Demise of QL format: Hope on the horizon

[Thingy]

There have been several threads discussing the forthcoming demise of the Fuji Quickload system, in April 2010, in the UK Large Format Photographers Group (UKLFPG).

Joanna Carter has designed an envelope that can be preloaded with any 5x4 sheet film and used with the QL/Readyload/polaroid holders, but there needs to be more interest and financial backing to lead to manufacture. The advantage this would offer over dark slides is that although one would need to preload the film, any 5x4 film could be used, and the bulk problem encountered with dark slides, especially when ascending mountains and taking one's LF equipment abroad, would be eliminated. Is there any interest here?

See link below, for example:
http://www.lf-photo.org.uk/forum/vie...=1158&start=15

Steve

[SWphoto]

I'd be interested. I'd want to know some of the specifics, but the concept is interesting and could merit support. I think there is already a lengthy thread of interest on the Large Format Photography Forum.

Rick

[BenZucker]

I would be all about this if it went in to production.

[David A. Goldfarb]

Sounds great, if it could be put into production. The original Mido holder (before Mido II) was something like this--a reloadable packet system. The main criticism of it was that some people found it hard to load, so if Joanna Carter's system could overcome this, I think it would have a market.

Personally, I'm set for 4x5" with my Grafmatics, so I wouldn't be interested in another system.

[canuhead]

I'm interested in this as well and if it could be scaled up so that it would work with 8x10 Polaroid holders, I would be beyond chuffed.

Agree with David in that it MUST be easier to load than the first gen Mido holders.


Fred

[Ektagraphic]

I would give it a try if the price was not extremely high....

[Alex Bishop-Thorpe]

I'd be interested, for sure.

[Laurent]

I contemplated Quickloads for the ease of use and less limited capacity on the field (less limited than carrying n holdrs, that is). So I'd be interested if the price isn't too high (and more interested is the system is reusable (in the latter, then the price point could be a bit higher, of course !) )

[David A. Goldfarb]

One attraction of QL/RL that a reloadable packet system doesn't address is the advantage of factory-loaded dust-free film. This is perhaps obvious, but I don't think I've seen it discussed, and it's something that potential users may want to take into account.

If one just wants a more compact way to carry loaded 4x5" film in the field, Grafmatics already do that, and there seem to be plenty of them out there. Kinematics are even more compact, but they are harder to find and less reliable than Grafmatics. With packets, it's easier to organize and keep track of individual sheets of course, but I've only had one or two sorting mishaps in the years I've been using Grafmatics, which is probably no better or worse than I might have had with any other system.

I don't mean to discourage anyone from pursuing a new way to handle sheet film, since anything that gets more large format shooters out there is a good thing, but I think now would be the time to get all the potential issues out there while it's still all at the drawing board stage.

[Martin Aislabie]

I wish Joanne success in her enterprise and will watch the development with progress but for me the whole advantage of RL/QL film was that it was 100% dust free.

I am fine with loading my own Darkslides but for me (and I cannot imagine I am alone here) the major bug-bear of LF is getting dust free film.

I have improved my house-keeping and have a much better success rate but dust remains a persistent problem.

QL/RLs over came the problem being manufactured in a controlled atmosphere

The downs sides were cost and choice of film

However, you paid your money and made your choice of whether QL/RLs were a luxury or a necessity

So if there is a cunning plan in all of this to minimise dust and dirt then I will be very interested.

Martin