There’s a particular kind of silence that descends the first time you try to load a Hasselblad A12 back. It’s the silence of someone who has just realised that the 35mm muscle memory of the last twenty years is now worthless, and that the roll of Portra they just spent £15 on is about to be sacrificed to the gods of learning.
This is a guide to loading a 120 roll into an A12 back without that happening. Or at least, happening less.
What you need
One Hasselblad body, one A12 back, one roll of 120 film (Portra 400 is forgiving, HP5 is cheap — take your pick), and ideally a clean, flat surface and decent light. The first few times, do this at home at a desk, not in a field with a stiff breeze and the light fading.
The steps that actually matter
Open the back. Pull out the film insert — it slides out completely. You’ll see two spool positions: the supply side (where the fresh roll goes) and the take-up side (where the empty spool from last time lives, waiting for duty).
Move the empty spool from the supply side to the take-up side. This is the bit I forgot the first three times. If you skip it, you will shortly be staring at a film leader with nowhere to go.
Common mistakes
The one I made most often: winding past the start arrow without realising. The A12 will happily let you do this, then refuse to lock the shutter, and you’ll spend ten minutes convinced the body is broken.
Video walkthrough
If you’d rather watch me do it (and, importantly, mess it up first), I’ve got a video on the channel that covers the whole process in real time.
Written while drinking coffee and muttering. Any mistakes are mine — but also, feel free to tell me on the channel if you spot one.