Arista.EDU Ultra notches

[jasonjoo]

I tried a search and couldn't find any concrete info, and being the noob that I am, I was hoping someone could dumbie down some information for me.

I received my Chamonix 4x5 yesterday and bought some Arista.EDU Ultra today at Freestyle. Btw, Jan's gallery there was quite the treat! Well worth the visit, though I was not expecting 6x6 roll film pt/pd prints! But I digress...

Can someone please explain to me how to load this sheet film into a Fidelity Elite holder? To my understanding, I need to load the film so that the emulsion side is up, and I determine this by feeling for the notches. However, I have no idea where the notches are located and what they indicate.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks,

Jason

[Vlad Soare]

Here's a good guide:
http://www.butzi.net/articles/filmload.htm

[jasonjoo]

Ooh thanks! I actually had that bookmarked and forgot all about it!

I'm going to assume something here, but we all know what that does! But... do b/w films have their notches on the top right corner? So as long as I feel these notches in the top right corner, that will indicate that that is the emulsion side facing upwards?

Jason

[Vlad Soare]

Yup. That's the idea. Notch(es) top right, emulsion side up.

[Scott Davis]

That's true of black-and-white OR color emulsions, negative or transparency. The notch goes in the upper right corner as you are holding the film, and then you slide the film into the holder so that the darkslide slot is facing you, and the loading flap is away from you. You will then end up with the notches in the lower left corner of the film holder when the holder is closed and turned upright.

Also, each film emulsion has its own notch code so that you can distinguish film types in the dark (say you shot both b/w and color on the same outing, or 100 and 400 speed film from the same manufacturer, and had to unload them at the same time).

[j.e.simmons]

I don't think that it's still true that each film has its own notch code. The films from Efke and Forte, and IIRC Foma, simply have a single notch that indicates emulsion side, not the film type.
juan

[Louie Powell]

Also, each film emulsion has its own notch code so that you can distinguish film types in the dark (say you shot both b/w and color on the same outing, or 100 and 400 speed film from the same manufacturer, and had to unload them at the same time).

This was more generally true in the past, and may still be the case with a few manufacturers (eg, Ilford), but I'm reasonably certain that it is not true for Efke, nor is it the case for films that are relabeled and sold as house-brand films (eg, Arista), or films that are cut down by the distributor.

[Scott Davis]

I'll have to check when I get home, but I'm pretty sure that my Arista 100 11x14 has a different notch code on the corner than my Arista 200 5x7 does. You may be right about the smaller manufacturers not distinguishing their products on a consistent basis - I haven't tried enough of them to be certain. I know this still holds true though for Ilford, Kodak and Fuji.

[ViewIIguy]

My arista 100 and 200 both just have a singular round notch at the top right corner. I keep them in the same 8x10 paper safe, and just notch the boxes. Easy enough except for when I neglect to mark my holders :'(

-Will

[jasonjoo]

Thanks everyone! I appreciate the help! Gonna give this a try tonight. I hope everything goes well