All Quickloads, R.I.P

[SWphoto]

from LF Forum, this report from British Journal of Photography, confirmed by release from Fuji, all Quickloads discontinued:

http://www.bjp-online.com/public/showPage.html?page=872222

 

[Ian Grant]

Get Carter's

There's a woman in the UK working on an alternative version, she has posted on the LF Forum and I think here too. I've no idea how advanced she is with her progress.

Ian

 

[Jeff Searust]

Honestly, no great loss. The last pack of quickloads I had I ripped apart and loaded the film in film holders. I have had all sorts of issues with quickloads over the years.

 

[Keith Tapscott.]

I have a Kodak Readyload holder, so I know how Quickload holder owners are feeling right now. I have been considering selling my MPP 5x4 outfit.

 

[David A. Goldfarb]

I never used them (well, once I tried one out when I was out shooting with Robert Teague in Hawai'i), but I could see the attractions--clean film, ability to write on the packets, convenience under some circumstances.

They seemed convenient if you wanted to bring, say, 20 sheets of film on a trip, but filmholders and boxes of film were more compact when traveling with 100 sheets or more, and then if you wanted to use a film that didn't come in Quickload or Readyload, it just wasn't an option.

 

[AmandaTom]

I love these things. I like being able to make development notes on the sleeves, which I cannot easily do if I am re-using holders. I have a good supply of them still (probably about 500 sheets) so I am ok for awhile.

 

[Ektagraphic]

I guess changing bags and darkrooms are the only way now..... Atleast we can still buy these films. Maybe we could get Ilford to make readyloads (do they do that already?).......

 

[Kirk Keyes]

I just ordered 10 boxes of Provia QL- that should last me for the next two or three years.

I'm glad there was some time to stock up.

I'll hate going back to cut sheets. I've been using QL/Readyloads since they came out in the 1980s, and I've never had a spot of dust on any of them.

 

[rpsawin]

There's a woman in the UK working on an alternative version, she has posted on the LF Forum and I think here too. I've no idea how advanced she is with her progress.

Ian

Ian,

The last post I saw from her, maybe 2 months ago, was that she was dropping the idea as she had talked to some attorneys about legal costs (patent costs I think) and they would be at least $10,000 USD. She could not afford it. There was some discussion about "investors" but I lost track of the thread.

Bob

 

[Ian Grant]

Readyloads came quite late so they are relatively new, a mid 80's introduction, they were relatively expensive compared to plain sheet film, I won't miss them at all.

The films I really want to use were never available, carrying Darkslides is no big issue but when I still shot LF colour then the Polaroid (Fuji) 100D was useful, the failure rate was an occasional problem, but the economics aren't right now for the film companies, sales have always been quite low now it uneconomic.

If someone were to make a new alternative to a Grafmatic back that would be different, or a new styl self loadable film pack.

Ian

 

[SWphoto]

Readyloads came quite late so they are relatively new, a mid 80's introduction, they were relatively expensive compared to plain sheet film, I won't miss them at all.

The films I really want to use were never available, carrying Darkslides is no big issue but when I still shot LF colour then the Polaroid (Fuji) 100D was useful, the failure rate was an occasional problem, but the economics aren't right now for the film companies, sales have always been quite low now it uneconomic.

If someone were to make a new alternative to a Grafmatic back that would be different, or a new styl self loadable film pack.

Ian

That thought, new "Grafmatic" backs, had occurred to me too. I would assume any patents have long expired. Doesn't look too complicated, but then I'm not an engineer. The only question I have is whether there would be enough demand, given there are still a fair number of the old ones out there. That said, and while I have a few Grafmatics, I'd buy some new ones and use the old ones as backups.

 

[Ian Grant]

Actually there are old Patents that covered Ready loads too, and these idea go back at leats a century

IAn

 

[Keith Tapscott.]

There's a woman in the UK working on an alternative version, she has posted on the LF Forum and I think here too. I've no idea how advanced she is with her progress.

Ian

Considering the cost involved, it`s very unlikely. Read her last post HERE.

 

[Ian Grant]

So it's still ongoing, maybe . . . . . . . . .

A point we are missing, I think the Patent for Quickloads belonged to Polaroid, Kodak made them under license and there was an agreement between Fuji & Polaroid in the early days as Fuji supplied their 100D to be sod as Polaroid Readyloads. Someone is probably still collecting Royalties, Polaroid couldn't get a Patent for the film pack which is why Fuji could make compatibles,

Ian

 

[BrianShaw]

Gee wiz... another technology passing on before I ever got to try it out. Perhaps I'd better try d!g!t@l photography before that technology passes.

 

[SWphoto]

Gee wiz... another technology passing on before I ever got to try it out. Perhaps I'd better try d!g!t@l photography before that technology passes.

Brian,

no, if things die out before you try them, please leave digital photography alone

Rick

 

[Sal Santamaura]

It's clear that Fuji responds only to competition. Had Kodak not been forced to discontinue ReadyLoad by the shutdown of Polaroid film manufacturing (it previously outsourced Readyload packaging to Polaroid), Fuji would have continued supplying Quickload. Without such "motivation," Fuji takes the easiest path.

Since I no longer do any color work on large format film or require the long-exposure reciprocity performance of Acros (and only put up with its intrusive drying hole in exchange for clean/convenient packets anyway), Fuji sheet film is now a thing of the past for me. Kodak and Ilford get my business.

 

[Renato Tonelli]

I used Quickloads on short backpacking trips for their convenience. Too bad. All my B&W will now be Tri-X again.

 

[David A. Goldfarb]

Fuji did make a modern Grafmatic style holder called the "Quickchange" that could use preloaded cartridges of 8 sheets of film. It was quite expensive per sheet, wasn't sold officially outside of Japan (though Robert White and maybe Badger Graphics had them, and they could be ordered through Dirk's Megaperls side), and wasn't marketed as reloadable, but it apparently wasn't difficult to reload. I think there was a detailed page on f32.net that explained how to reload a Quickchange cartridge.

 

[jpberger]

A new grafmatic or other system would be great, or maybe even just thinner film holders. A field camera isn't much bulkier than a rig like an rz, and having something that took more than 6 sheets would make it a more versatile piece of gear. Then again when I'm out with my speed graphic I'm more than ready to go home by the time I manage to shoot 6 sheets.

 

[David A. Goldfarb]

Thinner filmholders have also been made by Mido. The original Mido holder was something like a reloadable Quickload with an envelope and was reputed to be tricky to handle, but from what I've read, it may have had more to do with the temperament of the users to put up with a certain degree of fiddliness in exchange for portability than with the design. Mido II holders were like very thin regular filmholders that fit into a clamshell spacer. Midos are not easy to find, but they show up on eBay occasionally, most commonly in 4x5", and they're not cheap. They were also made in 4x10", I believe 5x7", and 8x10". I waited for years to get some in 8x10" where they really provide a huge advantage over regular filmholders in terms of portability.

The original maker, or maybe it was someone associated with the original maker, appeared on eBay himself offering some new Mido holders in odd sizes, and people seemed to think that this indicated the possibility that he would start making them again, but this seems never to have materialized. There was a thread about it on the LF forum a few years ago.

 

[coriana6jp]

I contacted a couple of the pro photoshops in Tokyo today. They had no information about quickloads being discontinued. I think it needs to be confirmed with Fuji, incase it is a mistake or limited to UK only.


Gary

 

[SWphoto]

I contacted a couple of the pro photoshops in Tokyo today. They had no information about quickloads being discontinued. I think it needs to be confirmed with Fuji, incase it is a mistake or limited to UK only.


Gary

I would have agreed, except for the Fuji press release by the Fuji spokesperson. Ceasing production is different from not importing. Fuji is very poor at consumer relations- just look at the way they "handled" the discontinuance of Acros in Quickloads- they have never officially acknowledged it on their website or in any PR I have found. To rely on finding anything about it on their website would be futile.
If they have not discontinued it and not replied to the many postings about the discontinuance, they're even worse than I imagined. (Even Tiger Woods eventually did say something..) They've lost me as a customer, along with many of my friends.

 

[Ian Grant]

The Fuji guys in the UK are usually very well informed.

Over the years there have been products taht allow bulk loading of films and I came across something from the late 1920's last night, available in more than one size and for either Glass plates or Cut film, I'll try post some details tomorrow,

However I've seen & read numerous Patents in the past, but film packs effectively killed off most of these devices. Looking at adverts from around 1935 my Patent Etui's (9x12) either used plates or film packs but not film dark-slides.

One problem with the Readyloads that I used (the Polaroid 100D) is that the film was slightly oversized to allow attachment to the inner part, that in itself adds to manufacturing costs.

It's possible better to explore other options like the Grafmatic holders, could they be remade with newer & cheaper materials, or could an alternative be redesigned.

Ian

 

[SWphoto]

Ian,

I think you had referenced Johanna Carter's attempt at doing something with a Quickload-like system, and that she had abandoned it due to legal costs. Perhaps this Grafmatic-like holder might be something instead. Do you know her well enough to suggest for her consideration?

Rick