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Sibben
31-Jan-2014, 00:22
My Norma has a rotating, or rather detachable back that can be oriented in different ways. This means I can have the DDS slide in under the ground glass from either left or right depending on how I attach the GG assembly. Or top or bottom for portraits. Bottom would be quite awkward. ;-)

I'm right handed so it feels easier to lift the back with my right hand and pull the dark slide with my left hand on the left side of the camera. Just wondering out of curiosity: what is most common?

IanG
31-Jan-2014, 01:22
By far the most common is slide in from the right (looking at the rear) lifting the focus frame with the left hand. That's how all cameras with fixed (non rotating) backs work, and also MF cameras, and RF backs for Large format, Polaroid cameras etc.

Ian

dave_whatever
31-Jan-2014, 01:34
I slide in from the right, as I'm right handed, but I will swap the back around and go from the left if the right hand side of the camera is in direct sun, just in case one of my holders has a dodgy lighttrap.

Sibben
31-Jan-2014, 03:39
Thanks for the replies. Right seems more obvious when I think about it. The MF cameras I've used do work that way.

Doremus Scudder
31-Jan-2014, 04:25
I slide in from the right, as I'm right handed, but I will swap the back around and go from the left if the right hand side of the camera is in direct sun, just in case one of my holders has a dodgy lighttrap.

+1
Keeping the darkslide light trap out of direct sun is a good reason to be flexible with filmholder insertion. I have inserted filmholders from the bottom on occasion when the camera was really high and often have my camera up against a building or canyon wall on the right side which prevents inserting the darkslide from the right.

Use whatever is easiest for you and most practical for the situation. Sure there is a "standard" or usual, but you are under no obligation to comply :)

Best,

Doremus

Sibben
31-Jan-2014, 07:35
+1
Use whatever is easiest for you and most practical for the situation. Sure there is a "standard" or usual, but you are under no obligation to comply :)


You're pointing to one of the things that really intrigues me with large format photography. It's so close to the simple physical process of light through a lens and onto a sensitive surface. Because of this there's plenty of leeway to do things your own way; to work with the process and your equipment. Yesterday when going over the individual parts of my monorail and giving it a shine here and a lube there it struck me. This is really an extremely well made and fabulously crafted shoe box camera. This Swiss made precision instrument is really scant more more than that. A box with a hole where the light gets in.

When using reflex cameras, or even more so, digital cameras, I feel I'm just a guest in someone else's perfectly controlled universe. I can load the film and release the shutter but much more than that and I'm breaking stuff. All the optical as well as the mechanical tolerances are so small and fragile I feel it can break at any time. The Norma invites me to be a part of it's process because it's both simple enough and transparent enough.

Forgive me if it sounds like I've been smoking crack or something. I'm just so moved by the beauty of this thing.

Alan Gales
31-Jan-2014, 08:55
Forgive me if it sounds like I've been smoking crack or something. I'm just so moved by the beauty of this thing.

We don't think you have been smoking crack. Maybe sniffing a little developer but that's ok! :cool:

Sibben
31-Jan-2014, 12:11
We don't think you have been smoking crack. Maybe sniffing a little developer but that's ok! :cool:

I'm on the tetenol and off the wagon.

Alan Gales
31-Jan-2014, 14:55
I'm on the tetenol and off the wagon.

;)

Leigh
31-Jan-2014, 16:00
What's a "DDS"?

- Leigh

Martin Dake
31-Jan-2014, 17:25
What's a "DDS"?

A Doctor of Dental Surgery?

Leigh
31-Jan-2014, 17:29
A Doctor of Dental Surgery?
That's what I thought. ;-)

- Leigh

Alan Gales
31-Jan-2014, 18:08
What's a "DDS"?

- Leigh

Damned dark slide?

Doremus Scudder
1-Feb-2014, 01:05
I'm sure you guys know the answers to your questions, but for those who dont... :)

Portrait and landscape orientation are standard vocabulary for vertical and horizontal orientation of the image rectangle... even though it's easy to make a horizontal portrait or a vertical landscape.

Those "other" English speakers, notably those in England, New Zealand and Australia, have the annoying habit of referring to things by other names than we North Americans... in this case the common double-sided film holder is known as a "double-dark slide," or "DDS" for short. I have no idea what they call the dark slide.

Although, Leigh, the concept of "Left or Right Doctor of Dental Surgery Insertion" conjures up a lot of strange images in my imagination...

Best,

Doremus

Leigh
1-Feb-2014, 06:19
Although, Leigh, the concept of "Left or Right Doctor of Dental Surgery Insertion" conjures up a lot of strange images in my imagination...
Hi Doremus,

I believe its quite common to make a horizontal portrait of a group of people, and a vertical shot of a gorge.

Some dentists are right-handed, and some are left-handed. ;-)

As for the suggested Double Dark Slide, those are of little use or value absent a film holder.

To answer the OP's question, you insert/remove one dark slide on the side of the film holder that has a slot on the side facing the lens.

- Leigh

Drew Bedo
2-Feb-2014, 12:33
If the film holder is put in from the LEFT side . . .won't the images be up-side-down . . .Oh wait; they are already upside down.

Sibben
2-Feb-2014, 12:51
Because the image is upside down on the ground glass the dark slide needs to be put the opposite way to compensate for this.

csxcnj
2-Feb-2014, 12:59
I'm left handed and sliding in from the right even seems most natural to me.

Leigh
2-Feb-2014, 14:47
If the film holder is put in from the LEFT side . . .won't the images be up-side-down . . .
Yes.

Left side is necessary when shooting transparencies, while right side is used for negative emulsions.

- Leigh

DennisD
2-Feb-2014, 15:07
Yes.

Left side is necessary when shooting transparencies, while right side is used for negative emulsions.

- Leigh

This is really disturbing... I've been doing just the opposite for the past 40 years !

Martin Dake
2-Feb-2014, 18:23
When I rotate my back for portrait orientation I use that 5x4 film from England instead of the usual 4x5 film I use.
Now should have the dark slide pointing up or down?

DennisD
2-Feb-2014, 19:09
When I rotate my back for portrait orientation I use that 5x4 film from England instead of the usual 4x5 film I use.
Now should have the dark slide pointing up or down?

Actually that's a most important question - especially if you have a fettish about the image appearing right side up or upside down with respect to the film notches !

winterclock
2-Feb-2014, 20:09
It depends on whether the shot is N+ or N-.

Sibben
3-Feb-2014, 00:22
If you get images that are upside down you have one last chance when scanning or printing to get it right again.

Leigh
3-Feb-2014, 02:33
But with transparencies you must hold the projector upside down.

- Leigh

Drew Bedo
3-Feb-2014, 08:54
Is all of this just the opposite way south of the equator, say, in Australia?

Leigh
3-Feb-2014, 09:02
Is all of this just the opposite way south of the equator, say, in Australia?
Images made Down Under are rightside up, but the people working with them are upside down.

- Leigh