RE: Dags and view cams (was Re: Toyo 810G and Fidelity Delux film holders)

Hi Jon,

That's right, film holders won't work for dag plates.
You need something which will hold something thicker
(dag copper plates are usually about 1mm thick) and
won't require bending for insertion.

The solutions I can think of:

- try to find old plate holders. This is not easy,
  especially if you are looking for a "modern" size
  like 4x5". They usually came in plate size
  (quarter plate = 3 1/4 x 4 1/4, half plate = 4 1/4 x
   6 1/2, full-plate = 6 1/2 x 8 1/2)

- have some plate holders made for you (see
  http://www.geocities.com/starcameracompany/) or
  make your own. I believe Mike Robinson at
  Century Darkroom
  (http://www.blackshadowyachts.com/centurydarkroom.html)
  will also make plate holders to your specifications.

- if you can find 8x10" plate holders, it is not too hard
  to make a reducing plate to 4x5". Some old plate holders
  I found came with reducers in them, but all in plate sizes.

- rig a polaroid 4x5 or readyload holder so that it will
  take plates. I've done that for using 1/4 plate size
  on a Mamiya Universal, but it is not very convenient and
  limited to 1 exposure before reloading. I've also heard of
  people adapting graflex film packs.

I would recomment using plate holders, and then make sure
the positionning of the ground glass in the camera agrees
with the position of the plate in your holders.

Good luck with your dags, and let us know how they turn out.

gregory
Received on Wed Feb 4 08:22:49 2004