1890's Cycle Poco No.3 in 5x7 - what film holders?

[Willie]

Have come into a nice, clean old Cycle Poco No.3 5x7 camera. Needs a ground glass so I will make one.

The normal Fidelity Deluxe film holders fit but are a bit small on the short side. This leaves room for movement and possible light leaks.

What older film holders should I be looking for?

Want to use film, not glass plates.

The lens looks good, works OK and the camera is very nice. Want to get it going and use it for some projects. Any help is appreciated.

[Jon Shiu]

I guess best to get a bunch of original Cycle Poco holders and film sheaths as suggested below.

Jon

[DrTang]

isn't that what some circuit cameras are based on? the camera part anyway

[Steven Tribe]

Orginal plate holders are available. They just need film sheaths!

They have a different light trap than modern plastic holders. Kodak Eastman made them after they "rounded up" the small companies in Rochester.

[seezee]

Orginal plate holders are available. They just need film sheaths!

They have a different light trap than modern plastic holders. Kodak Eastman made them after they "rounded up" the small companies in Rochester.

I have several of these plate holders from various manufacturers that I use with film sheaths — they work fine in my Wista 45DX, although depending on the design it can be a PITA to remove the negative after exposure. But as Jon Shiu pointed out, your T-distance may not be standard, so it's critical that you determine that. You can find the film sheaths on FleaBay or check the classifieds here or on APUG.

You could temporarily attach a shim or shims to one or both edges of your plastic holder to make it wide enough to fit snugly. Or permanently attach shims in the camera back to narrow the space. Heck, a strip of felt would probably do the trick.

Finding a purpose-made film holder for that camera strikes me as a unicorn hunt.

[Steven Tribe]

.............Finding a purpose-made film holder for that camera strikes me as a unicorn hunt.

Well, not quite that difficult!

[Nodda Duma]

I'm getting ready to coat some 5x7 dry plates for my 1890s plate camera. I can send you some if you'd like to try that out. Dry plates are appropriate for the era it was made.