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Thread: Kodak film Packs - mystery film

  1. #1

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    Kodak film Packs - mystery film

    About two years ago, I bought what I thought was two used 4 x 5 film holders on EBAY. What I got was something of a puzzle. Both were wooden film packs made for Premo Cameras, and only one was 4 x 5. The other one seems to be for film that is approximately 3 1/2" x 5 3/4" in size. They both have a dark slide on one side and a metal back that you can open to insert a film pack. Both are labeled "Premo Film Pack Adapter". The 4 x 5 is imprinted on the side "For Premo Cameras" and the odd sized one is imprinted "3A Premo". Inside on the metal back is stamped "Manufactured for Eastman Kodak Co. Successor to Rochester Optical Co." along with various patent dates from 1903.

    I know all about the history of Kodak and Rochester, but I have to admit that I know absolutely nothing about these old type of holders or the film packs that go (or went) inside them. If anyone could shed a little light on these for me it would be appreciated.

    Now for what I thought was going to be the fun part. One of the two holders still had a film pack inside it with all the tabs sticking out (Kodak Super XX film). I know we've all seen the ads on EBAY for the occasional old Kodak folding camera that "still has film in it". Well, there is virtually no way that any film in those old cameras could survive without someone opening the camera back. However, my curiosity finally got the best of me, and I started thinking that maybe the film in the one holder had been exposed.

    So I read up on old Super XX film and decided to try to develop it. So here I am in my darkroom trying to open a holder and film pack that I have never seen the likes of before and only guessing at what I'm feeling trying to decide what is paper and what is film. I finally got everything apart and had what I thought were 10 sheets of film and started at it. Here I am trying to shuffle 10 sheets of film in a tray (and very thin film at that) at once wondering what might be on it. Could it be some press photographer's images of some dead president, or the burning of the Hindenberg, or even some lost negatives that Ansel himself took. Most likely, easter sunday photographs of Aunt Mabel down on the farm. Imagine my dissapointment when they came up blank - the film had not been exposed yet. Oh well, it was a fun couple of hours anyway.

    So now I have two film pack holders that I don't have any possible use for. Rather than putting them on EBAY and getting a dollar for them (not worth my time), I was wondering if any of you all out there are still really into this type of thing. The only cost for either or both of them is to reimburse me for the cost of shipping from California. I'll even through in the dissambled film pack as well. I don't really know exactly how it goes back together so that is something you will have to figure out. How is that for a deal.

  2. #2

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    Kodak film Packs - mystery film

    I can't believe that they quit making film packs. Imaging hitting the trail with several 18 sheet packs of Tri-X in your kit, weighing only a few ounces each. BRING BACK THE FILM PACK!!!!!
    Wilhelm (Sarasota)

  3. #3
    Donald Qualls's Avatar
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    Kodak film Packs - mystery film

    The 3A film is "postcard format". Many cameras that used it supported both roll film (122 size, 6 exposures) and, often with an accessory back on a camera originally sold with roll film capability only, plate holders, which in turn could be used with film sheaths and cut film. The same mount that took a plate holder would usually also accept a film pack adapter.

    Unfortunately, I'm not aware of any source for either 122 roll film (90 mm wide, paper backed, on spools similar to 120 only HUGE) or postcard format sheet film. Glass plates haven't been made in that size since long before they effectively vanished in the commoner 4x5 and 9x12 cm formats, and as suggested above, film packs haven't been made in any size, by any manufacturer (AFAIK) in about 25 years.

    Much as I like the idea of being able to rip of a dozen or more shots with one of my plate cameras in a matter of a minute or so (with Tri-X, you can actually shoot action with the wire frame finder on these!), I doubt we'll see film packs again, even though we can buy sheet film in almost any format we like. The stuff was super-thin, at least as flexible as modern 120, and required several operations to attach it to the backing paper (which ended in the tab you pulled to advance the sheet into the storage chamber in the back of the film pack), mount the film and backings into the pack, and ensure that the tabs were all correctly numbered and in the correct order. The film sizes weren't the same as sheet film, and I'm told, by those who've processed film pack film, that it was a significant pain to separate the film from the paper (had to be attached well enough to pull around a pretty tight 180 degree bend without jamming or coming loose).

    Yeah, "tabs sticking out" means those sheets haven't been pulled through yet -- after exposure, you'd pull the tab to advance that sheet into the back of the pack, then tear it off against a cutter bar provided in the adapter.
    If a contact print at arm's length is too small to see, you need a bigger camera. :D

  4. #4

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    Kodak film Packs - mystery film

    Donald, If they can make Polaroid type 55, they could make Film Packs.
    Wilhelm (Sarasota)

  5. #5

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    Kodak film Packs - mystery film

    I used 4x5 Kodak Tri-X filmpack from 1989 (when I learned about it from Norman McGrath) until 1992 or so when Kodak discontinued it. That was the end of filmpack, and I miss it. It was slightly more difficult to process- it was on 4-mil base like 120 film- but the convienience in the field outwieghed that (and the higher cost). Given the modern world, we'll never see filmpack revived. It is a shame though.

  6. #6

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    Kodak film Packs - mystery film

    Ditto to "bring back the film pack." I used them in the Navy, in the early sixties. Yes, they were light, fast, and had a loyal following, but they didn't exactly take over the world; they took a bit of getting used to. There was "robbing the film pack," or the art of taking out a few sheets and putting it back together. Then there was processing the film in the oversize, curved, Carr hangers - without loosing a few in the tank, or if you didn't like that, you could cut them down to 5" and process them in standard hangers. But yeah, once you got the hang of all that, man they were slick.

  7. #7
    Donald Qualls's Avatar
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    Kodak film Packs - mystery film

    Actually, Bill, the packaging of the 660 series and 80 series Polaroid pack films is, on the negative side, almost identical to the old film pack setup. Problem is, making film packs would probably cost about as much as making Polaroid packs (the chemicals and unsensitized print don't really add much to the price over the cost of assembly and the pack shell) -- though come to that, $1.50/exposure in 3x4 (for Type 665) isn't really all that horrible compared to Ready-Loads or Quickloads in 4x5.

    Say, maybe Polaroid could be persuaded to package only the negative side of T665 into pack shells with a stop to prevent pulling the negative all the way out (or just no second tab, except the second tab is what sets the next first tab, so they'd have to modify the internal layout some way). All it'd take is a firm committment from the LF community to buy a million packs or so... :P
    If a contact print at arm's length is too small to see, you need a bigger camera. :D

  8. #8

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    Kodak film Packs - mystery film

    My apologies, Donald, for a senior moment. When I said type 55 I was really thinking of the peel apart pack film. D'oh! I think that Polaroid has just recently discontinued it in 4x5 size.
    Wilhelm (Sarasota)

  9. #9

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    Kodak film Packs - mystery film

    I always developed my sheet film in trays, so the size variation of film packs didn't matter. Anyhow, it was easy to rob them since I was standing there at the counter in the dark.
    Wilhelm (Sarasota)

  10. #10

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    Kodak film Packs - mystery film

    I miss them too. used to process them in BTZS tubes, that was in '94, 95 . Still print the occasional neg using glass neg carrier.

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