U of S | Mailing List Archive | alt-photo-process-l | Re: The Death of Film(holders)

Re: The Death of Film(holders)


  • To: alt-photo-process-l@usask.ca
  • Subject: Re: The Death of Film(holders)
  • From: Richard Knoppow <dickburk@ix.netcom.com>
  • Date: Mon, 21 May 2007 18:13:51 -0700
  • Comments: "alt-photo-process mailing list"
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----- Original Message ----- From: "Gordon Cooper" <nwlorax@comcast.net>
To: <alt-photo-process-l@usask.ca>
Sent: Monday, May 21, 2007 4:35 PM
Subject: The Death of Film(holders)


I've been told by Folks Who Claim to Know that all production of sheet film holders in North America has stopped. Can someone on this list confirm or refute this rumor?

Puzzled in Bremerton,

Gordon Cooper
Bremerton, WA

This is sad news if true. AFAIK, the three brands of film holders which survive, Fidelity, Lisco, and Riteway, are all made by the same company. However, a web search failed to identify it.
There are other sources: in particular, Allan Broadbent manufacturs custom film holders in virtually any size and refurbishes old holders. He is probably the one around who will repair old wooden holders. The only problem is that his holders are _very_ expensive. http://www.filmholders.com/
I suspect that contacting the larger photo suppliers, like B&H or Calumet would get an authoritative answer.
If you are looking for used holders my experience is that Riteway holders, made by Graflex, were the best in the sizes they were available. For larger holders Fidelity Elite or Deluxe were about the best. Wood holders of any size tend to be warped. Any old holder should be carefully checked with a reference surface and depth micrometer to make sure the film plane is correct.

---
Richard Knoppow
Los Angeles, CA, USA
dickburk@ix.netcom.com