ID'ing film holders

[Greg]

In the past I have numbered my sheet film holders with notched Vs and notched squares on the bottom lip of the bottom flap. Each side of the holder was all notched with a I or II. Now considering drilling small "micro" holes in the bottom lips of the flaps.

Was wondering how others ID'ed their film holders?

[Huub]

I numbered every side of my holders, going from 1 to 32 for the 16 holders i have. After taking a picture i make a small note of the date, the scene i shot, the number of the holderside i used, the exposure settings, filter use, and the way it should be developed. These scriblings make it easy enough to identify the holder i used after the negative was developed, also because i copy them on the contact sheet that stays with the negatives when i file them.

[Jim Jones]

I'm with Huub. Any of five narrow notches in the flap can be widened to give binary numbers up to 32.

[Drew Bedo]

Why not add a rounded notch to the mix? Theat would increase the optiolns by 50% Shouldn't be any harder than the other shapes.

After all these years of LF I'd think that some innovation in this direction would have taken place.

Another thought: Drill micro holes in the darkslide. Use the braille system.

[Leigh]

Drill micro holes in the darkslide. Use the braille system.
Holes in the darkslide?

That works well with holders sitting in the sun, even briefly.

- Leigh

[domaz]

I just put strips of thin white electrical tape on the folders and write on that tape as needed. The tape is cheap and doesn't leave a residue on plastic holders.

[Bob Salomon]

Linhof double sheet film holders and Linhof glass plate/sheet film holders were available with or without numbered friskits numbered from 1 to 12. The darkslides were also numbered to match the friskit. If higher numbering was wanted then files could cut a small notch next to the friskit holder. So it was easy to number as high as you wanted between the friskits and the number and shape of the additional notches. You just had to put the same notches on the darkslides so you always knew which side of which holder took which darkslide.

[Leigh]

What's a frisket? A fried biscuit?

Not very transparent.

- Leigh

[Bob Salomon]

What's a frisket? A fried biscuit?

Not very transparent.

- Leigh
A piece of transparent film with a name, a number, a description, etc. that you wanted printed onto a piece of film or paper as you expose it.

[Leigh]

A piece of transparent film with a name, a number, a description, etc. that you wanted printed onto a piece of film or paper as you expose it.
OK. So is this insertable/changeable by the user?

I've never encountered such a facility.

- Leigh

[Bob Salomon]

OK. So is this insertable/changeable by the user?

I've never encountered such a facility.

- Leigh

Not in the Linhof holders unless you have an unnumbered set and can make a set of numbers and can carefully glue them in place to expose the number on the edge of the film.
But you have long seen friskit info on prints. Just think back to all those old convention, banquet, class pictures from the late 19th century through the 1920s and 30s. That description on the bottom of the print was the result of a friskit.
In the USAF in the early 60s during the Cuban Crisis we put info on the prints with friskits on the bottom of the prints. Today most of that type of info is done with LEDs in the camera.

[Leigh]

Hi Bob,

Yes, I've certainly seen white legends on prints.
I always assumed they were done in the printing process, not when exposing the film.

An opaque legend over the film would result in a clear imprint on the negative, which would print dead black.
That appears to be the expected result with the Linhof friskets.

Thanks.

- Leigh

[Bob Salomon]

Hi Bob,

Yes, I've certainly seen white legends on prints.
I always assumed they were done in the printing process, not when exposing the film.

An opaque legend over the film would result in a clear imprint on the negative, which would print dead black.
That appears to be the expected result with the Linhof friskets.

Thanks.

- Leigh

You can put friskits on film or on the printing paper. Black type on clear base will result in white type on either a print or film.

[Leigh]

Black type on clear base will result in white type on either a print or film.
But black type on the film results in black type on the print.

- Leigh

[Bob Salomon]

The Linhof holders put the number on the edge of the film, it would show in a contact print but not in an enlargement. It was made to ID which side of which holder the shot was made on. Not to be descriptive in an enlargement.

[Bob Salomon]

But black type on the film results in black type on the print.

- Leigh

And black on the film is white on a print. Unless it is reversal film.

[Leigh]

The Linhof holders put the number on the edge of the film, it would show in a contact print but not in an enlargement. It was made to ID which side of which holder the shot was made on. Not to be descriptive in an enlargement.
Ah. Understand. Thanks.

- Leigh

[Doremus Scudder]

Greg,

I've notched all my film holders with small notches on the flap, as you have. I find it works well and is outside the image area, so I can use the entire image full-frame if desired.

I use a Roman numeral system: small half-round notch for I, a "v"-shaped notch for V, a small square notch for X a small rectangular notch with a small "tail" (upside-down L) for L and, finally, a larger dish-shaped notch (made with a larger half-round file) for C. Numbering up to 200 is no problem (I've got about 80 film holders, all numbered in sequence).

Example, holder 24 would be XXIV in Roman numerals, which translates to " |_| |_| U V " in notches (approximately... the square notches are smaller in reality, but you get the idea).

I don't think I'd risk drilling holes in the darkslide.

Best,

Doremus

[mpirie]

I have film holders which have 2 small transparent dials on them with digit's 0 to 9 on each film side, so you can number each exposure as the shadows are cast onto the film during exposure.

I think they are Lisco Elite II.....the ones with the darkslide lock.

Mike

[Ari]

I do pretty much what Doremus describes.
I bought a set of miniature files; the thin straight file is 1, "v" is 5, and half-circle is 10.
I never take notes, but if a problem arises, it saves a lot of time to know which holder was involved, that's why I notch my holders.

[Drew Bedo]

Yeah, I see that piercing the dark slide is not a practical idea. Notching the flap seems a cost effective alternative to the built in numbering dials.

[Mike Reyburn]

I cut "V" notches in the flap edge of each holder using the binary system as described in "Way Beyond Monochrome". This method requires fewer notches than other approaches. I am very happy with the results. The notches were cut using a small "V" shaped file.