Extra tape at film holder loading flap ends to prevent light leaks

[Sal Santamaura]

In his Chamonix/S&S 7x17 FS ad, Clyde Rogers mentioned that he places black photo tape at either end of film holders' loading flaps to avoid small leaks when handled in bright light. He quoted Sandy King as saying this is normal. With Clyde's permission, here is his photo of the (now sold) holders showing tape pieces affixed.



Please share whether you have problems with light leaking in that area of your holders. If so, which size/type holders are afflicted? In what orientation(s)? How do you cope with this? If you use the same approach that Roger does, have you noticed any change in focus as a result of the extra tape's thickness (which my research indicates is around 0.005 inch to 0.006 inch) pushing a holder's flap end further away from the lens?

Thanks in advance for posting your experiences.

[Daniel Stone]

you can correct this by affixing a piece of tape in the same position as on the film holders onto the side of the g/g frame that touches the camera body. This way your g/g and film plane will be in better alignment. .005 isn't a huge amount, and definitely within the range(probably even more than .005) of the film itself flexing due to expansion and contraction, relative humidity, etc...

Personally, I DO NOT use any extra tape on my holders. Not to knock someone's design in a public setting, I'd personally question the light trap design as a whole if told "this is normal" for it to leak light. I keep my 8x10 and 4x5 holders in individual black bags(and inside a holder bag), and I've not had any light leaks, unless through simple carelessness. I don't shoot in bright sun most of the time, since using transparencies lends itself to more "quiet" light for my tastes.

-Dan

[jcoldslabs]

I've been shooting with well used older wooden 8x10 holders for a while now and had no light leaks with them at all, although I have not tested them for leaks in bright, direct sunlight.

Jonathan

[David A. Goldfarb]

I have to agree with Daniel Stone that the tape should not have to be lightproof, if the holder is designed properly. Even in my oldest wooden filmholders and converted plate holders, the tape is a cloth bookbinding material that can make no claims to being lightproof. The tape is only a hinge, and the light trap should be formed by the flap and the frame of the filmholder. I'll also say, since Sandy's name is mentioned, that I have a couple of S&S holders and haven't had any problems with them.

[E. von Hoegh]

I've never used the tape, and never had problems with lightleaks in my old wood 8x10 holders or my relatively new Riteway 4x5 holders.

[John Kasaian]

I've never had need of extra tape either. Those look to be pretty old holders (pre-Graflex) and may have issues. If it works, more power to 'em, but I wouldn't exactly call it "normal."

[E. von Hoegh]

Those holders are older than anything I use. Leaks may be "normal" for old beat up holders, or poorly designed holders.

[Jim Noel]

I use a variety of holders from 6x9 cm to 7x17". I have never had one leak at the flap except for two holders which were unpainted birch. a little black felt pen took care of those. The tape is there only to hold the flap to the holder. The light trap is a part of the holder and flap, the tape does not contribute to the effectiveness.

[Sal Santamaura]

...Even in my oldest wooden filmholders and converted plate holders, the tape is a cloth bookbinding material that can make no claims to being lightproof. The tape is only a hinge, and the light trap should be formed by the flap and the frame of the filmholder. I'll also say, since Sandy's name is mentioned, that I have a couple of S&S holders and haven't had any problems with them.

...Those look to be pretty old holders (pre-Graflex)...

Those holders are older than anything I use...

Perhaps I wasn't sufficiently clear in my original post. Clyde's photo shows two small, approximately square pieces of black tape at each end of the flaps, covering the "crack" where a flap meets the main holder frame. This is not about the hinging tape; it's extra tape mainly over two pieces of wood (although a small portion might cover some of the hinge tape).

To further clarify, those aren't old holders. They were made by S&S, so can't have been manufactured before that business was founded. I asked the question mainly to find out about visibility of focus plane shifting from the extra tape. I have experienced these small light leaks at exactly the locations Clyde tapes when holders are used (unprotected) in direct sunlight, with Lotus, Chamonix and even plastic Fidelity/Lisco/Toyo holders in sizes 4x5, 5x7, wholeplate, 8x10 and 11x14. All my holders were purchased brand new and, like the rest of my equipment, are extremely well cared for, i.e. indistinguishable from new. For me, the leaks happen only in vertical orientation. Even being relatively careless with secondary dark cloth protection, I've never suffered a leak on horizontal shots.

Sorry for not adequately communicating and thanks for your comments. I'll probably just try some tape and evaluate its efficacy at preventing these specific leaks as well as whether it's visibly detrimental to negative sharpness.

[Merg Ross]

Sal, I understand your post, as I have in the past taped my holders at that exact location. In fact, I taped about twenty of them when I was doing commercial work. However, they were older holders and it seems this is the weak point of the hinge and is not light tight. I have never totally trusted light traps to be 100% lightproof, although that is the theory. At the time, I used vinyl electrical tape, and there is no problem with focus.

Okay, I was addressing a different problem. Do you replace the tape each time after loading the holder? As I envision what you describe, the flap is taped closed. Right?