American cinematographer (Jan-Dec 1960)

PRODUCT REPORT FIG. 1 — Bell & Howell 16mm camera with Rapromatic Magazine altached. 1 is Rapraroll pro¬ cessing strip which winds with film on spool 2. FIG. 2 — R a p r o m a f i c4 00 portable processor opened to show how processing web strip A is combined with film B at point of sandwich at right. Simple system adaptable to most 16mm, 35mm, and 70mm cameras. Tt was inevitable, following success of the Land Polaroid camera, that ultimately a method for automatic 60second processing of film in motion picture cameras would evolve. Per¬ fecting a method of sandwiching the required processing chemicals between turns of the film was a relatively simple matter, and now Rapromatic. Inc., of Syosset, Long Island, N.Y.. offers equipment which permits proces¬ sing of 16mm, 35mm, or 70mm film in a camera as you shoot. The equip¬ ment consists of Raproroll, the film processing medium, and Rapromatic processors and processing film maga¬ zines. Rapromatic processing is an unique mechanical technique for applying a processing solution to the emulsion of a film by sandwiching the photo¬ graphic material with a paper wel) saturated with appropriate photo chem¬ icals. Lised in a magazine unit, negative film is developed and fixed as footage is shot. There are no dripping fiuids; the camera remains perfectly dry at all times. Raproroll is the paper web men¬ tioned above. It is a chemically pre¬ saturated paper material in roll form that fits neatly into the Rapromatic Magazine or Rapromatic-400 proces¬ sor. By a mechanical squeezing action at the point of sandwich formation with the film, it develops and fixes film on contact as footage is being shot. The quantity of the solution is accurately controlled by the thickness, composition, and wind tension of the paper web. The company’s Rapromatic Maga¬ zine converts any 16mm, 35mm or 70mm roll film motion picture camera into a processing laboratory. Or stand¬ ard camera magazines can be modified for the process by the addition of a spring-loaded roller. Additionally, there is the Rapro¬ matic-400 portable processor designed for field operation or where power or water is limited. Operable by motor or hand crank, it will develop film at the rate of 50 feet per minute. The equip¬ ment is pictured in Fig. 2. Here the processor is opened to show both its simplicity and the method by which the processing web strip is automatical¬ ly sandwiched with the film strip. Fig. 1 shows a Bell & Howell 16mm camera with Rapromatic Magazine at¬ tached. On the upper spindle is the Raproroll pre-saturated paper material that is sandwiched with the film as it is rolled up on the lower spindle, where it is taken up following its emergence from the camera. The existing process produces a de¬ veloped and fixed negative image from reversal film and is applicable to a wide range of emulsions. Current production Raprorolls, however, will process only DuPont 931 and Eastman Kodak Plus-X reversal films. Price per 112-ft. roll is S4.95 for 16mm, S8.45 for 35mm, and $13.95 for 70mm. The material is packaged in airtight, heatsealable envelopes for long shelf life. Tests on Raprorolls conducted by the manuacturer or under their super¬ vision produced the following results: Loiv Temperature: 20 hrs. at — 80° F, return to 68° F. Processing results normal. High Temperature: 18 hrs. at 180° F, return to 68° F. Processing results normal. Altitude (In special military pack) : 15 min. at 0.7 Ibs/sq in abs. Subse¬ quent processing results normal. Raproroll’s processing performance with the above-named reversal films is shown in the following table: Z zu. FILM PROCESSI TIME PROCESSI TEMP. ° SPEED INDEX BASE -1FOG MAX. DENSITY GAMMA *Plus X 33 sec. 70° ±5° 25 0.25 1 6 0.8 **Plus X 60 sec. 70° ±5° 25 0.35 2.2 1.0 '**Plus X 90 sec. 70° ±5° 25 0.4 2.9 1.3 *931 60 sec. 70° ±5° 64 0.3 1.8 0.6 **931 120 sec. 70° ±5° 100 0.35 2.1 0.9 Processing Formula: *Low Contrast **Medium Contrast ***Hjgh Contrast Continued on Page 570 PROCESS FILM AS YOU SHOOT 548 AMERICAN CINEMATOGRAPHER