Editing 126 film (section)

=== Current availability and usage ===

[[Ferrania]] in [[Italy]] was the last factory producing 126 film. They marketed an [[Film speed|ISO 200]] color print film under their ''Solaris'' brand. The last scheduled production run took place in April 2007, but an unscheduled production run in late 2007 surprised industry observers and raised hopes that it had not actually been discontinued.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://frugalphotographer.store/cat126.php|title=126 Instamatic film in the Frugal Photographer catalog|website=frugalphotographer.com|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181005045530/http://frugalphotographer.store/cat126.php|archive-date=October 5, 2018|access-date=December 7, 2019}}</ref> Ferrania's subsequent [[bankruptcy]] meant that there was no longer any large-scale factory source for 126 film.

Some photographers reuse the plastic cartridge from outdated 126 films and reload them with fresh 35mm film. The process is not difficult, but it is not entirely practical since the process must be carried out in the dark, as the 35mm film must be removed from the cartridge. In addition, the two films have significantly different perforation schemes. 126 cameras have a film-advance mechanism that relies on one edge perforation per image, and 35mm camera film has eight perforations per image, on both edges of the film. The photographer must use the film-advance mechanism several times between images, and one edge of each image will have visible perforations.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.lomography.com/magazine/44732-recargando-tu-carrete-de-126-con-pelicula-de-35-mm |title=Reload Your Old 126 Films with Fresh 35mm Film |website=lomography |date=12 March 2011 |access-date=2 March 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://photothinking.com/2019-02-16-reloading-a-126-film-cartridge/ |title=Reloading a 126 Film Cartridge |author=Panagopoulos, Theo |website=Photo Thinking |date=February 16, 2019 |access-date=2 March 2023}}</ref> An adapter is available for photographers without access to 126 cartridges, but the adapter does not fit all cameras.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.camerhack.it/product/fakmatic-126-film-cartridge/ |title=Fakmatic |website=Camerhack |access-date=2 March 2023}}</ref>

Because it is [[35mm format|35&nbsp;mm wide]] and is developed in industry-standard [[C-41 process]] chemistry, processing of most 126 films is readily available, as long as the photofinisher knows that it is standard, 35&nbsp;mm-wide, C-41 film. Printing the photos can present problems, because modern film processing equipment often cannot handle the square format of 126 film. Some specialist photographic printers can correctly handle it. Standard flatbed scanners that have a light source for scanning film can be used to scan 126 [[Negative (photography)|negatives]], perhaps using a mask made with black paper.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.stockholmviews.com/diyphotogear/126_filmholder.html|title=diy 126 filmstrip holder for Canon 8600F flatbed scanner|website=www.stockholmviews.com|access-date=2019-12-08}}</ref> Note that older film may require uncommon film processing such as [[C-22 process|C-22]].