Hi everyone! Could anyone tell me if I can use a 5x7 plate camera with sheet film and if so, what adjustments if any need to be made? Thanks in advance for any and all help! MC.
Hi everyone! Could anyone tell me if I can use a 5x7 plate camera with sheet film and if so, what adjustments if any need to be made? Thanks in advance for any and all help! MC.
The 10x8 I have was a plate camera originally, and I use film without any problem, but it may be beginners luck. Some people have told me to place the neg onto a piece of glass from a clipframe, and possibly use some kind of temporary adhesive to keep it from moving. Of course, you dont want adhesive anywhere near the emulsion side.
I'm looking to do the same thing with a 5x7 field camera that was apparently a half-plate, so I'll be interested in others' views to this.
Last edited by Ash; 12-Jul-2006 at 01:21.
Thanks for the info Ash! I should have the camera today and I'll give it a try. Thanks, Mike.
Most likely you can use any camera made for plates with the same size sheet film, if you have plate holders for it. You need to either find/purchase film sheaths (fit in place of a plate and hold a film sheet flat and in position) or fabricate something that does the same job (simple version, a piece of plate glass with post-it type spray adhesive to hold the film flat on the glass). Do be careful, however; 13x18 cm is very close in size to 5x7 (but not identical), and if the camera was made in Europe is a much more likely size for a plate camera than 5x7 inches. The 13x18 film is obtainable, in a limited number of emulsions -- slightly more limited than 5x7 -- in the US; in some parts of Europe, it's the other way around.
If a contact print at arm's length is too small to see, you need a bigger camera. :D
I use a 13x18cm plate camera with film. I stumbled across some sheet film adapters, both 13x18cm and 5x7". One of my three plate holders doesn't like the 5x7" adapters, they are just a little bit too small. The others work great with either size. I've shimmed the ground glass 0.3mm back to compensate for the thickness of the "lip" of the adapters.
I also use 18x24cm, 24x30cm and 30x40cm plate cameras. With the two largest I glue the film to glass plates using "Post-it glue", or (famously) jam.
jam?!
i take it you lick off the excess?
I had forgotten to bring the spray glue, but had remembered the 30x40cm camera and plate holder. A few small smears of blueberry jam (get rid of the seeds!) did the same job and has the added benefit of being water soluble. Next time I forget the glue, I think I'll try orange marmelade instead - it's even stickier!
See if you can borrow a 5X7 filmholder. In many instances they will fit right into a camera originally made for plates.
P.S. If you can't find one in your area, I will loan you one.
I have a 5x7 plate camera which I use with film. The plate emulsion plane is not the same as film plane, which means that focusing adjustment is required when working with film. The previous owner machined an aluminium frame which can be inserted in between of ground glass and camera body. The frame was designed to excatly compensate the film/plate plane difference. It works perfectly.
regards,
Jan
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