How many film holders?

[Jody_S]

8x10 - 5
5x7 - 6
4x5 - 8

That's what fits in bags/cases

[Greg]

5 4x5 Toyo
6 Whole Plate Chamonix
4 8x10 Chamonix
6 8x10 Fidelity for pinhole camera
3 11x14 Chamonix
2 11x14 Fidelity for pinhole camera

Chamonix holders stored in individual OEM soft padded cases
4x5 Toyo holders in one padded case
Fidelity holders for pinhole the cameras stored in Pinhole camera cases

On any one day the majority of the holders are loaded with film. I now stick to shooting really only Ilford FP4 Plus, so do not need to ID the film inside the holders. When shooing other types of film, I place a piece of painter's masking tape over the tops of the holders with the film type printed on the tape with a Sharpie. Tape is always on the holder whether the film has ben exposed or not.

These days for most personal shoots to selected destinations usually expose about 4 sheets of film. Back in the 1970s when I was a student R.I.T. used to expose sometimes a dozen sheets of 8x10 Super XX on day trips to the New York Finger Lakes region.

[Drew Bedo]

How many?

Its up to you and how you shoot. When out and about I typically pack 5 film holders to keep the weight down and focus my selection of subjects. With five, I can load half a box of Velvia and keep the other ten sheets sealed in their internal foil packaging. It also helps me avoid confusing loose sheers of exposed and un exposed film separated.i

That's an adaptation to my own limitations.

Ten or more years ago I had forty or so holders, ten or so newer all plastic ones and the rest older holders with thei metal slide pull handle.

Given the opportunity to buy twelve never used, new-in-the-box (NOS) Fidelity holders I jumped on it. Then sold off the old holders to streamline my kit and open up the corner with the cardboard box full of old holders.

So now there are the five in my shooting bag and seven still boxed in a cupboard.

[Heroique]

I have only a few holders, four Fidelity Elites + four Riteways for my 4x5 Tachi.



I’ll carry just two holders on a non-scouted day hike, and all eight holders on a one or two-week car excursion into national forests. I usually don’t bother with changing tents. I store these holders in an Igloo “Little Playmate” cooler in the back trunk. A snug fit out of the heat.

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I’m also still using my Fuji QuickLoad holder since I often find frozen QuickLoad boxes and loose sheets on my local Craigslist. Most often it’s Fuji Tungsten-64 that’s still available, which I convert to daylight landscape film with my trusty Lee 85b filter. It’s a nice change of pace to leave my conventional holders at home, and worry less about dust.

[Havoc]

A multiple of 3 because 6 sheets is what goes into my Jobo 2509n. I mostly take 6 holder on a daytrip unless I'm sure there will be plenty of subjects.

[Bernice Loui]

Question of how many film holders brings up another list of absolutely related questions of:

~How are the film holders transported, what does the entire film related system weight? So often there is chat about the size-weight of the camera-lens-tripod_support, yet little discussion about film holders and their means of transport and ...

~What kind of film to bring-use.

~How to keep track of film holders that are exposed -vs- film holders with un-exposed film. This becomes significant as the number of film holders are used.

Now that the film has been cycled, how will the exposed film processed?


Bernice

[Havoc]

Question of how many film holders brings up another list of absolutely related questions of:

~How are the film holders transported, what does the entire film related system weight? So often there is chat about the size-weight of the camera-lens-tripod_support, yet little discussion about film holders and their means of transport and ...

- they go into the bag with the camera
- too much

~What kind of film to bring-use.

Depends on the light, but as there is almost nothing else then 100 iso, does it matters?

~How to keep track of film holders that are exposed -vs- film holders with un-exposed film. This becomes significant as the number of film holders are used.

In the photobag, white is unexposed, dark is exposed. At home, separate boxes for exposed, unexposed and empty holders.

Now that the film has been cycled, how will the exposed film processed?

In the Jobo according to datasheet.

[Greg]

Question of how many film holders brings up another list of absolutely related questions of:

~How are the film holders transported, what does the entire film related system weight? So often there is chat about the size-weight of the camera-lens-tripod_support, yet little discussion about film holders and their means of transport and ...

~What kind of film to bring-use.

~How to keep track of film holders that are exposed -vs- film holders with un-exposed film. This becomes significant as the number of film holders are used.

Now that the film has been cycled, how will the exposed film processed?


Bernice

Another opinion...

- When I was into ultralight backpacking and also carrying my 4x5 with me, every ounce counted. Lenses were slow, small, and light. Changed film at night in the tent versed having to haul along a bulky film changing bag. Downside was that I carried few loaded film holders for the day's shoot. Upside was that I carried few loaded film holders for the day's shoot. Now shoot mostly out of the back of my vehicle or to destinations a short hike away. Life and times change.

- Always just used one type of film. Made life a lot easier. Super-XX, then HP3, and finally FP4+. If mistakes are made in the processing, they were never as bad as if I were using several different types of film, especially if I were shooting both B&W and Color. Worst case was definitely when I processed some sheets of Chrome in B&W chemistry... boxes of exposed film feel the same in the dark.

- Holders have always been labeled with letter (film format), number (holder's number), and A and B (sides of the holder). Also kept a detailed list that was meticulously kept up to date.

[Alan Klein]

Question of how many film holders brings up another list of absolutely related questions of:

~How are the film holders transported, what does the entire film related system weight? So often there is chat about the size-weight of the camera-lens-tripod_support, yet little discussion about film holders and their means of transport and ...

~What kind of film to bring-use.

~How to keep track of film holders that are exposed -vs- film holders with un-exposed film. This becomes significant as the number of film holders are used.

Now that the film has been cycled, how will the exposed film processed?


Bernice

I started using these removable label "Dots" in 1/2" size although they come in different sizes and colors. They're handy to identify the film in the holder which I color code.
https://www.chromalabel.com/collecti...le-dots-labels

[ernie57]

Some good ideas here. I use white camera tape strips ripped in 1/2 and write on them with a Sharpie. I put each holder in a sandwich sized Ziplock sealed with a rubber band. They go into 1 gallon Ziplock bags. 5 (6 in a pinch) film holders fit well into a Lowepro Utility Bag, which then attach to the belt. Exposed holders go back into the Ziplock upside down with a small strip of tape across the top. Then the exposed holders go into the utility bag upside down. I don’t keep notes on each film in each holder. I usually only work with 1 emulsion at a time and I am usually shooting too quickly to do much else. That;s what assistants are for (when necessary)