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View Full Version : What film holders to look for?



BetterSense
31-Aug-2009, 10:11
I just got a 4x5 camera but I don't have any film holders, so I'm starting to keep an eye out online for mostly used film holders. Is there a difference in brand or is a film holder pretty much a film holder?

Richard K.
31-Aug-2009, 10:18
.....or is a film holder pretty much a film holder?

Yes. :)

As long as the dark slides and the taped ends are good and there's no cracks or light leaks...

memorris
31-Aug-2009, 10:52
In my experience, Toyo is the best brand. They hold the tolerances better than any other brand I have used.

Mike1234
31-Aug-2009, 11:38
I have TONS of 4x5 holders I can sell... various makes/models/vintage. Frankly, as long as you buy good ones it really doesn't matter much, IMHO, other than how much you pay. :)

PM if interested. Of course, APUG gets its share.

Diane Maher
31-Aug-2009, 11:39
Me too. Well, maybe not tons, but about a dozen.

Mike1234
31-Aug-2009, 11:42
I haven't counted but I'll bet I have well over a hundred scattered in storage. I'll sell for well under market value just to get some out of my way. The more you buy the cheaper they get.

Sal Santamaura
31-Aug-2009, 12:36
...PM if interested. Of course, APUG gets its share.Why? This forum is not affiliated with APUG.

Jim Rice
31-Aug-2009, 12:43
Do avoid the tiltalls like the plague.

Mike1234
31-Aug-2009, 12:54
Why? This forum is not affiliated with APUG.

Woops... been bouncing back and forth between forums. :o

Mike1234
31-Aug-2009, 12:55
Why don't more people opt for wooden holders? They don't suffer from dust attracting static electricity and they weigh far less.

Brian Ellis
31-Aug-2009, 13:05
Why don't more people opt for wooden holders? They don't suffer from dust attracting static electricity and they weigh far less.

I used to buy wood film holders, they were fun to clean up and restore and always looked nice and worked fine. Plus they were dirt cheap. I'm not so sure they weigh less though, my impression was they weighed more than the modern Lisco/Fidelity/Riteway plastic holders. I think some people avoid them because they're worried about warping. And their price advantage isn't as big a deal as it used to be since so many people are selling the modern ones at very low prices.

Mike1234
31-Aug-2009, 13:24
I have no 4x5 wooden holders to weigh but I just now weighed three 5x7 plastic Lisco Regal holders (30.5 ounces) and three 5x7 wooden Ansco holders (20.5 ounces). In this particular case the wooden ones weigh approximately 1/3 less than the plastic ones. If one were to carry a dozen of these 5x7 holders the weight difference would be 40 ounces or 2.5 pounds. That's enough of a difference for me. :)

Robert Hughes
1-Sep-2009, 13:22
AFAIK, my wooden ones and plastic ones are functionally alike.

I use wooden holders for my ASA 100 stock, and Riteways for Tri-X and HP-5. That way, I can tell at a glance which is which.

Lynn Jones
2-Sep-2009, 14:31
Why don't more people opt for wooden holders? They don't suffer from dust attracting static electricity and they weigh far less.

Wooden and metal film holders tend to warp over time and plastic film holders (especially 5x7 and 8x10) are slightly fexible and will conform to slight differences in cameras.

I've done depth testing on film holders and find Lisco, Fidelity, and Graflex to hold more accurately than other brands and besides they tend to be alot less expensive.

Lynn

Mike1234
2-Sep-2009, 14:42
I've had many dozens of wooden film holders from 4x5 up to 8x10 and not a single one of them were warped. Maybe I'm just lucky. :)

shadowleaves
2-Sep-2009, 15:19
TOYO is the best. Fidelity ones look quite cheap.

Mike1234
2-Sep-2009, 16:18
It just goes to show that packaging is more important than what's inside. I'm not going to pay a premium for film holders that look prettier than they need to. They just need to be calibrated and consistent.

Gordon Moat
4-Sep-2009, 12:17
I have picked up some Linhof branded film holders recently. One of them came from an ad without pictures, and is a bit unusual. It is branded Linhof, and has what seem to be film ejection levers. The construction of this one is very nice, though the bulk and weight are a bit more than the other film holders I own. So while I do like all these, I might actually avoid getting more of the ejector type, just because of the size.

My preference is still for Fuji Quickload and Kodak Readyload (while they last) holders. I have the more normal style holders mostly for back-up usage. The downside of the packet holders is the greater film expense, though as a commercial photographer my film expenses are not an issue.

Ciao!

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

Peter K
4-Sep-2009, 13:03
I have picked up some Linhof branded film holders recently. One of them came from an ad without pictures, and is a bit unusual. It is branded Linhof, and has what seem to be film ejection levers. The construction of this one is very nice, though the bulk and weight are a bit more than the other film holders I own. So while I do like all these, I might actually avoid getting more of the ejector type, just because of the size.
This holders where made for plates and cutfilm. With it's pressure plate they hold the film steady also at very long exposore times.

Peter