film holder choices

[Dan's45]

hello all!
am lookin to buy a film holder here soon for my 4x5. i already have 2-3 liscos. what i am looking for is one of three of the following:
1. fuji quickload
2. kodak readyload or
3. polaroid 545i.
need advice on each on the plus/minus of each. personal exp with each(if possible). i am in an area where i do not have access. they can special order them, but do not keep them in stock. they should at least keep one in-stock for display/demo purposes to get an idea how the product works, then i would be more inclined to buy it. any help would be appreciated. thanks!
dan

 

[Jeremy]

If you're interested in a Polaroid 545i send me a PM or email as I have an extra one I'll sell. I've never used the Fuji or the Kodak as the Polaroid is useful for Ready/Quickloads and Polaroid film.

 

[Dan's45]

so i keep hearing.....and oh by the way, hows the weather back home?? i,myself, am from the bryan-college station area. i do miss home from time to time...but damn the summers have become intolerable. so, after 25yrs..i figured its about time to move on. anyway...how much for for the 545i? am shopping around.

 

[StreetShooter]

Dan,

Skip the Kodak ReadyLoad holders... too many problems in the past and it's hard to keep track of which versions are good and which are bad.

The Fuji Quickload works well but only for Fuji film (personal experience only)... it doesn't work all that great with Kodak ReadyLoads. Other shooters have used Kodak ReadyLoads with this holder and it's worked fine for them. But, IMHO, if you're only going to be shooting Quickloads... this is the one I'd personally go for.

The Polaroid holders work with both ReadyLoads and QuickLoads... and, of course, Polaroid films. So, this is the most convenient of the three holders.

Lastly, I've purchased from Jeremy previously and he's great to deal with... I wouldn't hesitate dealing with him again!

Cheers

 

[Jerevan]

Paul Butzi has some good reviews of the different alternatives: http://www.butzi.net/reviews/camera.htm

 

[Doyle Thomas]

Fuji Quickload is the only viable solution for field work. readyloads are double sided. Do you really want to make an exposure somewhere and then change your setup or move 100 miles up the road and pull the slide again? I have had many more readyloads blow apart on me than Quickloads. Fuji is better film anyway (color)

 

[jhorvat]

readyloads, quickloads, polaroid holders

Dan,
I just purchased a readyload, after going through the web. My general conclusions are as follows (with a few exceptions, which I consider to be insignificant):

Polaroid holders do take Kodak and Fuji films, but they don't have backing plate and film flatness is an issue for some people. Quickloads seem to be the safest option, if you stick with Fuji Across (some people use them successfully with Kodak film, too). There is no complaints about them.

Kodak Readyloads come in several versions. Early ones were for two-sided packs and they were allegedly not good. They had shiny backing plate. (I am not sure, but I think there were even earlier versions without backing plate. ) There is an intermediate version for two-sided packs, with black backing plate. I have this one and it works well with the new (one-sided) Readyload film, as it does for most other users. The newest version is specifically designed for the new film, but some people report that some of these holders are bent (even though they get flat when inserted into the camera back). The readyloads tend to be cheaper than Quickloads, especially the older versions.

Joseph

 

[Dan's45]

beginning to think i should stay with my regals! i am looking at one and i must be blind or something, but i do not see the darkslide for this this readyload/quickload...whatever. the bright side of shooting with a just a two sided...one shot per side...not tempted to go shooting away! thats something to do with a 35mm or 120/220 camera. i thought the idea was to slow down and think your shot out....now i am not dissing the readyload or quickload system...i think they are great! esp. when it comes to loading film constantly! what a pain it can be....but...it makes me appreciate those 2 shots i make more for some reason...does this seem logical? more than likely i will get a quickload...seeing how i am a diehard fuji user and how i live in a very green state! makes sense! my mainstay in texas was kodak!!! but here ...kodak does not seem to do justice to the the greens of the trees for some rerason. seems to make them greyish. but whoah, to warm colors and portraits does kodak fit like a glove to! the most depressin thing to me is the fact that i will never be able to use kodachrome again! esp not in 4x5!!! future is very bleak!!lol imagine if they made kodachrome 64 in readyloads???holy snowballs!! i'd buy whole fridge's worth!!! lol(at least!!!) there is a bunch of places i'd love to photograph...and what an imapct 64 would make!!!! any way...i am done ranting! for now...later all!

 

[walter23]

holy... hard to ... read.