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I just bought a Vivitar E3800N. (My first camera ever). I put the film in, and tried to follow instructions, but am unable to push the Film advance lever all the way and click the shutter button so that I can bring the dial to "0" mark.

Please tell me if you need any additional information for this.

I found the following answer to this question: " In film cameras with film advance levers, what happens if I don't crank the lever all the way? "

It depends on the camera. Most 35mm film cameras (especially more "modern" ones :) do two things when you wind on - they advance the film roll by a frame and they reset the shutter curtains to the start position. My last 35mm film camera (a Praktica SLR) wouldn't allow the shutter button to be pressed unless I'd fully wound on. However, there was a button I could press while winding on to disengage the film-winding mechanism: this would result in the shutter being reset but the film left in place and could be used for double exposures.

Whrn this guy says "My last 35mm film camera (a Praktica SLR) wouldn't allow the shutter button to be pressed unless I'd fully wound on"

THis seems to be the exact same issue I am facing. But I cannot understand what he means by "unless I'd fully wound on". Can someone please explain to me how I can "fully wind on" my camera ?

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    By 'fully wound on' he means that the film advance lever wasn't actuated completely - something that it appears you are unable to do. Are you absolutely sure you loaded the film correctly? Oct 31, 2012 at 20:05
  • umm .. yes .. What do you mean by "actuated film lever"
    – Chani
    Oct 31, 2012 at 20:12
  • Rotated - the film lever doesn't rotate completely. Oct 31, 2012 at 20:14
  • @ElendilTheTall yes, thats what is happening here. The film lever doesnt rotate completely and the shutter button is locked .. what might be the issue .. this seems to be expected behavior for a particular case right ? When does this happen. What is the solution. Plus, I see "S.." in the small view which is supposed to show the position of the roll.
    – Chani
    Oct 31, 2012 at 20:17
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    Is the film definitely loaded correctly? If not it may be restricting the movement of the lever. Oct 31, 2012 at 22:00

1 Answer 1

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First option

You are simply at the end of the roll. Press the film release button and rewind the film.

If you can't do that, open the camera in the dark, remove the film, and rewind it manually. Maybe you can discern the problem in the dark. If you don't care about exposing the film, you can simply open the camera to inspect for a loading error.

Second option

Press the film release button that you press to wind the film. This should also allow you to cock the shutter. It's normal to wind up in your predicament at the end of the film. If it happens at some other time, you may have a loading error. Note that if you cock the shutter after pressing the film release button, the shutter will be cocked but the film will not be advanced. If you shoot a picture, you will get a double exposure with the previous shot.

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