Before the advent of Memory Cards...

[biggles3]

OK everyone, who remembers how in the good old days of 35mm film, we could get more than 36 images using a SLR?

Well, there were essentially two ways: firstly, you could shoot in half-frame but there were only two 35mm SLRs which could do this, both made by Konica. The other, more conventional way was to use a 250-exposure bulk-back (or even a 750 exposure-back with Nikon) and in the attached piccie, you can see an Olympus OM-2 with its 250-Back plus the Contax RTS (it's the very rare Fundus version) with its similar back. What many people didn't know was that the big cassettes which held the film were interchangeable between Olympus and Contax and for those who still have Contax 250-backs, the Olympus cassettes are less than a third of the price of Contax ones!

I have also added, just for information, a piccie of that amazing SLR - the Konica Autorex - which at the flick of a switch can change from 35mm full frame to 35mm half-frame.

 

[Jan Steinman]

OK everyone, who remembers how in the good old days of 35mm film, we could get more than 36 images using a SLR?

Well, there were essentially two ways…

Three!

I loaded mine in the darkroom, thus saving the leader. I could get 39 exposures reliably that way, sometimes, 40!

there were only two 35mm SLRs which could do this, both made by Konica.

You're forgetting the Olympus PEN series.

 

[biggles3]

Hi Jan, well done on extending the number of frames through some judicious darkroom loading! The PEN F series was a very fine half-frame SLR system; I'm afraid I was being clumsy in my mention of the Konica Autorex (and later AutoReflex P) as I meant to say it (they) were the only SLR models which could switch between both formats. I' m grateful for your correction but I won't edit my post as it would then make your correction something of a non-sequitur. I enjoyed using the PEN FV but only wish I could have afforded more of the lenses - especially that elusive 20mm...