Cut film holders for 4x5 Compiled by Q.-Tuan Luong for largeformatphotography.info. Updated July 2004. Contents: • Formats • Classical double holders • Grafmatics • Preloaded systems - Quickloads and Readyloads • Effect of different holders on sharpness • More information Formats In Europe, the formats 4x5 inches and 9x12 cm coexist and you can get both sizes (but metric is easier to find). The size of the film is different, therefore the holders are too, however, the exterior dimensions of the holders are the same so you don't have to modify the camera. The same applies of 5x7 inches vs 13cm x18cm, although both are difficult to find. In the United States, metric size sheet film is very difficult to get. Classical double holders Riteway vs Lisco/Fidelity Older Riteway Cut Film Holders (the ones with the metal handles on the darkslides) are more highly regarded than say older Lisco. The Riteway holders seem to hold up better. When I worked in a studio about 15 years ago, my boss had over 100 holders all of which he had bought used. Probably all but about 5 were this style Riteway and none of them leaked light. Of the Lisco holders he bought, the failure rate (of used holders) was high enough that he quickly stopped getting them (maybe 50% of the ones he got leaked). The current Riteway holders are made by the same company as current Lisco and Fidelity holders (these three companies merged probably 20 years ago). The Lisco and Fidelity holders are identical except for the name and slight differeneces in the pattern embossed in the plastic. The Riteway holders also appear identical except for the automatic locking built into the darkslides, and the very cheezey number wheels for marking negatives. I have 2 of the current Riteways and lots of the current Lisco and Fidelity holders. I can't stand the Riteways. The lock on the darkslides takes quite some effort to unlock on my wooden camera and make it very easy to move the camera when removing the slide. The number wheels turn way too easily and the numbers extend into the image area. The different handles on the slides make the holders too large to fit in the quart size Ziplock bags I use to keep dust out of my holders. None of my holders (all bought new) have ever had light leaks (except the one slide I managed to crack, the holder itself was fine once I replaced the slide). If I were were buying used holders, I'd look for the older plastic Riteways with the metal slides. They seem to hold up much better than other holders of the same age. If buying new holders (or used current style holders), I'd avoid Riteways for the reasons mentioned above. John Sparks Hi John, My experience with old holders (4x5) is the same. The Riteway holders all are fine, the film plane is in the right place etc. I have a box full of Lisco and Fidelity holders most of which have warped, or maybe were just not accurately made, and are not useable. This is a matter of the film plane rather than light leakage. I started measuring holders after getting unexplained mis-focussed pictures. I found the film-plane to vary all over the place in all but the Riteway holders. OTOH, later 8x10 Fidelity's seem to be ok.Richard Knoppow. How to isolate a bad 4x5 film holder giving unsharp images ? You can measure them using a depth micrometer (one good enough is about $30 US) and a plate of sheet aluminum with some holes drilled in it to clear the micrometer. Measure with a sheet of scrap film in the holder. The distance from the reference surface of the holder to the film plane should be 0.187 inches (I think this is the right value). check the corners and center. It should be very accurate and should show no signs of warping. If your holders are reasonably new you may find they are all OK and the problem came from mis-loading the film. Its all too easy to miss getting one edge under the rail. If you find a bad one keep it for spare parts, especially the dark slides and end flap. Richard Knoppow Problems with used wooden holders The main problem with old wood holders is that they can warp. The thing is to check that the film plane is in the right place. This can be done with a depth gauge and a reference block which can be a sheet of thick aluminum with a hole for the guage in it. Put a sheet of film in and check that the distance from the edges of the holder are exactly 3/16 from the film (4x5). The correct value for 8X10 is 0.251 inch measured with film in the holder. Make sure the film isn't tilted in the holder. Sometimes you find a holder that is right on one side but not on the other. Plastic holders can also warp and wear but its less likely. Either kind should be checked before use, there isn't really any difference if they are OK. Once wood holders start to warp there really isn't much you can do. I've seen articles showing how to mill them down or build them up in some way, it seems a lot of work for something that will be a makeshift. A lot of fuzzy pictures that get blamed on cameras or lenses are really due to bad holders. BTW my experience with used 8X10 holders hasn't been good, far too many of them are way out of spec. 4x5's are better but I will buy only "Riteway" holders used now and no wooden ones regardless of manufacturer. I also have a bunch of 4x5 Fidelity Deluxe holders I got with a bunch of other stuff. They are all over the place, I think I found two usable holders out about fifteen. The newer 8x10 fidelities seem to be much higher quality. Richard Knoppow Anytime I have ever bought or used older, used, wodden 4x5 film holders, I have had problems - warping, dust spots, light leaks, etc. I qucikly found out the hard way why you can buy used, wooden 4x5 film holders for a dime a dozen at photo flea markets. Older plastic film holders however, ones I bought used, have worked just as fine as new plastic film holders. Joseph O'Neil Grafmatics a Grafmatic film holder is the same general size and shape of a conventional 2 sheet film holder. It has a "D" ring, a locking device, and a small release tab. The holder is actually a light tight box with an internal tray that holds 6 "septums". Each septum is a thin light weight metal holder for a single piece of sheet film. These are stacked one on top of another inside the tray that is then inserted inside the outter light tight box. When used, the holder shuffels the 6 septums sequentially from the stack to the film plane and then back to the stack. In operation, the holder is inserted into the camera the same as a standard film holder. I recall that it is a little bit thicker, but that should cause no problem. To bring the first piece of film up for exposure, you rotate the locking device and insert your finger into the "D" ring . With the thumb of the same hand, press the release tap and pull the "D" ring so that the inner box is pulled out holder to the stop. At this time, the bottom septum is freed from the stack and springs push it to the film plane. Pushing the "D" ring to press the tray back into the holder does the final positioning of the septum to be exposed. After exposure, cycle the "D" ring again, this time you don't need to active the release tab, and the exposed septum is pressed to the top of the stack inside the tray and the film holder is now closed so that you can remove it from the camera. (I may have the sequence slightly in error, I don't remember if you use the release tab to position the unexposed septum or the exposed septum, or if ilt shuffels film from the top to bottom or bottom to top, but you get the concept.) This takes about 10 times longer to explain than to do. As each septum is positioned for exposure, a little wheel, positioned at the edge of the sheet of film rotates 1/6 of a turn, exposing a different number siloutte. When the film is exposed, this siloutte "exposes" a frame number ( 1 =>6) onto that piece of film. After the last piece of film is exposed, the holder locks to prevent accidental double exposure. You can use this holder to shuffel 6 pieces of film though the film plane in well under 30 seconds, if you can cock the shutter of the lens that fast!. If you want to expose both black and white and color film of the same image, consider using the same ASA for both types of film and alternating 3 color and 3 B&W films in the holder. Then just set up, figure exposure and expose two consecutive pieces of film. This will give you 3 pairs of B&W/Color negs in one holder. You can do this fast enought that for most things that you would use a 4X5 camera for, the image/exposure isn't going to change between exposures.