Loading your SRT camera with a new roll of 35mm film is a breeze. However, if you are new to the camera, you should take a few minutes to familiarize yourself with the process in detail.
Get in the habit of never opening the back of the camera unless you are absolutely sure there is no film loaded inside. If you open the back while the film is out of the metal cassette, the film will be ruined. To check, lift the crank on the rewind knob. Carefully turn the crank clockwise. If the handle rotates freely, there is no film loaded in the chamber or the film has been safely rewound within its protective cartridge.
If the handle does not turn, there is film loaded in the camera. You will need to rewind the film to be able to open the back safely. Turn the camera upside down and press the clutch button. You will find the clutch located inside a small triangular shaped hole at the bottom. Press it down until it clicks and stays pressed. Return the camera to the vertical position, then rotate the film clockwise until the handle rotates freely.
Now you can open the back. Grasp the rewind knob and pull up in a slow, steady motion. As you pull the knob up, you will hear a metallic click and the back will pop open. Turn your back fully open. If there is an exposed cassette in the chamber, pull up on the same rewind knob and remove the cassette.
Take a new roll and pull the guide out of the cassette about five inches. Place the cassette on the left side of the chamber with the plastic nozzle facing down. Raise the rewind knob to allow the cassette to snap into place, then push in the knob to secure the film cassette.
Now take the film guide and drag it across the film platen to fit over the double sprockets. Insert the narrow part of the leader into the slots on the take-up spool.
Once the guide is hooked onto the spool, rotate the wind lever once, noting that the sprocket holes fit properly with the sprockets. If everything looks good, close the back, pressing on the left edge until you hear a click instead.
Now turn the shutter lever two more times. To advance the film, you will need to press the shutter button each time the lever reaches the end of its movement. At this point, look at the movie counter. It should aim for 1. Don’t be greedy. If you try to stretch the film without advancing the film the full two frames, you will probably find that the first image is blurred. So be sure to roll up the two full frames.
Although the SRT has a robust film transport, if the film does not fit on the take-up spool correctly, the film may slide freely. If this happens, the movie will not advance. In essence, you will end up taking all your exposures in one frame.
Obviously, Minolta realized that this could be a problem as they included a “Safe Charge” indicator on later SRT series models. Don’t worry if you own one of most SRTs that don’t have this feature. It is easy to check if the film is loaded correctly.
Use the same rewind trick described to check for film loaded. After closing the back and turning the wind lever twice, lift the crank off the film and carefully try to wind the film counterclockwise. (Do not press the clutch button) If you can move the crank more than half a turn, the film has probably slipped. Roll it back a few more turns, open the back and reload the film properly.
If the film appears to be loaded properly, look at the rewind knob as the film advances. If the film is moving through the camera, each time the shutter advances, the rewind knob will turn counterclockwise.
After you have taken all the photos on the roll, you must rewind it into the cassette before opening the back and removing the cassette. If you’ve been paying attention, you already know how. Press the clutch button, then carefully rewind the film using the rewind knob. You will feel the film when it is released from the take-up reel. Turn the knob a few more times until it turns freely. Now you can open the camera and remove the film for processing.