Is plate film stil around?

[vegard_norway]

Hello.

I am looking at a VERY nice, to me, Voigtlander Bergheil folding plate camera, 6.5*9 cm.
It is a ice old camera, but, how is it to find film for it today?
How are these cameras today? How do the photos turn out? Any one who have and use one here?

 

[GregW]

If you look around you can find a roll film back for it and shoot 120 film. Rada, suydam and rollex are the common brands. Great camera btw.

 

[Photo Engineer]

Many of us coat our own plates. In fact, we just finished 2 workshops at George Eastman House on the making of the emulsion and coating the plates.

PE

 

[vegard_norway]

Thanks for the reply.
Well, I think, if I go for the camera, that I will go for the film back.

 

[railwayman3]

Not that it would help your needs, but I recall from one of the Ilford factory tours that they still coat glass plates to special order for scientific purpose.

Could you use ordinary sheet film cut to size...I remember that you used to be able to get simple metal sleeves to hold cut film in a plate camera back.

 

[Ian Grant]

With this size camera there's no point using sheet film, it is available to special order as part of Ilford ULF annual rum, and I think Wephoto sell it as well.

Pre-WWII Rollex backs are quite common second hand but beware there's a few different edge types you need the right one, and make sure it's 120 not 620. The big adavantage is 120 film isn readily available, the format's only marginally different.

Ian

 

[ntenny]

With this size camera there's no point using sheet film, it is available to special order as part of Ilford ULF annual rum, and I think Wephoto sell it as well.

I like 6.5x9 sheet film. You get the sheet-by-sheet development benefits, and it's a nice mini-contact-print size (that fills out some standard frame sizes a little better than 6x9). I'm all for rollfilm backs, but I wouldn't say there's *no* point using small sheets.

Mirko said the new Adox CHS 100 II will be available in 6.5x9, I think; so that's another option.

The Bergheil is indeed a very nice camera. I got my 9x12 out yesterday for the first time in quite a while and was reminded of what a pleasure it is to shoot. OP, you want that camera!

-NT

 

[Roger Cole]

You also get the dust hassles of sheet film.

 

[DarkMagic]

Hello.

I am looking at a VERY nice, to me, Voigtlander Bergheil folding plate camera, 6.5*9 cm.
It is a ice old camera, but, how is it to find film for it today?
How are these cameras today? How do the photos turn out? Any one who have and use one here?

Here you go: http://www.macodirect.de/glasplates-c-1_6_32_626.html

Glas plates with AGFA APX100 emultion. Freshly made.

 

[Ian Grant]

Works out 12.62 euros a plate, these are mostlikey for specialist scientific purposes like Ilford's plates.

Ian

 

[vegard_norway]

Thanks all for good information.

Oh, well, rollfilm back, I think I will go with that. Sheets will be to hard to get.
Still, the camera will be original.

I do find these old Bergheili, looks cool in my mind.

 

[GregW]

Does it have more than one lens with it? I enjoy using my Agfa Standard in this format. I like to contact print the 120 negs on old azo that expired decades ago. They come out really cool.
Brassai used this camera btw. With this technique for timing long exposures:

Brassai used cigarettes to time long exposures - "Une gauloise pour une certaine lumiere, une boyard s'il faisait plus sombre" (a Boyard is thicker than a Gauloise, thus takes longer to burn) therefore "[t]he cigarette is not a cigarette but a clock." Richard Klein, Cigarettes are Sublime (Durham: Duke University Press, 1993).

 

[Stephen Frizza]

just for the record AGFA still coat APX100 emulsion on glass plates they do one run a year (usually in october) and you have to pay upfront. The most common sizes are 6x9.5 , 4x5" and 5x7"

If you dont want to order direct and dont want to wait for the yearly run you can buy the size plates you need from here

http://www.macodirect.de/glasplates-p-2038.html?language=en&osCsid=32b56166c97b3d46f7d16de5b886fa7f

 

[vegard_norway]

Thanks for the tip and information.

But, hmmm, I think I will go for a rollfilm back. The film backs was around in the old days to I am told, so it is not, how to say, draging the camara and its style down in any way.

 

[Ian Grant]

Yes Roll film backs were quite common with these cameras, 6.5x9 cameras had roll film backs and 9x12 (& quarter plate) used film packs for full frame or roll film backs for 6x9. all alternatives to plates.

Some roll film backs have masks for alternative formats, I have a Rollex which can be used for 6x9 or 6x6.

Ian

 

[DarkMagic]

Is there any chances that i can use 4x5 glasplates with my Sinar P1 andP3

 

[Ian Grant]

Is there any chances that i can use 4x5 glasplates with my Sinar P1 andP3

Yes if you have modern International style plate holders, these could be 5x4 or 9x12.

Ian

 

[Shalom]

None of these links go anywhere, and I can't find any glass plates listed on macodirect. Have they disappeared since March?

 

[ntenny]

None of these links go anywhere, and I can't find any glass plates listed on macodirect. Have they disappeared since March?

Not sure about macodirect, but I just saw them in the catalog at www.lumiere-shop.de. They are *seriously* expensive though---I think it would be preferable to get sheet film in the appropriate sizes, and/or coat your own plates.

-NT

 

[Photo Engineer]

We have coated our own plates from 2x3 and 4x5 to 8x10 and gotten very good results. The workshops went well and we turned out about 16 students who can do it with no trouble. It was so much in demand that both sessions were nearly full and each student coated a number of plates.

It is not hard. Anyone wishing to use plates should at least learn how to coat them using commercial emulsions if they don't want to make their own. It is much less expensive at least.

PE

 

[mustard seed]

Cool, when is the next class PE

 

[Photo Engineer]

The 2013 schedule is set AFAIK. The 2014 schedule is being worked on at GEH by Mark and Stacey.

PE