How many film holders (per format) do you own?

[Zach In Israel]

I was wondering, how many film holders do most people have for any given format? I currently have 12 4x5 holders, and a quickload holder for which I can't get film locally. I was thinking about getting a few more holders so I can turn a bunch of them into vacuum backs for astrophotography, that would put my total in the 20-30 range.

[Roman L. Ryzhiy]

Grafmatic is good for me.

[Walter Calahan]

This is a state secret. Homeland Security won't let me tell you.

[Mark Woods]

I have about 20 of each for 4x5, 5x7, & 8x10. I actually have about double in 4x5, but I don't have them prepped or in regular rotation with the others.

[ic-racer]

4x5 = 19
8x10 = 5
2x3 = 1

[Frank Petronio]

It's nice to have enough to load an entire box at once, plus some spares.

[anchored]

Have 24 4"x5" film backs... usually carry 10 on a shoot. Also own polaroid, QL, and 220-roll film backs, but they've never been used.

[Sanjay Sen]

4x5: 17 holders
5x7: 2 holders (exploring this format, with a reducing back)
8x10: 10 holders
5x12: 1 holder (pondering about this format)

[Eric Woodbury]

I got them when they were cheap and I got enough so I could go out for a week or two without reloads in the car. Hate that. I load them all HP5+, 45 and 57. 50 ea.

[Laurent]

I used to have 20 in 4/5, went back to 15 (mostly because I wanted to rationalize a bit, so I sold the Arca and Linhof ones to keep only Fidelity)

I plan to buy a few more just to have some spare.

I usually carry 5 on the field, and only use the whole lot when on vacation, to spend less time unsing the changing tent.

[Gene McCluney]

4x5 about 100
4x5 Grafmatics 6
5x7 about 125
8x10 about 60
Whole Plate 3
11x14 5

[BrianShaw]

about a dozen... maybe even a baker's dozen.

[Pat Kearns]

25 4x5 and 6 5x7

[Alan Rabe]

I have 10 4x5 fidelity that I load with B&W
and 8 4x5 Riteway that I load with Color usually transparency film.

[Nick_3536]

4x5 too many to count
5x7 about 20
8x10 about 15.
4x10 6

[jnantz]

25 or 30 regular 4x5 + 1 grafmatic
25 or so slotted (slr) 4x5, 5 bag mags
10 or so dry plate 4x5 + 1 dry plate bag mag

15 or 20 5x7, 10 5x7 dry plate
6 or 10 8x10, 5 8x0 dry plate

1 hand made 11x14 ( holds paper not film )

[Darren H]

No traditional film holders. Two Fuji Quickload Holders.

No hassle, no worry, no dust. And at the end of the day no unloading, cleaning and reloading. Trips are so much easier this way.

[David A. Goldfarb]

2x3: 4 Grafmatics and about 8 regular holders, 3 6x7 rollfilm holders

4x5: 8 Grafmatics, 2 Kinematics, 8 Toyo, 1 6x7, 1 6x9, 1 6x17 holder, 1 545 holder

5x7 (Graflex): 2 bag mags, 3 regular holders

8x10: Around 20 holders (and three Polaroid holders destined to become the filmpack holders of our day)

7x17: 3 holders

11x14: 4 plus one that needs repair

[Gordon Moat]

Two old double dark holders for 4x5, which I have never used. Only got them because they came with a camera I acquired.

One Fuji Quickload holder; one type IIII Kodak Readyload holder; two type III Kodak Readyload holders. I don't use the type III holders because they have the silvery pressure plate, while the type IIII has a black pressure plate. Since I am careful loading packets, I can use the type IIII Readyload as a back-up for the Quickload holder, and also that is true in reverse usage.

One Polaroid 405 holder; one Polaroid 550 holder; and one Linhof Super Rollex 56x72 rollfilm holder. While it would be nice to have another rollfilm holder, I really like the Linhofs more than other brands, and unfortunately they are not inexpensive. I only use colour Instant materials (either Fuji FP100C/FP100C45 or Polaroid 669/690), otherwise I would want another instant film holder for B/W materials.

Seriously, film holders take up more room in my kit than any other items. I usually only carry two lenses, one of which is folded up with the camera. Even the camera takes up less room than my film holders.

Ciao!

Gordon Moat Photography (http://www.gordonmoat.com)

[IanMazursky]

For 4x5 I have
25 dbl darks
1x Kodak Readyload holder
1x Polaroid 545 and 1x 545i
1x Old polaroid 405
1x Polaroid 550
1x Da Yi 6x12 back for 4x5
10x graphmatics that i havent used in a while & tons of septum's

5x7
10x dbl darks

12x20
1x dbl dark Korona and another one that missing 1 dark slide

[David Luttmann]

(18) 4x5

When I'm all growed up I might own some 5x7 or 8x10.

[Armin Seeholzer]

4x5 33 + 2 Grafmatic +2 Quickload Readyload

8x10 16

Cheers Armin

[Rafael Garcia]

24 4x5
21 5x7

[Ron Marshall]

4x5 six; 5x7 five. If I'll be shooting lots of 4x5 I take a changing tent; if hiking quickloads.

[Geert]

4x5 = 15 + 2 Grafmatics that get hardly used
8x10 = 8
7x17 = 2, but I'm in for 5 of those nice holders from Barry later this year

G

[Dan Fromm]

Hmm. These don't quite fit the question, but on the other hand, why not?

2x3: 4 Adapt-A-Roll 620, of which one needs a dark slide
1 Graflex-Subsea RH-8
1 Graflex "23" (knob wind, shell with pin rollers)

6x6: 1 Graflex/General Precision RH-12

[Zach In Israel]

No traditional film holders. Two Fuji Quickload Holders.

No hassle, no worry, no dust. And at the end of the day no unloading, cleaning and reloading. Trips are so much easier this way.

I have a readiload holder, the only problem is that no one imports the film into Israel, and ordering it from B&H or the like is just way to expensive for me.

[Paul Ewins]

18 regular grafmatics plus another 4 graflex versions
13 8x10 (mostly wooden)
plus a variety of half plate and 5x7 that have arrived with various cameras.

[Jiri Vasina]

Well, and I thought my

8 9×12cm,
5 4×5",
8 13×18cm
2 5×8"

were way too many... :D

[Deane Johnson]

In my day, I had (100) 4x5 (all Riteway) and (30) 8x10 holders. I wanted to load them at home in the darkroom and have enough for a 2 or 3 week trip without reloading. I always made two exposures of the same scene, one on each side of the holder.

Now, they're going to start showing up in the FS section when I get them photographed.

[Zach In Israel]

In my day, I had (100) 4x5 (all Riteway) and (30) 8x10 holders. I wanted to load them at home in the darkroom and have enough for a 2 or 3 week trip without reloading. I always made two exposures of the same scene, one on each side of the holder.

Now, they're going to start showing up in the FS section when I get them photographed.

I'm still looking for more, PM me when you are ready to sell, I may be willing to take a bunch of them at one go.

[Jim Fitzgerald]

Ok, my turn:

30 4x5
20 5x7
17 8x10
3 11x14
4 8x20

That about covers it I think. I don't intend on building any more cameras, so maybe more holders later.


Jim

[Aahx]

36 4x5 (Lisco and Riteway)
2 4x5 Grafmatic
1 545 Pol
1 405 modified Pol

[Dave Moeller]

24 4x5
5 5x7 (just starting out with this format)
15 8x10

[Vaughn]

Film Holders:
4x5 -- about 20 or so in very good condition, and another 6 or 8 I want to sell one of these days.
5x7 -- 4 or 5 in good shape, 6 to 8 in not so good shape
8x10 -- 18 to 20 functional (of which 15 have film ready to be developed from Yosemite)

Plate holders -- sub 4x5 to 8x10, various makes and models

[Darren H]

I have a readiload holder, the only problem is that no one imports the film into Israel, and ordering it from B&H or the like is just way to expensive for me.

Zach-

Yes Readyload and/or Quickload film is expensive. You might have to try eBay/ Hunts or one of the other sellers of short dated/out dated film.

I recently ordered 2 boxes of fresh Velvia 50 Quickloads and paid US $160 plus shipping. I also ordered 4 boxes of late 2007 Velvia 100F and got 4 boxes of Quickloads for $99.

Film is not like milk going bad really fast, if it is cold stored it will be ok after the date on the box. So I buy (from a reliable seller) outdated film for quanity photographing and fresh for critical quality photographing-but I have yet to see a big difference in fresh vs outdated.

Note- one thing I do tend to do is buy my film in bulk in the cooler months to last me through the hot Texas summer. I would prefer when it is shipped in that it not be too hot. My theory is that it then does not sit in a hot truck or warehouse all day.

Good luck!

[Gene McCluney]

Is this a contest? Do I win?

[Scott Squires]

4x10 - 12
8x10 - 24
7x17 - 6

[Stephen Willard]

I have far fewer then most, but I also bring my film changing tent in the field with me along with lots of unexposed film.

4 - 5x7
4 - 4x10
1 - Kodak 4x5 readyload film holder
1 - Polaroid 4x5 holder.