Yet another problem with Readyloads...

[Mike Lopez]

Light leaks have long been documented and discussed with both old and new Kodak Readyload film holders. I have another problem I don't think I've seen discussed.

Has anyone had the left edge of a photograph "chopped off?" I have several negatives now where I've lost the left edge of the frame. It seems that my Readyload holder is not adequately covering the groud glass area, or the film sheets aren't making it all the way to the left edge of the pressure plate. I'm pretty meticulous when I'm photographing, so I'm reasonably sure I'm putting the film in the holder correctly. Any thoughts?

[Mike Lopez]

I use a Shen-Hao 4x5, for whatever that's worth.

[Angelo Micheletti]

Mike, I also have a Shen-Hao and use 100 TMax Readyloads in the Kodak holder and have had no problems. I also use Velvia and Provia Quickloads in the Kodak holder and they work fine too. I just make sure I take my time, ensure the film is all the way in and be doubly sure I have pressed the release fully (I did have problems at first in not doing so and pulling off the clip.)

[Bill Jefferson]

Mike,

Can you provide any details on the chopped left edge. I shoot readyloads myself.

[Brian Ellis]

I had one disaster with the old Readyloads out of the fifty or more times I used them, none at all with the new Readyloads. When I had my disaster I called Kodak and they were very nice not only in suggesting ways to prevent disasters in the future but they also gave me several free boxes of Readyloads even though the disaster was partially my fault. I'd suggest giving them a call, explain the problem, and see what they have to say. You may learn that the problem was operator error but if the problem really is defective Readyloads they most likely will at least give you free replacements. Sorry I don't have the phone number I called handy any more, you could start with the Kodak web page or possibly someone here can provide a number.

I actually haven't heard of problems with the new Readyloads. Light leaks aren't necessarily the fault of the system.

[andy bettles]

Mike, I'm not sure whether you are talking about a massive loss of image or just a few mm.Have you actually sat down and measured the width of your ground glass screen in relation to the readyload holder.Take your lens board off the camera with the readyload holder installed and visually check to see how much of the actual available image size it is giving you ,I think you might be surprised. I stopped using these things when I measured a film darkslide against a 545 polaroid back against a kodak readyload holder,the readyload holder cropped off so much of the image It seemed to negate the convenience of losing the film/darkslide combination. Also while you are there check to see if the amount of crop is centered or biased toward one side,this might be an explanation of your one sided edge crop. Andy.

[Mike Lopez]

Thanks for all the input. Andy, I will follow your check procedure tonight. That sounds like a good check to make.

Bill (and Andy), the chopped-off portion is only a few millimeters. On Thanksgiving Day I photographed a building front and on the negative the side of a window on the left side of the frame is gone. I know it was visible on the ground glass, as I took several minutes working on the composition. I can go back and do it again while allowing more margin on that side of the frame, but I would like it if I didn't have to in the future.

[Jeffrey Scott]

Personally I prefer to have a little extra room all around my images so that I don't run into any such problems. Just putting the negative in my Omega negative carrier can cover a tiny bit of the image area.

[Scott Walton]

Whenever I need to shoot Readyloads, I have found that when you put the darkslide back down, I push the release button on the Kodak Holder and it slides in alot easier with no light leaks. About the left edge thing... have you looked in your ground glass cut outs (the corners) for vignetting or full lens coverage with the particular lens your using? If you look in the corners, typically, if you don't see light or see a blocked edge, you will get vignetting.