How badly do you want 5x7 holders?

[davidb]

This is ridiculous.

Can't these be found cheaper?

See this auction (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=170173345055&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=007)

[John Kasaian]

Is it a full moon tonight? 24 bids so far...??? And for Fidelitys no less!
Bizarre.

[Darren Kruger]

And I just sold three old wood holders for like $7 each.

[Robert A. Zeichner]

44 bids and the winner gets (6) 5x7 film holders for $870. Holy Cow! I better go insure mine.

[Jan Pedersen]

Now would be the the perfect time for Fotoman to announce the availability of their new 5x7 holders for 55$ each :cool:

[Sanjay Sen]

This is ridiculous.

Can't these be found cheaper?

See this auction (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=170173345055&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=007)

Sure, if you can live with wooden holders, the Shen-Hao ones are $66.95 a piece, from Badger Graphic (http://www.badgergraphic.com/store/cart.php?m=product_detail&p=2388). And these are new.

[Allen Rumme]

Yes, this is insane. Over the past several months folks with more money than ...... well, I'll let you fill in the blank. Anyway the price of 5x7 holders has skyrocketed, as if there will never ever be any made again. The Shen-Hao holders for $66.95 are too expensive and even if Fotoman offered 5x7 holders at $55, that is still too much. They simply are not worth that much money. It would be nice if someone with the money, knowledge, and desire would resurrect the Fidelity holder business. I'm not holding my breath, though.

[Ted Harris]

Allen, how can you say that $55 for holders is too expensive? When they were last available new they were $35-40 new and those had been made from even older parts. My point here is changing international financial markets and increases in raw materials. If you just figure in inflation and the cost of materials I'd bet that $55 of today's dollars is not much different than $40 of 2000 dollars.

[Allen Rumme]

Ted,

If you only need a half dozen holders, $55 might be ok. But if a person needs 20 holders, they are looking at more than $1000, a cost almost rivaling what a new 5x7 Shen-Hao camera costs. If a person were to need 40-50 holders, the cost is simply unrealistic. Something is out of whack when a reasonable number of holders cost more than the camera.

I agree that production costs are somewhat higher today, but I think a lot of this so-called inflation is what has been precipitated by the nonsense on ebay. It has not been all that long ago I was able to buy new-in-the-box 5x7 Fidelity holders on ebay for $35/pair, and good used holders for a bit less. The current feeding frenzy is just that, a frenzy, and it will most likely subside. Unfortunately, the opportunists of the world are never going to allow prices to recede to a reasonable level.

[Nick_3536]

I thought Fotoman already announced prices higher then the Shen holders.

You can find used holders for much less. The question is how much is your time worth? The time to find them. The time to test them. The time to fix any problems. I bought a bunch of older ones for less then 10 per this year. I also bought a hand full of new Shen. I wish the Shen were cheaper but the combination of new and old works for me.

[jetcode]

You know I was following that auction but that is truly insane. The Shen-Hao's are just fine at $67 each. I prefer plastic to wood but I'm not that fussy.

[jetcode]

I thought Fotoman already announced prices higher then the Shen holders.

You can find used holders for much less. The question is how much is your time worth? The time to find them. The time to test them. The time to fix any problems. I bought a bunch of older ones for less then 10 per this year. I also bought a hand full of new Shen. I wish the Shen were cheaper but the combination of new and old works for me.

$75 each is what was rumored around here

[Michael Kadillak]

You know I was following that auction but that is truly insane. The Shen-Hao's are just fine at $67 each. I prefer plastic to wood but I'm not that fussy.

Right now the market for 5x7 film holders is illiquid and in every market that exhibits these characteristics there is the potential high volatility in price that was demonstrated in the referenced auction. This market is attempting to illicit two outcomes given this condition. First is that it is trying to pry 5x7 holders from existing users and go through a re-distribution phase (ie. a quasi demand destruction event) and secondly, this event is telling the entrepreunerials that there is an opportunity in sequestering this demand by producing new 5x7 holders and that is happening as we speak. Unfortunately, we need to be a bit patient for the new product to hit the market and patience has never been a strong personal trait for artists.

Hang in there a bit longer and everything should be thumbs up. I expect that the new plastic holders will be as good if not better than the Lisco/Fidelity models that they are replacing and the increase in price is not surprising considering new tooling and increased raw materials pricing. I am still scratching my head as to why someone domestically did not find a way to acquire and continue production of Lisco/Fidelity as they would surely have a leg up on the competition but stranger things happen all the time.

Onward!

[Jim Noel]

I think I will hold on to the 100 I have until the price gets to $150 each. Then I will sell them along with a like number of 4x5 and half as many 8x10 and retire. Seriously,those prices are truly ridiculous. If I find any in my travels I will buy them up and offer them here or on APUG for more reasonable prices. I am not about to sell the ones I have at any price.

[Pete Watkins]

I've only got three old (two Kodak wooden & 1 Fidelity) 5x7 holders BUT good quality half plate holders are really cheap at the moment and the negs are not really that much smaller so that's the route I'm taking on a temporary basis. A good selection of half plate film is available over here.
Pete.

[George Hart]

I have the dubious distinction of having bought the last 12 Fidelity holders on sale in the UK (at least I think that they were!), from Linhof & Studio Ltd. They are not for sale, but given the above, maybe it would be silly not to think again…

[Scott Davis]

I've bought the Shen Haos. I'm fairly happy with them - I got a second batch and one of them (out of eight) is a hair too tight for the film to seat properly. I'm going to give Badger Graphic a call and get it swapped out. Otherwise, I'm pleased. I'd rather pay the $67 each for them and have new good holders that don't leak (and as another plus, the light traps are held on with screws, so when the felt wears out, you can open them up and replace it!). I'm willing to wait and see what folks say about the Fotoman holders, because I'm really getting itchy for their whole plate holders to come out. I bought a bunch of whole plate film in the last Ilford order, and it's cooling its heels in my film storage bin now. Having a pile of broken, incomplete film holders to scavenge parts off of is fine if you really want to go into the business of rehabbing film holders; otherwise they just take up lots of room and lots of time to sort the good from the bad, not to mention creating a non-performing inventory that you have cash invested in that you'll never get back.

[jetcode]

I've bought the Shen Haos. I'm fairly happy with them - I got a second batch and one of them (out of eight) is a hair too tight for the film to seat properly. I'm going to give Badger Graphic a call and get it swapped out. Otherwise, I'm pleased. I'd rather pay the $67 each for them and have new good holders that don't leak (and as another plus, the light traps are held on with screws, so when the felt wears out, you can open them up and replace it!). I'm willing to wait and see what folks say about the Fotoman holders, because I'm really getting itchy for their whole plate holders to come out. I bought a bunch of whole plate film in the last Ilford order, and it's cooling its heels in my film storage bin now. Having a pile of broken, incomplete film holders to scavenge parts off of is fine if you really want to go into the business of rehabbing film holders; otherwise they just take up lots of room and lots of time to sort the good from the bad, not to mention creating a non-performing inventory that you have cash invested in that you'll never get back.

Scott I have the same quality issues with the Shen-Hao. For the most part they work great but one or more have exhibited tight film insertion and one tight slide insertion.

The good news is Jeff says send them back for replacement.