Hello all. I've been talking with a seller who says he has whole plate camera with bookform holders. I've seen what they are but I have no idea what the difference is between whole plate, half plate and regular 5x7.
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Hello all. I've been talking with a seller who says he has whole plate camera with bookform holders. I've seen what they are but I have no idea what the difference is between whole plate, half plate and regular 5x7.
Typically Whole Plate (aka Full Plate) is 6.5 x 8.5"
Half Plate is 4.75 x 6.5"
The bookform holders are different than the modern two sided holders we are used to using.
Additionally, for Whole Plate, there was not a uniform standard for the T distance. The distance from the flap end of the holder to the rib lock can also differ.
Lots of information on this site regarding the different holder standards.
Are you sure about that?Quote:
Originally Posted by karl french
Half of 8.5 is 4.25, not 4.75.
Conversely, twice 4.75 is 9.5, not 8.5.
- Leigh
Yes, I'm sure. There are some minor variations in the dimension of half plate, but the dimensions I listed are the most common. Just because it's Whole and Half doesn't mean the actual dimensions are 1 & 1/2. Just a naming convention.
The original (19th century) half-plate dimensions were 4.25 x 5.5".
For whatever its worth, I think the reason that neither of the half-plates are half of a whole-plate is to keep the proportions of the shape consistent.