Linhof Sheet Film Holders

[Ron Bose]

Morning everyone,

Can anyone tell me about Linhof Sheet Film holders ?

I've heard that they are heavy, but hold the film very flat ????

Thanks,

[karl french]

They are heavy and thicker than Lisco/Fidelity style holders. Some say that the spring loaded film support area holds the film flatter, but I am not sure this is the case. I am under the impression that the spring loaded support was put there so that the holder can handle the thickness of glass plates or film. I have a set of 9x12cm Linhof holders I use with my technika. They are a bit harder to load than the Lisco/Fidelity holders, but much easier to unload. Also the darkslide handles can become loose to the point of falling off the darkslide. I also think I am having a film scratching problem with one of the holders. I now use the Lisco/Fidelity holders almost exclusivly. After having problematic holders, my advice is to buy new, or nearly new. You often see new in the box holders on Ebay.

good luck

karl

[Ole Tjugen]

Which Linhof Sheet film holders?

There are (or were) several different kinds: Some look a lot like all other holders, but are screwed together. Makes them very easy to repair if that should ever be necessary. They are also very, very good. Only slightly heavier than Lisco/Fidelity ones.

Then there are the "Universal" holders, which can take both plates and sheet film. These have a pressure plate to get tha same distance regardless of film (or glass) base thickness. They also have "Auswerfer", a lever to which ejects the film or plate. Also vey good, but heavier (and slightly thicker) than others.

Linhof also made metal single sheet/plate holders at one time, as just about everyone else did. These are also reputed to be very good, although I cannot vouch for that myself.

[Brian Ellis]

The usual Linhof sheet film holders I see for sale are the Universal ones that Ole describes. As Ole mentions, the purpose of the moving spring support area isn't to hold the film flatter than "normal" holders, its purpose is to allow the holder to be used with both plates and film since the two are different widths.

I used these holders for a while and didn't like them at all. First, they are more difficult to load than "normal" holders. Second, they are bigger. Third, they are heavier. Fourth, they're expensive. Since bigger and heavier aren't qualities I look for in things to carry in my back pack, I sold them after a year or so. I can't now remember exactly what the problem was in loading them but it had something to do with the way the "flap" at the base worked. I always assumed that the ejection lever Ole mentions was there to solve some problem encountered when removing plates because it didn't seem to serve any particular purpose with film.

[John Cook]

My only experience with Linhof holders was in 1967 when I entered Art Center College of Design in Los Angeles. All new students’ equipment was checked the first day, including measuring their film holders’ flatness with a machinist’s gauge. The technician doing the measuring had experienced unevenness in Linhof holders at that time and recommended Riteway holders for their accuracy. I have no information on current Linhof holders (if different from those).

The new Riteway holders have a wonderful system to automatically lock and release the slide, built-in negative numbering system and a nice big tab to easily grip with fat, arthritic fingers. Unfortunately this mechanism is not compatible with the back design of Linhof cameras.

[Capocheny]

Speaking of Linhof filmholders... check out the current price of 2 holders on Ebay. Incredible!!!!

I bought a bunch of them back a short while ago but didn't pay anywhere close to the price of the ones listed now.

But, I like them because they are well-built and seem to do a good job of keeping the film flat. I don't carry them out into the field though. So, weight doesn't matter much to me.

One man's opinion.

Cheers

[Bob Salomon]

"heck out the current price of 2 holders on Ebay. Incredible!!!!"

Currently, they are about the price they sold for when new before they went out of production. The numbers are on a film frisket that is glued into a small window at the bottom of the holder. To not use them it is better to remove them with a tweezer then to put tape in the holder.

They were available un-numbered or numbered from 1-2 to 11-12. So were the thicker Glass Plate/Sheet Film Holder with the moving plate and the ejector lever. These holder had neither.

[Ron Bose]

I was scanning the two on ebay, but quickly lost interest when the price went up that much.

I'd love to get a couple of them, just have to wait for the right opportunity ...

Thanks for all the responses !