Matin FILM PICKER 35mm 135 Film Leader Retriever Extractor Puller Release

Bit of a fiddle at first but got the job done with no unnecessary fogging.

For the past few years I’ve been using a licked end of spent film to extract my film leaders - for some reason I seem to have completely lost the knack, which would only work 60% of the time anyway. Bought this and after a couple of initial fails and re-reading the instructions a number of times I can get it every time. It’s actually very satisfying so I’ve been blasting through the 60+ rolls in my fridge. Great quality gadget!

Better than the other brands I’ve used but still doesnt work on every film. Worth having though.

couple of £ but makes different to amateur photographer!

I watched YouTube videos to understand how to use the retriever and the concept is very simple. However I’ve tried in vain multiple times on several different film canisters and this just doesn’t work. I suspect that the thin extractor needs to be malleable to stop the film being damaged but this creates a problem as it’s subject to warping. Many of the YouTubers suggest that after some usage the retriever fails to work as it’s irreparably damaged. In my case it just failed to work from the get go. Very pricey for what it is and doesn’t work - a lemon.

This is a bit tricky to use but it does the job. I've not used one for years so maybe that is why I found it tricky! Be firm when you use it, but don't pull too hard or you may pull out too much film by accident and lose pictures (guilty of doing that at least once!)

I used it a couple of times on Kodak ECN-2 film. The first time it worked well, but on subsequent attempts, with the same film, which I was trying to switch to another camera, I had to try 2 or 3 times to extract the leader successfully. The trick was, once the device was ready to pull out the leader, to rotate the film canister's central core clockwise before pulling, to help it come out.It may be because the film is a little thicker and stiffer than normal C-41 film.It's still better than not being able to extract the leader, though.

I've tried this on several films that have been wound back into the cassette and it works perfectly.It's light and easy to carry with you in the field.It may be advisable to save keep a copy of the instructions somewhere, as the method of operation (which is easy and smooth once you know how to do it) will need to be remembered the next time you take it out of your camera bag.