I recently bought off ebay a Rittreck view with 4x5, 5x7,and 6.5x8.5 backs. I was a little worried about finding holders that would fit the 6.5x8.5 Rittreck whole plate back. Previous posts in this forum had led me to believe that the Chamonix whole plate holder would not fit, that it was "just a hair too wide."

Not so. I emailed Hugo Zhang, Chamonix's US rep, telling him I wanted to buy two of the whole plate holders anticipating I would have to plane them down .5mm on the outer edges to fit into the Rittreck back. Hugo instead kindly lent me one of his personal holders to examine. I measured that holder every way to Sunday. It is 197.6mm -- 7 13/16 inches -- wide. The distance from the end of the holder to the start of the rib is 9 13/16 inches. The T distance is .26 inches. The thickness is 23.75mm.

The camera arrived today at my office (an attempt was made to deliver on Saturday, but the office was closed). I knew EMS shipping was fast, but the package was only shipped out of Tokyo on Wednesday morning, December 30. I had the holder with me, anticipating delivery.

The Chamonix whole plate holder fit perfectly in the Rittreck whole plate back. I estimate clearance at 1/32 inch. The locking rib fit perfectly, as well. The holder is not too thick and slides easily under the glass. The entire negative area is exposed when the dark slide is pulled, with no cropping whatsoever.

BTW, I also emailed Ebony about the width their whole plate holders and received a prompt reply that they measure 199mm. Based on that measurement, I would have to conclude that either the Rittreck back or the Ebony holder would have to be planed about 1mm total for a fit.

I hope this information is helpful to anyone tossing around for holders for a Rittreck whole plate back, and perhaps also for owners of other whole plate cameras. Incidentally, if you are poking around Ebay and find something you want to buy offered by tokyophoto, don't hesitate, go for it. Besides helpful advice and fast shipping, he kindly added a lens board to the outfit when I explained that I live in Austin, Texas, which is a peculiar sort of backwater on the edge of the earth where "whole plate" means a flattish ceramic dish covered edge to edge with barbecued meat.

Finally, I note that the Rittreck whole plate back, unlike the 4x5 and 5x7 backs (which are metal), is made of lightweight wood. Planing the inner walls beneath the gg would be quite possible to accomodate an Ebony holder -- but the Chamonix holder is very light and quite well crafted. I only wish I could afford more right now. And my film worries were answered by MPEX, from whom I am buying the last 3 boxes they have on hand. Glazers in Seattle and Bigcameraworkshops.com in Ontario list the Ilford wp film as in stock.