How to Load a 35mm Film Camera

If you’re just starting your film photography journey — whether a seasoned digital shooter or a newbie to the camera world — this short guide will help you hit the ground running.

In this guide: Download this guide for your reference and better viewing. How to tell if I have a 35mm film camera? How to check if there’s film in a camera? How to open my film camera’s back? How to load 35mm film into my camera? How to check if the film is loaded correctly? How to rewind film? Where can I develop my film? Support this blog & get premium features with GOLD memberships!

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How to tell if I have a 35mm film camera?

Film photography has an abundance of formats (film sizes). Some of the most common ones are 110, APS, 135, 620, 220, 120, 4x5, and 8x12.

135, also known as 35mm, is the most popular film type. Your first analogue camera is most likely to take 35mm film. You can recognize a 35mm film camera by the notches on the take-up spool designed to fit into the film’s sprocket holes.

35mm film cameras are usually no larger than a typical DSLR, although some may come in pocketable sizes.

All 35mm cameras will have a film door or a back cover that you can take off. Inside you’ll usually see guide rails, a take-up spool for your film, and a chamber for your film canister. If your 35mm film canister fits in the chamber — you have a 35mm film camera.

If you don’t have a 35mm film to see if it fits in your camera, you can measure the distance between the guide rails with a ruler. If it’s around 24mm or .94 inches, you have a 35mm film camera.

But before you open up the back of your camera, you should first check if you have film inside.

✪​ Note: 35mm in 35mm film refers to the full width of a film strip — including the perforations on both sides, whereas 24mm is the width of a film frame. A typical film frame area is 24×36mm — this size is referred to as “full-frame” in both film and digital photography. Most 35mm film canisters will yield 36 frames, although some may give you just 24.

How to check if there’s film in a camera?

There can still be film in your camera from a previous owner. You may want to save it to see what’s on it later. This is how to do that.

Film cameras made in the ‘90s and ‘00s sometimes have a small window on their back where you could see whether there’s film inside. They would look dark and empty if there’s none.

If your camera does not have a window at the back, you could also check the film counter — it will show a number between 1 and 36. If it’s at “2” or more, you have film in your camera. Note that some older cameras have a tricky way of displaying those numbers.

Another way to test if there’s film in the camera is to try advancing it by one frame and taking a picture. You will feel some resistance, and the frame counter will increment by one. Or you could try rewinding to see if there’s any resistance.

How to open my film camera’s back?

If you find that there’s film in your camera, make sure you rewind it before opening your camera’s back. Even if you don’t want to keep the old roll, it needs to be rewound to be taken safely.

There’ve been a lot of film cameras made for 35mm film since 1934. They are all a little different, but when it comes to opening them up to load fresh film there are just two types of doors/covers and three types of locking mechanisms that hold them in place.

Film doors stay attached to the camera bodies via hinges. To open a camera with a film door, look for a latch on the (typically left) side. If you pull it, the door should pop open. If there’s no latch, see if you can unfold and pull on the film rewinder crank. And in some rare cases, you may need to look for a door lock on the bottom of the camera that would typically consist of a lock or a pair of locks that can be twisted open.

Film covers are detachable backs that keep the film secure inside your camera and away from outside light. They could be slid down and off your camera after being unlocked at the bottom of the camera.

Once you’re done loading film, film doors can usually be shut closed. Film covers will need to be slid back on and locked manually.

You may need to be a little creative with searching for the right way to get your cover/door unlocked with your first camera. Just make sure you don’t apply too much force; it shouldn’t take more power than pulling your home’s door handle.

How to load 35mm film into my camera?

If you have a relatively modern film camera with motorized film advance (the kind that takes batteries and winds film automatically) film loading is easy. You’ll need to first insert your 35mm canister into the chamber inside the camera so that the film lies flat on top of the guide rails. Next, pull the film leader to align it with the arrow — so that the tip of it is touching the other side. Then close the cover, and your camera should do the rest.

✪​ Note: Some examples of motorized film advance cameras reviewed on this website are Minolta TC-1, Olympus Infinity Stylus, Olympus Stylus Epic, Olympus L-10, Olympus Infinity Zoom 80, Rollei Prego 100WA, Pentax Espio 100V, and Ricoh YF-20.

Older mechanical film cameras will take a bit more work. First, you will need to fasten your film leader tip to the take-up spool. This means pushing it inside the spool’s slit, spool’s opening, or a spool’s clamp until it’s snug. Other times, you may need to thread your film leader through and across the spool.