4x5 roll film adapter

[Bob Salomon]

Bob, are any concerns using these large 5" rollfilm backs/systems now, other than possibly aerial surveillance and/or mapping? I saw a video a few years ago of a Japanese photographer using a Technika with grafmatics for aerial documentary work. Interested to see.

Ah, here's one of the videos:

We sold and modified a bunch of the 5" Aero Technika vacuum roll backs to the National Archives that they used for copy stand work. Also sold and modified some for various studios and labs for copying and archiving.

Using it for sports is tricky as the shutter was not all that fast.

[IanG]

Of course there were cameras which took 5x4 images on 110 roll film, some of the cameras could use plate holders as well (unfortunately mine doesn#t). A few weeks ago I saw a 10x8 Thornton Patent Tourist camera with a 10x8 roll film back, probably extremely rare and made around 1887 by the Thornton Manufacturing Company before Pickard joined the company.

Ian

[Bob Salomon]

Of course there were cameras which took 5x4 images on 110 roll film, some of the cameras could use plate holders as well (unfortunately mine doesn#t). A few weeks ago I saw a 10x8 Thornton Patent Tourist camera with a 10x8 roll film back, probably extremely rare and made around 1887 by the Thornton Manufacturing Company before Pickard joined the company.

Ian

Ian, Kodak discontinued the early 110 film that you are referring to in 1929!

[IanG]

Ian, Kodak discontinued the early 110 film that you are referring to in 1929!

Some of us have the cameras

Ian

[Bob Salomon]

Some of us have the cameras

Ian

That's nice, there were other Kodak roll film cameras that also shot 45 or near to 45 on other roll films that are long discontinued. I even sold some in the 60s when some of them were still made. But this thread is about roll backs for 5" cameras. Not about antique roll film formats that have no relation to the original question.

[IanG]

That's nice, there were other Kodak roll film cameras that also shot 45 or near to 45 on other roll films that are long discontinued. I even sold some in the 60s when some of them were still made. But this thread is about roll backs for 5" cameras. Not about antique roll film formats that have no relation to the original question.

The reason larger roll film formats disappeared was poor film flatness, of course Linhof overcame that with a vacuum back. I guess one reason JE Thornton's 1887 10x8 roll film back never went into full production was this flatness issue, he went on to Patent his film pack system which was taken up and used by Kodak.

Ian

[jnantz]

Bob, are any concerns using these large 5" rollfilm backs/systems now, other than possibly aerial surveillance and/or mapping? I saw a video a few years ago of a Japanese photographer using a Technika with grafmatics for aerial documentary work. Interested to see.

Ah, here's one of the videos:

thanks for posting this daniel
just before steve grimes passed away
he and i were working on a sleeve to put
on my speed graphic so i could do aerial work and not have to
worry about down draft from helicopter blades and my bellows ..
i was undercut on the job ... and then within weeks i got news that steve
was fixing lenses and photography problems " upstairs ". he always loved
a good challenge and photographic system puzzle.
the guy in the video didn't have to worry about this, being in a plane, he
had it easy ! and thankfully in this video it didn't show him dropping film holders thousands of feet
while steve was working on figuring out a sleeve, i was trying to keep the butter off my fingers ...
i don't typically have butter fingers, and i would have hated to start with that condition hanging out of a helicopter door !

[europanorama]

linhof made a roll film vacuum back for one of their aero technika cameras. I don't know if it fitted on a normal technika camera but it looks like it might. It took 120mm roll film I believe and could shoot 150 exposures from a single roll in quick fire. Only problem was the huge battery pack it needed to power it. Not very portable. They had a feature on their website some while back about a current sports photographer who was using one to photograph ski racers.

linhoff vaccum backs for their aerotronicas 6x9 and 4x5. 70 and 126mm films used.
i have found a documentation of a german photographer mentioning riteway having a patent or filmholder which is working similarly like negaflat by beseler. maybe i am wrong but its pulling back the film to be flat.
shooting aerials with hasselblad and a12 was a big mess. it was only after i sold elx and 60mm when i have learnt by hasselblad that one must tape darkslide slit..... now i have a70 back and thinking about getting 200x.
there is a documentation by zeiss in their archive. from archive.org about filmflatness and contax 645. they have found a way to measure. can upload the file somewhere. also the riteway-link but not now.-busy

[europanorama]

There was a motorized 45 sheet film back. I think it was the Hawk. Never went anywhere though

there must be more informations and images on forums. we discussed it elsewhere or here.

[Jac@stafford.net]

He isn't using a roll back in this picture.

I'm appalled by an aerial photographer who leaned the camera on the vibrating aircraft body, and who also did not have a safety strap on the camera.