Marketing Question: 5x7 Film Holders

[Paul Droluk]

Any chance of a 5x7 Fotoman to go with the holders?

Absolutely. Fact of the matter a 57PS is already in design.

[Michael Kadillak]

I would not be terribly concerned about the time it takes Toyo to respond. I know all to well that these things take time.

What the heck is all of this whining about price? Cripes guys you act like we are all collectively getting screwed. Fact is that Toyo makes a hell of a good product and the price for quality is what it is. My 8x10 and 4x5 Toyo holders are engineering marvels and will last a very long time for me.

The way that I look at it is that until I have another comparable 5x7 or 8x10 sheet film holder in my hand to look at and use, I do with what I know. What I do not want to have happen is for folks to assume that they can save a buck by waiting for the cheaper alternative and it ends up adversely affecting the Toyo deal. Worse case scenario is that the price point that is anticipated is not realized or the holders never get manufactured for one reason or another. Tooling as we all know is a very expensive proposition.

If these Chinese holders are as good as they claim to be then they will rise to the top of the heap and I will be happy to acquire and use them. Until that time I am playing the cards I have in my hand and hope that others will look at the bigger picture and act accordingly.

Cheers!

[Oren Grad]

If nothing else, a Full Plate camera back with film holders could be a way for some of us to adapt this format to existing bellows camera systems (such as Arca Swiss and Sinar).

That's a terrific idea. Here's one more twist - make a prior arrangement with a US-based craftsman who could build reasonably-priced custom wooden adapters to match the back with the 8x10 camera of your choice. The combination of a back plus matched holders plus a ticket to a convenient way of adapting to your camera ought to sell a bunch of whole plate kits.

[Christopher Perez]

The Full Plate field camera I currently own weighs less than one of my 5x7 cameras, and weighs a lot less and is quite a bit smaller than an 8x10 Deardorff.

My current project is to build adapters for 5x7, Half Plate, and 4x5 to fit the Full Plate camera. I am hopeful that the all up weight of this combo system will still be significantly less than the 8x10 'dorff'n'stein and offer the format flexibility that my neurotic ego thinks is required to fully express ones "vision". Pretty pompous, I know. Still, four formats on one small light weight camera body is rather inviting.

If a modern Full Plate back and holders were conveniently available I would no doubt adapt it to the camera(s) I have already on-hand. As you point out, there are a few craftsmen who could help us adapt various formats to existing cameras.

... Here's one more twist - make a prior arrangement with a US-based craftsman who could build reasonably-priced custom wooden adapters to match the back with the 8x10 camera of your choice. The combination of a back plus matched holders plus a ticket to a convenient way of adapting to your camera ought to sell a bunch of whole plate kits.

[Capocheny]

I would not be terribly concerned about the time it takes Toyo to respond. I know all to well that these things take time.

What the heck is all of this whining about price? Cripes guys you act like we are all collectively getting screwed. Fact is that Toyo makes a hell of a good product and the price for quality is what it is. My 8x10 and 4x5 Toyo holders are engineering marvels and will last a very long time for me.

The way that I look at it is that until I have another comparable 5x7 or 8x10 sheet film holder in my hand to look at and use, I do with what I know. What I do not want to have happen is for folks to assume that they can save a buck by waiting for the cheaper alternative and it ends up adversely affecting the Toyo deal. Worse case scenario is that the price point that is anticipated is not realized or the holders never get manufactured for one reason or another. Tooling as we all know is a very expensive proposition.

If these Chinese holders are as good as they claim to be then they will rise to the top of the heap and I will be happy to acquire and use them. Until that time I am playing the cards I have in my hand and hope that others will look at the bigger picture and act accordingly.

Cheers!

Michael,

I'll second your comments...

Cheers

[Herb Cunningham]

If somebody has the data, it would be useful to know what the current list of folks who have expressed interest in Toyo adds up to.

That being a decently conservative number, Toyo and or Fotoman would be able to get into production.

I have a bunch of old 5x7 holders, but they are tired. I think I said I would buy 12 in the Toyo list.

I own a 6x17 Fotoman, it is solid.

[Michael Alpert]

Paul,

There are many people interested in 5x7 holders. The recent withdrawal of Fidelity/Lisco 5x7 holders from the market certainly is an opportunity for someone. There are terrific 5x7 field cameras available, good film in b&w, some film in color, and a format that looks increasingly attractive to many people. I love working in this format. My concern right now is that the lack of available film-holders will discourage people from shifting to 5x7, which will work against the future availability of film and everything else. Personally, I would like to purchase some more new film holders. It's the quality of the holder that matters to me, not which company brands them. Fotoman has gained a fine reputation. Having Fotoman branded film holders can only lead to greater recognition for your cameras.

[timbo10ca]

I think it would be great. Could you get the film companies to make 5x7 slide and IR film more available too?

[Ted Harris]

Regarding film,

Lots and lots of discussions in the archives here. To be brief, Fuji has made a totally irrational marketing decision NOT to sell 5x7 film in North America. No expalanation, that is just the way it is; nor are they intrested in honoring a bulk purchase made through one of their dealers ... we tried that too. Just a decision made at HQ which no one else understands. Kodak, OTOH, has stopped manufacturing all 5x7 transpaency film except TMY; they continue to manufacture a good range of transparency film in 13x18 at their Europen facilities.

[Ash]

As previously mentioned, my main concern when moving from 4x5 to 5x7 is availability of consumables.

I can use 4x5 easily, it's a popular format. I have a half plate camera with a reducing back, but if 5x7 holders were available at a fair price, then I'd buy a bunch to use instead, and have a nicer format to work on.

All other variables A-OK then I'd be interested in maybe 5 holders. Probably 10 or so if I had the cash and film was abundant in my freezer