Numbering/Indexing Film Holders?

[mmerig]

The notching system will work for me, but I have one question before I go for it on 2-sided, 4 by 5 Riteway holders. Some people notch both lips of the flap (e.g., http://www.doerzmanphoto.com/film_holders.html) while some advise against this and say to only carve the notches on the inside lip (http://www.jbhphoto.com/articles/filmno/filmholder1.htm).

It seems to me that both lips can be notched without causing a light-leak, as long as they are not to deep (say 1/16 to 3/32 inch). Has anyone notched both lips, and did it work okay?

Thanks.

[C. D. Keth]

If you have holders where the rails that hold the film are metal, you can drill holes through that and make a code of it. I have some holders that were numbered like that.

If you file the flap, you really do need to file both lips. You can file at an angle, though, so the outer lip is filed a little less than the inner one. If you only do the inner one, wide lenses will leave a strong impression of the notches but long lenses will leave nothing or almost nothing.

[Leigh]

I use the number-imprint Riteway holders. For each holder, both sides imprint the same number.
I've not found a need to modify the holders in order to distinguish A and B sides.

I use one of two basic options to correlate the A and B sides with my notes:
1) Take distinctly different shots (composition, filtration, etc) and use my shooting notes to identify them.
2) Process all A sides separately from all B sides.
Send the A sides to the lab and hold the B sides back in case of processing or transportation problems.
Alternatively, send them in as two different orders and let the lab keep them separate.

I've found these methods to work very well over a large number of exposures.

- Leigh

[Jim Jones]

Steve's idea of using a binary numbering system is natural for us who worked on computers in the vacuum tube days. However, narrow and wide notches in the flap seems more logical than clipping the film. A sharp knife makes quick work of the task with wooden holders. A rotary tool may be faster with plastic. I'd use round and triangular files on Alkon holders.

[E. von Hoegh]

Do any of you know how to rig a 4x5 film holder to number or index the negative? (a la Leica's MD2(a) model with the insertable information tabs). Or the Arca-Swiss numbering holders? I thought I had read about similar Graflex holders somewhere; but I not found anything yet.

I bought several assorted 4x5 film holders a couple of years ago on ebay. One was an Arca-Swiss double sheet holder that has a transparent plastic tab on either side, with numbers 15 & 16 (Ithink). Their purpose is to facilitate your film management from exposure through archiving. The respective numbers are factory printed on the outsides of the holder. So you take your exposures (and Zone notes), then you can very efficiently separate the sheets for development (N, N+, or N-), and then keep track of the neg for filing and future use to match -up with your notes.

I can not find any other such Arca-Swiss holders on the web - new or used.

Do you have any suggestions on indexing/numbering?

ps: I generally shoot landscapes and some candids (w/ a 4x5 Graflex Spd. Graphic).

Thanks in advance for any illumination!

I file notches in the flap, a narrow notch = 1 and a wide notch = 5. You can notch both ends of the flap, and it does not intrude on the image. I then permanently number the holder near the slot for the darkslide.

[Doremus Scudder]

My holders are numbered clearly on the outside and have a Roman numeral system filed into the flaps. I use a small round file for "I," and V-shaped file for "V," a square notch for "X," a single, long slit for "L," and a larger, half-round notch for "C."

I notch through both "lips" of the flap.

I have holders notched this way from 1 to 100. That's enough for my needs between reloading.

The holder number and image information goes into my exposure record. The notches are helpful for identifying particular shots when taking many of the same setup (especially when you want to develop differently, or you have used different filters, etc.). The downside to the notch system, as mentioned above, is that they are not visible if they are in an area of no negative density. This has only been an issue for me once or twice though.

Best,

Doremus

[mmerig]

Thanks to all of you for the great advice.

Notching both of the flap lips will be a lot easier than doing just the inner one, and Christopher Keth confirmed my suspicion about the un-notched outer lip blocking the light from reaching the inner lip and the film.