Which types of film holders do we use the most?

[Prime]

Which type of film holder do you use the most?

[William Levitt]

I'm partial to the type that are light tight and dust free. ;-)

Actually I have an assortment of different brands and am not partial to one or the other. I have looked (just looked) into the high precision film holder from Sinar, that guarentee film flatness, but talk about sticker shock!

[paul owen]

I swear by Toyo film holders! they are well made and hold the film FLAT!

[EUGENE]

The question asks what type of film holder, not what brand of holder, we use. So far, the traditional double holders with darkslides are the favorite types with this group. About twenty years ago, I purchased twelve 4X5 Lisco Regal II holders from Calumet. They gave me excellent service for the almost fifteen years, then, I began to notice some fogging due to light leakage and traced the leakage to the slots where the darkslides enter the holder. It seems that the felt material used in the light traps was beginning to mat down flat and loose it's resiliency. This allowed a small amount of light to enter the holder after the darkslide was pulled, even though I always used the focusing cloth to cover the back of the camera, shielding direct light on the holder. I replaced the Liscos with Toyo holders about five years ago. Although they are more expensive, they are worth the investment.

[Robert Kennedy]

I use standard doubles. Fidelity Elites (2) and old Riteways (5). As long as they don't leak I am happy. Of course I also have an old Polaroid 545 too which is a great thing to have.

[William Levitt]

You are right Eugene, sorry for the mis-interpretation.

And actually, this was to be more of a Poll than a Post.

[jmcd]

EUGENE,

Do the Toyo holders rely on something more durable than felt to prevent light leaks? Thanks.

[Thilo Schmid]

I recently switched from traditional 4x5" holders to Fuji QuickChange. QuickChange gives you 8 shots in a compact lightweight magazine. Just reload the magazines with your favorite film type (factory presets are only aviliable in RDP III and Velvia, AFAIK). The QuickChange system will even provide better film flatness, because the darkslide moves underneath the sheet carrier when preparing the magazine for a shot. This gives the single sheet carriers in the magazine addional support and tension. To me, this is the best invention for LF since a long time.

[Robert Kennedy]

I've heard of this before. It is being touted as the next Grafmatic. It sounds as if it will be a great boon since you won't have to rely on dodgy equipment that is who-knows-how-old-and-abused.

BTW - how much does the QuickChange system cost?

[EUGENE]

LMCD, I don't know what type of material Toyo uses in their light traps. I would speculate that it is a felt-like material similar to what the other manufacturers use. Judging from the fit and finish of the Toyo holders, it probably is a higher quality material. Even the hinge tape at the bottom of these holders seems like a higher quality material. The thing that makes The Toyo holders unique is their use of rivets to hold the entire assembly together. I also understand that they are made to a very high tolerance. They are easy to load. So far, after five years, I have experienced no leakage or other problems with them.