How many holders and film do you bring when shooting away from home ?

[Frank Petronio]

Yeah If I shoot 40 sheets in a day, even portraits, then someone else is paying for them. You guys must be swimming in tons of film to edit and print ;-p

I am curious what makes them better than other film holders? I've seen others make similar comments about the Toyos, but have never seen one myself.

They are basically the same design as Liscos and Fidelities but much better built with nicer quality plastic. Everything is smooth yet tight, and they feel more robust. Not that I have had many problems with the traditional holders (typically a cracked dark slide, dried out hinge, dirt) but the Toyos are simply "nicer".

[Roger Cole]

Twenty, forty, EIGHTY holders? Man, you guys have some serious arsenals indeed! Fully loaded for me is eight holders and if I shot that in a day, I'd be very happy. If I'm traveling I bring my extra film and a box for exposed sheets, along with a changing bag, and reload when I get back to the hotel, or tent if that's the case.

Well I think when it said away from home most of us are thinking about multiple day trips. I own 11 holders plus a Graphmatic. On an upcoming four day trip, staying at a secluded lake house, I'm taking the lot. 22 sheets of neg film plus the Ektachrome in the Grafmatic. No way can I shoot it all with the other things I have planned (I MIGHT be able to shoot it all if it was a photography-only trip) but this way I have the maximum selection. I will have TMY-2, Fomapan and maybe some Efke 100 black and white, Portra 160 color neg, and Ektachrome 100. Oh, plus some Fuji FP-100C but that's mainly for proofing for the Ektachrome shots, so I'm not really counting it. I will have the film for most situations I might encounter and I'll be unlikely to run out of one particular type (except maybe the Efke - I got it free, have never used it before, and wouldn't mind trying it but I'm not loading up a lot of holders with it. Maybe four sheets total.)

If I shot eight shots of 4x5 in a day I'd be flying too. But over four days - might as well have a selection.

I don't even own a changing bag/tent and don't really want one. I only load holders in the darkroom, table carefully wiped down, air cleaned going, wearing long sleeved vinyl dust-cleaned jacket even. Even so I occasionally get dust. That's why the Ektachrome goes in the Graphmatic - I hear they are more prone to dust, which makes sense to me, and the transparencies will be scanned where it's easily dealt with. All the negatives will be optically printed so that film is carefully loaded in carefully cleaned holders, as clean as I can make it.

[Frank Petronio]

That's a lot of different film, I could never decide what to use.

[Roger Cole]

That's a lot of different film, I could never decide what to use.

Mostly what I shoot is TMY-2, and at least half of it is that. I've been experimenting with some Foma because it's cheap and does have a nice look to it sometimes. When I shoot color sheet film it's Portra 160. (Honestly, because I got a good deal on it.)

All the rest is play around stuff - the Ektachrome and, if I take it, the Efke. The gentleman I bought the Graphmatic from threw in a partial box of Efke. Might as well try it out. But anything really good I see on the gg. will be shot on the films I KNOW and use all the time - meaning TMY-2 for black and white and the Potra 160 for color. Then, while I'm at it, I might expose some Foma or Efke or Ektachrome just for fun. I bought the Ektachrome before Ilfochrome was discontinued planing to get back into that, then it's sat in my freezer while I wondered whether to sell it or shoot it. But I finally decided to shoot it and scan the results.

[David A. Goldfarb]

Toyos seem to be made to tighter tolerances. The film doesn't move around, and the film rebate looks the same from one sheet to the next.

[Bill_1856]

I don't really need many sheets of film. For all the routine stuff I shoot roll film or digital. I only bring out the LF for something extraordinary (which means that it's often not used at all).

[Noah A]

When I travel it's usually for 2-3 weeks in a country halfway around the world. So in that case I'll usually carry ten holders in my camera backpack and another 5-10 in my checked baggage (they're unloaded, of course).

I carry a changing tent and usually around 300 sheets of 4x5 Portra 160. It's quite a treat when I stay in a hotel with a windowless bathroom that I can easily make light-tight. But often I need to use the changing tent. Sometimes the bathrooms in the cheap hotels I stay in aren't so nice ;(.

Often I shoot half-days, for instance I'll go out in the morning for the early light and then head back to the hotel before heading out to shoot again in the evening light. In that case I'll often just take the ten holders that easily fit in my camera pack. If I go out for an entire day or if I'm headed to some location that was difficult to get to, I'll bring more loaded holders in the outside compartment of my pack or in a small secondary bag.

So to answer your question, yes, I do bring extra film and re-load my holders during a trip. Every day in fact. Just don't forget a few extra empty boxes to put the exposed sheets in!

[Adrian Pybus]

Locally I just take 5-10 but if going on a longer trip I take all I have. Currently only 15 but it seems I should try the toyos ...

[BrianShaw]

So I am thinking of bringing films so I could load more if needed.

Anyone doing the same ? Advices ?

I estimate how many sheets I might shoot and load that many film holders. Then I often do as you suggest, and bring film and a changing bag too.

[BrianShaw]

Well I think when it said away from home most of us are thinking about multiple day trips. I own 11 holders plus a Graphmatic. On an upcoming four day trip, staying at a secluded lake house, I'm taking the lot.

Aren't you recently married? If I were you I'd take a lot less camera gear!