Old (discontinued) Photoflex Changing Room

[spacegoose]

I bought a used changing room. I called Photoflex to get instructions and am told it's discontinued, the guy who picked up the line was not familiar with it (other than to know it was no longer made).

The room/bag comes in a circular heavy nylon flat bag with a group of interlinked metal rings - which appear to be the frame, once unfolded. They need to be installed and are not attached to the bag. I noticed there were at least 2 button snaps on the metal rings (which I assume will have corresponding snaps in the bag), and then also a small circular metal piece with a plastic ring that appears to be a little damaged, perhaps missing a "nib" of some sort... any idea what that's for, and how to assemble this thing?

I got it for $39.00 used, and can return it - it's supposed to be at least 15 years old according to Photoflex, and mine has seen some use, and has a distinctive (not very pleasant) odor - I'm not sure if that is normal for the strange material, or just the bag I received. Any idea if I can clean this, if so, how?

Thanks for any information.

sg

[Frank Petronio]

Coated Nylon seems to give off a fishy oder as it gets older, check out old raingear sometime... nothing short of a lemon juice and vinegar wash will help. The design may prohibit that.

I had one and hated it, the contraption inside never set up securely, the plastic bits break and the thing sags... a lot of Photoflex stuff was poorly made. So unload it and save up to get a Harrison Tent ($150 plus) or some alternative.

Calumet/Red Wing also sold something similar, I don't think they were much better.

[PBrooks]

The one you have may have been discontinued but they have been upgraded. The new ones fold just as flat and pop open instantly with no additional steps. Take a look at Freestyle. not sure how to clean it.

[lenser]

Return it and invest in a Harrison. I used a Photoflex for years and was always fighting for space and stability with only 4x5 holders. Larger was impossible. Since it is based on a ring system, the actual floor space is limited by the fact that the edges sort of curl up and that makes pushing items out to the edges impossible.

I got a used Harrison a few years ago (medium size) and can do even 8x10 with reasonable space, 4x5 is a breeze and you get to use all of the floor space as flat surface. The difference in set up is also huge. Allegedly, the Photoflex just pops out (always a struggle with mine and nightmare to collapse properly). Mine was a pain from the first to the last time I used it.

The Harrison takes a few minutes to set up, but is so much easier to actually use, that the cost in time and effort is way more than made up for in the lack of outright frustration. Unless you ae constantly shooting 8x10, the medium should be the right size for convenience.

Enjoy.

Tim

[Aahx]

Interesting, my photoflex I have had for years (since 93) and it has always worked fine, and never smelled. It pops right open, and is easy to collapse. I never had a problem with it (I only use 4x5 and smaller). I never looked elsewhere as mine has always worked. As lenser mentioned it can be a bit cramped though using 4x5. And I cannot imagine using it for anything larger. But I never had any real issues with mine.

[spacegoose]

Thanks for the info. Aahx: My Photoflex predates any that fold out automatically, the frame is a separate ring set contration and has to be assembled in the bag. Anyhow, I've decided to deal with it, the thing works, even for 8x10. It doesn't smell so bad when it's all folded up and in its case

Thanks again,
sg

[Jon Shiu]

Hi, there is a short "brace" piece that clips onto the two rings to hold them in the open position.

Jon

[Ron Bose]

Another vote for the Harrison, I have the middle one which I use to load 5x7 film holders and even unloading them and loading them into Jobo Expert 3006 tanks !