How to Rewind Remove Film Reto 3d

Nathaniel Stephan

2022-10-12 2022-10-12 801 words 4 minutes

Step-by-step how to successfully rewind and remove the film from your Reto 3D. Don't expose your film by unloading it incorrectly.

Contents

This page will cover all of the steps needed to rewind and remove a roll of film from the Reto 3D. If you need help with loading film into the camera see this step-by-step guide on how to load film into the Reto 3D.

How to Rewind Film

Here are all the steps you need to follow to rewind and remove the film from your Reto 3D. For demonstration purposes, I am using a roll of film found in a used camera that was exposed.

Unlock the Reto 3D film take-up spool.

Press and hold down the take-up spool unlock button on the bottom of the camera. It is located next to the battery door and has a film rewind icon next to it. This is slightly different from most cameras as the button needs to be held down while rewinding the film. With most cameras, the button will lock in place until the film door is opened or the film is advanced.

Reto 3D Unlock Film Take-up Spool
Fold the lever out from the film rewind knob.

Fold the lever out on the film rewind knob. Take note of the direction the arrow points to.

Reto 3D Fold Out Rewind Knob
Wind the film back into the canister.

While holding the film take-up spool unlock button, rotate the lever clockwise to wind the film back into the 35mm canister. There will be a small amount of resistance as you wind the film. When the resistance changes, wind a couple more times and the film will be completely rewound into the canister.
Open the film door on the camera.

Push down on the film door lock on the side of the camera. This will cause the film door to pop open.

Reto 3D Open Film Back
Pull up on the film rewind knob.

Pulling up on the film rewind knob will raise the prongs used to rewind the film. Without doing this, you will not be able to remove the 35mm film canister.

Reto 3D Raise Film Rewind Knob
Remove the film canister from the Reto 3D.

Remove the 35mm film canister from the camera by tilting it up towards the top of the camera. Keep it away from direct sunlight, heat, and moisture.

Reto 3D Remove Film
Load another roll of film.

Now is the best time to load another roll of film into the camera. You can follow this step-by-step guide on how to load film into a Reto 3D.

If you don’t have another roll of film, you can just close the back of the camera.

Where to get your film developed?

There are 3 different ways you can get your film developed.

Develop the Film Yourself

The least expensive and most involved way to develop your film is to do it yourself at home. This is what I prefer to do.

You will need some inexpensive equipment and a way to scan your negatives or slides.

Developing film yourself is definitely worthwhile as long as you are consistently shooting film. If you are only going to occasionally shoot film, mailing it to a lab is going to be less expensive.

Mail Your Film to a Professional Lab

There are many photo labs that offer mail in developing and scanning services. What’s nice is that you’ll get your film scanned using a high-end scanner. This is a big time saver.

Another important aspect is that you’ll get your negatives or slides back from the lab. This will allow you to make prints in a darkroom or re-scan them in the future. Plus they act as a physical back-up.

Depending on the lab you choose, you can have the ability to select the machine that does the scanning and any profiles/corrections that get used.

You can also indicate if film has been pushed or pulled so that it can be processed correctly.

Here is a list of US photo labs that offer mail developing services. I have no affiliation with them and I have not used any of their services.

Find a Local Lab

A local lab is a good option as long as it is an independent professional photo lab. These are likely going to be limited to large cities.

The labs located in pharmacies or big box stores are the worst option as they no longer develop the film on location.

What happens is that the pharmacy or big box store will mail the film off to get developed by a third party. You will only receive digital copies of your images. You will not get your negatives or slides back.