how do you know if film is in the camera and it is working properly?

Question

i put film into my x700 minolta but i dont know if its working properly. do i look at the dial that shows the number of pictures taken or wat? please help

Answer 1

Ah, with the X-700, you're in luck. As you advance the film, you should see the film rewind crank on the left side of the camera spin at the same time...this will confirm if the film lead was successfully attached. If that thing does not spin, the film lead did not catch...so it would be okay to open the camera back and try the load again.
As for the dial that shows the number of pictures...it usually takes several cranks before the first number registers, so don't expect it to show a number right away. You need to advance and 'waste' several inches of the roll because this portion of the film is contaminated by light anyway. A lot of photographers will even waste shot #1 just to be safe.
Also, be sure to set the ISO/ASA dial to match your film speed.
The X700 was my first camera in high school!...I loved it.

Answer 2

It's actually an extremely common mistake for users of a manual advance camera to misload the film. I did it a few times myself before I worked out a reliable way of loading.

Here's the technique that has served me well for several thousand rolls.

1. Open the back and drop the cannister in on the left side. Pull the leader across and tuck it into the takeup spool on the right side.

2. Fire the shutter, and advance the film once with the back still open. You should be able to see the film wrapping around the takeup spool the whole time you advancing the film. If the leader pops out of the takeup spool, which it will sometimes do, you need to tuck it back in and then advance the film again.

3. Close the back. Using the rewind crank, gently take up the slack in the cartridge by turning the crank in the direction indicated by the arrow on it.

4. Finally, fire the shutter and advance the film three times. You should see the rewind crank spinning around 3/4 of a turn or so every time.