Sorry, I didn't pay attention - 5x7, 13x18 12x16.5?

Hello,
I was fortunate to buy a complete Cambo SC 5x7 camera/outfit with filmholders, compendium, wideangle bellow, 4x5" reducing back, developing tanks and steelholders for 90 USD from an institution in Sweden who had decided to clean out their analog photo equipment.

The holders are 5x7" on the outside but apparently 12x16.5cm on the inside, so I guess I need film of that size if I want to use it...(BTW is this the same as halfplate?)
I then bought four 13x18 holders on ebay.de in belief that this was the same as 5x7"...bummer.

I should ofcourse have payed more attention to 5x7" discussions on this forum in the past, but I did not think I would go this way. After reading previous threads about 5x7" holders, film size and availability of film I am still not clear about which film to use etc.
I am now trying to find B&W film to get started with and intend to contact print.

Please, does anyone know where I can find 12x16.5cm and 13x18cm film, or should I go directly to 5x7"?

Nordiska Museet?

12x16.5 is half plate. Retro Photogaphic in the UK or Photoimpex in Germany are your best sources in the EU (I think they are sibling companies now anyway, so it comes down to stock and postage.)

13x18 B+W is available 'on the Continent'. German suppliers seem to be most clued up and efficient. Ole will probably chime in with his favourites :-)

Colour negative film in these formats is now hard-to-impossible to find. Some transparency film lingers on, but good luck finding local E6 processing at a price worth paying.

5x7 is a little more available in the US - and I order sheet film from B+H anyway - but you'll need new holders.

Patrik,

There's plenty of 13x18cm film to order in Germany. 5x7 is rather hard to find in stock.

if you intend to do contacts, I bet you will find yourself seeking for the bigger formats in no time :-)


Struan, I couldn't find the line where Patrik mentions color, but in case: E6 is not that hard to do yourself. I started with the process recently with great success.

Greetings,
G

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Geert

Struan, I couldn't find the line where Patrik mentions color, but in case: E6 is not that hard to do yourself. I started with the process recently with great success.

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Geert, I actually have a Jobo that would be suitable (I used to use it for C41 and RA4 MF/35mm) but I'm too lazy and too wed to the control that scan-and-inkjet gives me, and in any case our kids are too small for me to think in terms of a colour darkroom in the house. As Patrik found, several Swedish institutions that used to do a lot of LF darkroom work have recently dumped their gear, but thus far only in Stockholm, and I'm not interested enough to travel that far. When a Durst 138 with colour head falls into my lap I may condescend to use it :-)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Struan Gray

... and in any case our kids are too small for me to think in terms of a colour darkroom in the house.

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Keep the darkroom locked. I do. We have a daughter of 1.5 years old and even if she can't open doors yet, it's a good precaution.

I also have a JOBO but it's in our large darkrooms 40Km from home.

G

NordFoto has a good selection of 13x18cm film, including APX100, Ilford FP4+, HP5+ and Delta 100, as well as Kodak E100G and EPP. Their minimum order (at least for me, as I'm outside EU) is pretty high, but with the price of film I don't find it at all difficult to fill an order. :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Geert

Keep the darkroom locked. I do. We have a daughter of 1.5 years old and even if she can't open doors yet, it's a good precaution.

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I know, shame on me. The real problem isn't so much the space and the storage, as the setup and takedown time. I can work on spotting a scan for half an hour at a time, and if someone pukes all over their bedsheets it's no big deal to put the computer to sleep and start up again the next day. When I did do darkroom work I found I was dumping too much chemistry without using it.

To try and stay on-topic, 5x7 and the nearby sizes are the point where I would seriously consider a darkroom again. Anything below that and a hybrid route makes more sense - for me. I only use E6 for checking new gear for light leaks and basic ability to form images: a bit of hassle in getting the test roll developed actually helps quell my GAS.

Hello,
thanks for all replies!

Struan, I bought the equipment from Riksutställningar in Stockholm. I will keep my eyes open for other institutions selling out.

Geert and Ole, I will look into Retro Photographic, Photoimpex and Nordfoto to see what they have and what services they can offer.

If anyone should have some sheets 12x16.5cm for sale I am interested in buying. (send me a PM).

Patrik,

Foma offers it's Fomapan 100 in exactly that size - at least on the Czech version of their e-Shop. You could either try contacting your preferred supplier of Foma materials and ask them about availability.

Or if it's unavailable, we could try something to work out - they offer it here for something like €22 per 50 sheets (without postage) - I think there would be a way of ordering it here and me resending it to you ;) ...

Or you may contact Robert Vonk with his webshop at www.fotohuisrovo.nl - he may not list that size of Fomapan sheet film, but he is open to suggestions and very helpful. You can certainly ask him.

(he is a member of the APUG community at www.apug.org under the Fotohuis name, and a friend of mine with whom I have dealt in the past)