The Lightest 810 Film Holder?

[Hugo Zhang]

We have just come out with the lightest 810 film holder for 810 backpackers. It has a weight of 435 grams and that is 110 grams less than our current 810 film holder. It costs an arm and leg: $380 each. Don't ask me how it possible to be so light. I asked them a few months ago and they wouldn't tell me. I am going to order two of them. They should go well with my 810 Alpinist convertible camera coming out in three months.

[Sal Santamaura]

How well sealed are the chambers that hold helium? Any estimate on how long before the gas leaks out? :D

[John Kasaian]

Balsa wood?

[Vaughn]

My Fidelity holders vary around 575 grams -- so about 5 US ounces less each. I'll carry 6 holders on the average, so just shy of two less pounds -- I could take a couple cans of beer without adding weight!

[Drew Wiley]

The ABS plastic of typical Fidelity, Lisco, and Toyo holders is quite a heavy material. But it's also tough and easy to thermoform in quantity. Old Hoffman machined aluminum holders were lighter but prone to condensation in cold weather because aluminum is a miserable thermal insulator. Mido used thin circuit board plastics; but his 8x10 holders are quite rare. Nowadays there are quite a few ways to lighten a holder. Even cherry wood combined with carbon fiber darkslides would do it. The posted picture looks like cherry; it's a wood that machines quite well if properly cured. But this would require individual holder machining and assembly, hence greater cost compared to thermoforming. Some Material Science grad at the University could probably come up with an extremely light holder 3d printed from back yard snail shells, but I don't think large format film accessories are high on their priority list at the moment.

[Willie]

How is the weight compared to Mido Cut film holders? They were pretty light weight.

[Drew Wiley]

Mido holders used a clamshell device to make up the extra thickness using the thin inner holders, so the biggest advantage was space saving since you needed only one clamshell for all your thin holders. I only have 4x5 Midos, but the weight ratio should be analogous. In this case, one clamshell and six holders would be about 2/3 the wt of ordinary ABS plastic holders like Lisco. There was a previous vinyl sleeve Mido system even lighter, but I don't think it was ever made in 8x10, and I didn't personally like it. The second version with the clamshell takes two sheets of film just like a regular holder. But you do have to be more careful in the field to avoid light leaks than with an ordinary holder.