Will 7x11 Film Fit Into 7x17 Holders?

[Richard K.]

I have a Phillips 7x17 camera and I'm getting slightly less enamored with the format (never should have sold that 8x16!!) but I'll give it another fair go before making any iirreversible decisions. For now, I would like to use it to shoot 7x11 film (my new golden distraction) and I was wondering if the 7x11 sheet of film will fit, as far as width goes, unemcunbered into the 7x17 holder. I will put in a stop and over-lip to deal with the length and also mark the GG accordingly. Geeze that's long winded! I guess what I'm asking is: is the 7" side of a 7x11 sheet of film exactly the same width as the 7" side of 7x17 sheet of film? Thanks!

-Richard, in a shameless 180 deg turn-around is ready to complain about the heat in Toronto after months of grumbling about the cold and snow...

[Colin Graham]

Seems like you could make some centering pieces to keep the film in a consistent place. Here's an article about something similar using 12x16 paper with 14x17 holders. Sorry I can't help with the film size, but it seems like it would be the same dimension.

[Oren Grad]

Richard - I just zipped down to the darkroom to compare a 7x11 and a 7x17 negative, both HP5 Plus. The widths match exactly. Of course, there may be some variation across vendors in these non-standard sizes. But in general it should be a reasonable bet.

[Richard K.]

Hi Oren...thanks for doing that. I was hoping somebody would! I appreciate it very much. Which 7x11 camera do you have?

Now, will somebody sell me a box of 7x11 film?

-Richard

[Oren Grad]

Which 7x11 camera do you have?

Eastman No. 2, with vintage Eastman holders to match. A real beast - it weighs considerably more than your Phillips 7x17.

[wfwhitaker]

I may be asking the obvious, but if you're going to shoot 7x11 in a 7x17 just to give it a try, why not shoot 7x17 and cut the developed negative down to 11" long? That would also allow you to compose closer to the axis.

[scott_6029]

hmm, sorry you are becoming less enamored with the format...I really like it...but it can be 'wieldly' in some situations....

Best be would be to purchase less expensive 7x17 film (efke maybe?) (after all you will need something longer than 10" - - so 8 x10 won't work...and 7 x 11 is very hard to find if you can find it at all...).

Mark the ground glass for 11" and fire away? And if you do find a shot that you are enamored with out to 17" - wallah! Best of luck. I love my phillips and I don't think you could do much better in a 7 x 11 camera, if you can find one..

[Jim Galli]

ouch! You're killing me twisting my arm behind my back! Ok Ok, I'll trade the Eastman 7X11 and some holders for the Phillips.

[Mike Castles]

7x11 film is not that hard to locate, Ilford has cut it the last couple of times with the ULF cut. I would suggest if you want some to order it now, as they (Ilford) will not be cutting any extra. Even if you can not find any, it is a simple cut to a sheet of 11x14 of film and you have 2 sheets of 7x11.

As for cameras, I will let you know soon enough as Richard is building me a 8x10 with a 7x11 back (which will retire the 7x11 Eastman No. 2). It's a nice format. I do have to echo the thoughts of those above, though...to find out, I would just try cutting down some 7x17 to see if you like it.