Hello all,
This is my first post here. Ive used 4x5 for the last year and a half and often refer to the discussions that take place on this forum as they are a great resource of information. Now I have a question-
I purchased 6 used Riteway 4x5 film holders off ebay, all apparently in good shape. They are the older style that use a metal pull tab on the dark slide. The seller said they were used in a commercial studio.
I tested the holders to ensure they were light proof by numbering the holders and shooting pieces of paper with corresponding numbers, underexposing by two stops to enhance any leaks. They were all vertically positioned when I tested them. The film was T-max 400.
In about half the negatives I got back, the image is crooked on the film, or even runs off the edge, and it is the bottom of the scene that runs off the film. However, the misaligned images are not uniform, and exhibit varying degrees of crookedness. This indicates to me that the film is positioned too far towards the hinge of the holder. The film is always seated under the rails and not in the space for the dark slide.
I've not had this problem with the Toyo holders I was using previously. Does anyone have a technique to ensure proper film placement in the holder? Gently rapp the holder to settle the film away from the hinge? It seems like it would settle back down once I place the holder in the vertical orientation.
I've tried to be thorough in this explanation without being too long winded. Please let me know if there are any details I've omitted which might help solve the dilemma. Also apologies if thus topic has been discussed here in the past, I tried searching but didn't find much info. If so please point me in the direction of that thread. Thanks!
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