Mido Holders?

[Dick Deimel]

Anybody know anything about Mido holders? I have heard that they are a type of m agazine holder, that there were problems with them, and they are no longer being manufactured. Is any or all of this true?

[Wayne]

There were at least two types of Mido holders. None are made anymore, but they can be found used. The type I have consists of a plastic holder about the size of a normal holder, with numerous individual, thin, and flexible film holders that hold 2 sheets each. The flexible holders are inserted in the plastic part, which in turn is inserted in the camera. The weight and space savings are considerable. I can carry 26 loaded sheets (13 flexible holders) and the plastic holder in a tupperware container less than 2 inches high.

Nothing is without problems, but I have experienced nothing out of the ordinary with mine. I'm sure someone will weigh in with complaints, as it seems most people either love em or hate em.

[Glenn Kroeger]

Dick:

The Mido I holders (I think that Dan, above, is talking about these) were designed like reloadable Fuji Quickload or Kodak Readyload holders and packets. There was a plastic holder that inserted into the camera, then loaded packets were inserted into the holder. The packets were difficult to load, and many people, including me, found it nearly impossible. The packets were also relatively susceptible to damage.

The Mido II system, which Wayne describes, also consisted of two parts. The film holders were made of metal and fiberglass sandwich and looked very much like skinny versions of a standard Fidelity or Riteway holder. Because they were so thin, they did not include a dark slide lock mechanism. To get these thin holders into the same film plane as a standard holder, they were first inserted into a clam- shell spacer, then the spacer and holder inserted into the camera. This system is essentially as easy to load as regular holders. The only reported problem was occasional light leaks around the clam- shell spacer.

Neither system is still in production.

[Wayne]

Just to clarify, the sytem I described (perhaps poorly) is the Mido I system. I wasnt even aware of the Mido II system that you describe until a few weeks ago when some were on ebay. They look to me like they dont afford much space savings at all.

The Midos I have can be a pain to load as Dan says, but are really not hard if you arent in a hurry. Its mandatory to take a deep breath, and relax, before loading them. If you do that they really arent hard. They seem to be able to sense tension and impatience though. What tends to happen is I get them all loaded except the final side of the final one, I'm weary of being trapped in a dark room, then I cant get that final corner in! Thats when the cursing begins, and another deep breath is required.

I still like them, and wish the 4x5's were still made. I've never used them in 8x10 and I suspect the Mido I's would be pretty hard to load in that size, unless you have big hands.

[Hisun Wong]

I have both original Mido and Mido II. Used them just once. I simply cannot get the hang of it. They have been sitting in storage for a long time. I am now using Fuji QuickChange, reloading the quickchange film holder with 8 sheets.

If anyone is interested, they are up for sale. I need to check how many I have and how much to sell. I am in Hong Kong, I will pay for the postage to anywhere in the world. E-mail me if you are interested.

Regards Hisun e-mail: hisun@mail.com