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How to Rewind and Remove Film from the Nikon N90

     682 words  4 minutes 
Step-by-step how to successfully rewind and remove the film from your Nikon N90. Don't expose your film by unloading it incorrectly.

This page will cover the steps needed to rewind and remove a roll of 35mm film from the Nikon N90. If you need help with loading film into the camera see this step-by-step guide on how to load film into the Nikon N90.

The Nikon N90 needs to have four AA batteries to be able to rewind the film.

Time needed: 1 minute.

Here are the steps you need to follow to rewind and remove the film from your Nikon N90 before a roll of film is completely used. For demonstration purposes, I am using a roll of film that was left in a used camera and exposed.

  1. Press the film rewind and ISO buttons at the same time.

    The film rewind button and ISO button both have a red film rewind icon on them.
    You will hear the camera motor rewind the film after both buttons are pressed.

    Nikon N90 Film Rewind Buttons

  2. Wait for the film to rewind.

    The motor will run for ~15 seconds in order to completely rewind the film. Once the process is done, the LCD film counter will display an ‘E’.

  3. Open the film door.

    On the side of the camera, squeeze the two film door locks together to open the film door.

    Nikon N90 Open Film Door

  4. Remove the film canister from the Nikon N90.

    Remove the 35mm film canister from the camera. Tilt the bottom up and then pull it away from the camera.

    Nikon N90 Remove Film Canister

  5. Load another roll of film.

    Now is the best time to load another roll of film into the camera. Here is a step-by-step guide on how to load film into a Nikon N90.

    If you don’t have another roll of film, you can just close the back of the camera. For long-term storage, remove the batteries so they do not leak and corrode the battery contacts, which can ruin the camera.

There are 3 different ways you can get your film developed.

The least expensive and most involved way to develop your film is to do it yourself at home. This is what I prefer to do.

You will need some inexpensive equipment and a way to scan your negatives or slides.

Developing film yourself is definitely worthwhile as long as you are consistently shooting film. If you are only going to occasionally shoot film, mailing it to a lab is going to be less expensive.

There are many photo labs that offer mail in developing and scanning services. What’s nice is that you’ll get your film scanned using a high-end scanner. This is a big time saver.

Another important aspect is that you’ll get your negatives or slides back from the lab. This will allow you to make prints in a darkroom or re-scan them in the future. Plus they act as a physical back-up.

Depending on the lab you choose, you can have the ability to select the machine that does the scanning and any profiles/corrections that get used.

You can also indicate if film has been pushed or pulled so that it can be processed correctly.

Here is a list of US photo labs that offer mail developing services. I have no affiliation with them and I have not used any of their services.

A local lab is a good option as long as it is an independent professional photo lab. These are likely going to be limited to large cities.

The labs located in pharmacies or big box stores are the worst option as they no longer develop the film on location.

What happens is that the pharmacy or big box store will mail the film off to get developed by a third party. You will only receive digital copies of your images. You will not get your negatives or slides back.

Updated on 2022-10-25
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