Change magazine
Swap magazine is a term from photography or cinematography and describes a container for film material.
term
Camera manufacturers such as Hasselblad and Mamiya offer medium format cameras with interchangeable magazines. There were also models from Rollei and Zeiss Ikon for 35mm cameras, although they were not widely used. With medium format cameras, a roll film is wound into such a magazine .
If one considers the structure of a camera of the type mentioned above, then the camera consists of a lens , a camera housing and an interchangeable magazine. The magazine is thus an additional element only for the film. It ensures the flatness and the film transport . The closure of an interchangeable magazine against incidence of light is carried out by a slide or a roller blind.
Interchangeable magazines are also used for view cameras . There, a screen can be exchanged for sheet film cassettes , roll film magazines or digital backs.
In cinematography today only cameras are equipped with interchangeable magazines. They can only contain the film reels but also parts of the film transport .
What is an interchangeable magazine good for?
In 35mm photography, the film is usually located directly in the camera housing. Some of the reasons why this is not handled this way with medium format cameras are explained below. This is also the presentation of the advantages of a removable magazine.
Working with different films
The possibility of changing magazines allows the photographer to work with different types of film. He is therefore flexible in terms of film speed , for example , or if he would like a color image and a black and white image of a subject. Compared to 35mm photography, there is no need to rewind or change the film.
Working with the zone system
The zone system for the precise control of tonal values is likely to be the main reason for using interchangeable magazines for the majority of medium format photographers. This is the only way for the photographer to be able to choose the right exposure setting for every subject contrast and thus the magazine loaded with the right film.
A change magazine can be rotatable
For medium format cameras with a square recording format of 6 cm × 6 cm it is of no importance, since there is no landscape or portrait format here. However, for the non-square formats of 4.5 cm × 6 cm to 6 cm × 9 cm, it offers immense advantages if the magazine can be rotated, especially when working with a light shaft finder . Compared to a 35mm camera, a medium format camera weighs much more and is much more unwieldy due to its size. It makes work a lot easier for a photographer if he doesn't have to change the camera position, but only rotates the magazine to switch from landscape to portrait format. Examples of cameras with rotating magazines are the Mamiya RB67 / RZ67, Fuji GX680 , Rollei 6008 and Hy6 (with 6 cm × 4.5 cm magazines) as well as Linhof Technika.
Use of instant film
For various cameras, especially medium format cameras, but also small format cameras that were not designed for interchangeable magazines but had a removable camera back (e.g. the Nikon F2 ), there were interchangeable magazines for instant film that allowed the image effect to be assessed immediately.
Easier digital conversion
The possibility of removing the "film part" of a camera made it possible to subsequently develop digital backs for medium format cameras , which also allow older cameras to be used as digital cameras. In contrast, small format cameras usually have to be replaced as a whole with digital cameras. A retrofit option was or is only available with the Leica R8 / R9 and some older Nikon models (from Kodak). The synchronization of the camera shutter and digital back as well as the distance between the focal plane shutter (for cameras like the Hasselblad 2000 series) and the film plane cause problems with some models.
Disadvantages of interchangeable magazines
A disadvantage of interchangeable magazines is the additional weight. There are photographers who work with three or even more magazines, each weighing around 500 g. In addition, an additional camera housing offers better redundancy than a magazine for critical "shoots". The connection between the camera and the magazine requires more complex (and more precise) mechanics and electronics than with a fixed film compartment, which leads to higher costs and potential susceptibility to errors.