How often is it the film holders that screw you up?

[Lightbender]

it is easy to check your film holders with a caliper or by shooting a sequence on a flat wall.
Here are some other things to pay attention to:
is the film loaded correctly in the grooves?
Did the focus move when locking down the standards?
Did the focus move when inserting the film holder?
Is the film holder inserted completely?
Did you move anything when cocking/adjusting the shutter?
Does the focus shift (optically) when stopping down your lens?
Is the tripod sturdy and completely locked?
Are there vibrations during exposure even when locked down?
Is there subject movement? (trees are always moving even when they dont look it)

*it is probably hard to remember now what exactly happened.
Pay attention to these. Make notes of your exposures and which holders you use.

[Adamphotoman]

Mostly I Shoot flat art work for fine art reproduction. Now this is interesting. In the day I shot Provia 8X10 with lots of Strobe Power or tungsten balanced film and 4 - 800 watt Tota lights or Red heads and f 22 with a G Claron 305 mm and pola filters.

I soon learned to process the E-6 film in a Jobo ATL3 automated rig and look at the dry film Before I struck the set [on important jobs].

Invariably I had a sharp image or one that did not meet with expectations.

Why???

Either I inserted the 4X5 or 8X10 cut sheet holder into the GGSpring back too far and it rode up onto the stop or I miss focussed.

Now I shoot a 4X5 scan back. If it is out of focus I can fix it quickly. But Why is it out?

I have Zig align tools to align the front and back standards. The process can be difficult as the standards can fall into a detent and be slightly out of alignment. This Zig align process is quite accurate and exacting, if done correctly.

This is not as crucial with landscape or tabletop but it is still important.

I would think that to get the best results that every part of the process needs attention. I found that the digital Scan back and all the rest of it has made me a better technician. Although it is possible that a piece of gear is to blame, I now look at my technique first as it is usually the culprit.

G

[John Kasaian]

I had some unsharp negatives recently that I kinda thought were going to be sharp. My technique is anything but perfect, so there are a lot of possibilities, but I was wondering, how often has it been your film holders/relationship to the groundglass that has screwed you up? Have you ever chucked a holder after finding that it wasn't putting the film in the right plane? Do you distrust older or worn holders?

Just wondering...

Details!
Are the negs from these holders always out of focus? If not, then look for another skunk in the henhouse

[Uri A]

hey sully,

you dont mention which format you are shooting. i think on 4x5 it would be extremely unusual to have this problem (IMHO anyway), but in 8x10 i have definitely had negs which have been tack sharp everywhere i have focussed, and are softish in a couple of places at the extremes of the neg, in an assymetrical way that cannot be explained by any camera movements, but would appear to indicate film bowing.

let us know how your theory develops!

happy shooting,

uri

[Brian Ellis]

I'd put film holder problems well down on the list of reasons for photographs that don't look as sharp as you'd like. I used old wood holders a lot because I liked to buy them and fix them up as a little hobby. I don't recall ever having even very old ones that I could blame for unsharp photographs.

[Will S]

I lost two sheets just the other day to the film popping out of the holder! Will try letting it warm up from now on. It was incredibly humid and warm, but I just assumed I'd loaded the holder wrong. Thanks for the tip!

Will

In all the 4x5 Holders I've had, I've never had an "unsharp" neg due to a faulty holder in any use, Hot or cold. I too have Cut film holders from the begining of sheet film. They are still fine.
With 8x10 holders the bellows will heat up and when you pull the slide I've heard the film pop out. I know I loaded it properly because I have a method of checking the load.
I now put the holder in the camera and wait a couple of minutes. The heat warms the film through the slide and no more pops.
With 11x14 and my 14x17 I have always put a piece of double stick in the middle of the holder and I tap the film down on it with a piece of paper to avoid finger prints.

Have I mis-loaded the holder in the camera? Too many times in the begining when I was 14. But not in the last 42 years. Have I swung the back when loading the film? Yep But I see that happen and lock it down better.

[gbogatko]

On occasion, I've focused brilliantly only to discover that the GG had not settled into the graflok back correctly. Much muttering and re-focusing.