Premo Film Pack Adapter

[Annie M.]

I have been given a wooden Premo 4x5 Film Pack Adapter loaded with Kodak Super-XX... photographic serendipity again... seems like once you have an old wooden camera anything old, photographic and wooden makes it's way to you... especially when you live on an island... stuff just goes round and round and ends up at the beach... anyway...

Questions...

Is this just a neat little thing you throw in the corner and eternally ignore? or Can it be adapted to some new/old use? also The film pack has a group of paper tongues starting at 7... does that mean there is something latent already in there sleeping? and finally How does this thing work?

Thanks

[goamules]

I doubt you'll find anyone who has used them, it's a 100 year old camera. No one makes film packs anymore either.

[Tin Can]

I don't know how they work, you need to experiment and let us know. Not much to lose as the pack is open. I had an APUG member give me a 3x4 Film Pack, sealed in the box. I do want to try it, perhaps under the eye of my X-Mas video camera. I buy a video camera about every 15 years...

Maybe we need to search YouTube.

[Kirk Gittings]

They make good wet plate collodion holders.

[StoneNYC]

Film pack, like a graflex pack?

NOT graphmatic but look similar?

I have one and a few packs, you pull the dark slide, take a picture, replace the dark slide, pull the tab, which pulls the front piece of film to the back, and you're ready to take the next shot. You throw the tab paper away after you pull it out.

A few pictures... Is this pack what you have?

105985

105988

This is the holder type I'm talking about.

105989

[Annie M.]

It is a holder... already loaded... (not a camera). I was most particularly interested in what mysteries were happening inside the holder... however, good to know it can be used for something I have so much stuff that is good for nothing... except gleefully hoarding... sheesh!!

[EdSawyer]

shoot the rest of the film and process it all. would be cool if there were some old images on there.

[StoneNYC]

It is a holder... already loaded... (not a camera). I was most particularly interested in what mysteries were happening inside the holder... however, good to know it can be used for something I have so much stuff that is good for nothing... except gleefully hoarding... sheesh!!

Yes looks like the same stuff, I just have a metal holder vs your really fancy wooden one (jealous).

Each tab wraps around and is the backing paper for the current / next sheet so you don't expose them all with the picture, so just pull the TOP tab after the first exposure, I would take the "original" ASA and go down in stops 1 stop for every 10 years (but no lower than 40 years, as that loss in speed seems to diminish in my experience)

Also, you CAN open them up in a dark bag and take the TOP (already exposed) sheets that are still inside and text them, in fact, take ONE exposure and then take out all the sheets, develop that top sheet and see how bad the exposure is, then develop the others as "normal" since they were probably shot properly at the time, and see what's inside, then you can get a feel on the exposure for the rest.

Let us know the results :)

[premortho]

When i was a newspaper photographer in the early thru mid 1950's, my secondary camera was a Premo Seniorette 3 1/4X4 1/4 filmpack camera. i used Ansco Superchrome film, about 110 speed, in it. The advantage of film packs is you could get off shots about as fast as a winding knob 35mm camera could. 12 exposures. They were numbered from one to 12. So, you have number 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12 exposures remaining. After you take #7, pull the 7 paper up to the tear here line. Carefully tear it off, using your other thumb to hold the paper in place. Doing this moves exposure from the front of the pack, around the bottom, and in the back of the filmpack. Obviously, if you let the paper rise above the tear here mark, that film will be light struck. This is a very fast system, once you get the technique down pat.
I have been given a wooden Premo 4x5 Film Pack Adapter loaded with Kodak Super-XX... photographic serendipity again... seems like once you have an old wooden camera anything old, photographic and wooden makes it's way to you... especially when you live on an island... stuff just goes round and round and ends up at the beach... anyway...

Questions...

Is this just a neat little thing you throw in the corner and eternally ignore? or Can it be adapted to some new/old use? also The film pack has a group of paper tongues starting at 7... does that mean there is something latent already in there sleeping? and finally How does this thing work?

Thanks

[Annie M.]

Hope I can get the technique down by shot 8!

Thanks for the instructive answers... very helpful !

[premortho]

There is no real trick to it, other than after exposing #7 being somewhat gentle, pull it straight out, and remember to use your other thumb to hold the paper when you tear it off. Super XX film was a fast panchromatic film. About 100-125 under the old ASA system. Now it would be rated 200 or so. One step slower than Tri-x. My brain slipped it's clutch when I told you the film I was using in my Premo. It was Ansco Super Plenachrome. A fabulous film. Orthochromatic and when used with a yellow 2X filter, gave beautiful tones.

[premortho]

I forgot to add that there is a strong likelyhood of their being six latent images in there. So, after you shoot the last six, take in the darkroom and develop one at a time, which will get the development down pat. The film speed has probably slowed down over the years. Maybe as slow as 50 by now. It all depends on how it was stored