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BrianShaw
4-Nov-2006, 09:17
I just bought a new (to me) Anniversary Graphic and it came with a bunch of accessories, including a couple of pack film backs.

When did Kodak stop making 4x5 pack film? This packaging appears to pre-date my involvment in large format (1980 or so)... or was I simply unaware of a seemingly convenient film packaging?

And.. how did it work? There is a Plus-X Pack Film data sheet in the box and it seem like on put the pack into the back, put the back in the camera, puled the darkslide... then exposed, pulled a paper tab, etc. until all are gone. Then took the pack out of the back. Were they light-tight? How did the pack "flip" a new piece of film into the gate given the small package it appears to have been in? Was the film in pack films the same film as in sheet form?

Bill_1856
4-Nov-2006, 09:38
The film pack was one of the greatest features of large format cameras. You could shoot just one film and process it individually, or have 12/16 shots available almost as fast as using roll film. All this with a weight about like a single cut film holder. The only downside was that the film was on thinner roll-film stock, not as sturdy as regular sheet film. They became unavailable in the early '90s. Pity! In fact, a Damn Pity!

BrianShaw
4-Nov-2006, 09:50
Ahhh, now that you mention the thin film base I can imagine how these worked. The real pity (from my perspective) is that I was totally unaware of their existance for about a decade when I could have been using them!

Do you think there is any residual use for the backs... or are they just a curiousity that will gather dust on a shelf?

Michael Graves
4-Nov-2006, 10:32
Do you think there is any residual use for the backs... or are they just a curiousity that will gather dust on a shelf?

I like to leave one out on the coffee table just before company leaves. Then I say, "Don't forget your...your....whatever the heck that is, don't forget to take it with you."

They haven't yet.

BrianShaw
4-Nov-2006, 14:59
They haven't yet.

I get it. :(

glatiak
7-Nov-2006, 14:15
Film pack was wonderful stuff. Yes, 16 sheets in a package the size and weight of a film holder. The film was thinner and attached to numbered paper tabs -- pulling the tab after the exposure moved the film to the back of the pack. The tab was torn off, had a space for notations on it [always helpful]. The downside was that the negatives are a touch larger than regular sheet stock, so present additional challenges in keeping them flat for printing and filing. Also, crud could occasionally get into the box, resulting in heart-breaking linear scratches (when the film was pulled around). A spring in the box kept the stack of unexposed film pressed against the front stop -- so registration never seemed to be a problem.

JackG
7-Nov-2006, 14:32
I've seen film pack holders used as a quick and dirty ground glass holder.. Just tape in a piece of frosted glass of the appropriate size.....Pretty handy for a Graflex that doesn't have one on the back..Not so useful for a Graphic...There were film pack holders for a lot of the European cameras using one side holders. Not all of those turn up w/ ground glass panels.

Michael Daily
7-Nov-2006, 15:57
I have one in a box if you want to pay the shipping...
Michael

BrianShaw
7-Nov-2006, 18:19
I have one in a box if you want to pay the shipping...
Michael

Michael
please read your PMs.
Brian

BrianShaw
7-Nov-2006, 18:19
Thank you one and all for educating me!

Brian