Trying desperately to locate a film holder

**Downix** · 30-Dec-2006, 20:08

I have located an unidentified camera sporting a Seneca Uno shutter and Wollensak lens. I bought some 4x5 film holders, as the slot for the film holder is 4 1/4 x 5 1/2 in size, only to find that they don't fit. And neither do 3 1/4 x 4 1/4 holders. After some research, it looks like it is possible that this camera took glass plates. Can someone help me locate a set of holders for this camera / a source for these plates? I don't want to have to hack this beauty apart to add a standard back onto it unless I had to. An alternative would be if someone knew of an adaptor of some kind to enable me to use the 3 1/4 v 4 1/4 holders.

**John Kasaian** · 30-Dec-2006, 21:54

Downix,

Plate holders come up on ebay rather frequently. If you want an adapter made I'd suggest contacting Richard Ritter. OTOH you might have a camera that takes Graphic holders that have a locking groove instead of a ridge. If the back has a ridge on it to lock the holder in place rather than a groove to accept the ridge on the holder, thats probbaly the answer. Even those holders show up on ebay every once in awhile, or talk to Jim at Midwest or contact Equinox Photographic in Oregon--either place might have some in old ones about.

**Downix** · 30-Dec-2006, 22:10

No ridge. It has a pair of slide-clamps that look like they slide over the holder, but none of the holders I've found are *quite* narrow enough to slide down far enough into the camera body. Doesn't help that there is no ground glass to focus with either.

**John Kasaian** · 30-Dec-2006, 22:29

It sounds like it might be an old plate camera. Is the place where the holder goes covered by a hinged "door" rather than being slid under a spring back? You might try asking over at APUG. IIRC They have a plate camera sub forum

**Downix** · 31-Dec-2006, 06:47

Not quite a door, more like a slot which you slide the holder down into. And APUG?

**John Kasaian** · 1-Jan-2007, 00:28

www.apug.org

**Downix** · 2-Jan-2007, 04:29

thus far only determined that there was no set film size holder for this camera. It might be a custom film holder for a standard film, which means that either I need an absolute stroke of luck and locate a holder, or I'll need to do some surgery to the camera to allow an existing film holder to operate.