smaller sheet film cameras?

[David A. Goldfarb]

Let me check when I get home, but my sense when I started shooting 2.25x3.25 sheet film was that the image size was surprisingly smaller than I had expected, and didn't offer much advantage over 56x72mm, except that it was narrower and longer. I'll measure everything and report back.

 

[Ulrich Drolshagen]

The 'window' of my Graflex holders are 52mm x 78mm. So 2x3 sheet film is narrower than 120 rollfim.

Ulrich

 

[Dan Fromm]

Ulrich, please check. I have one each RH-8 and RH-12, both have gates around 56 mm high. With both, exposed films have an unexposed strip about 2 mm wide top and bottom.

 

[juan]

I have negative carriers for my enlarger - one will accept 2x3 sheet film but is too narrow for 120. I'm not at home to actually measure them.
juan

 

[Ulrich Drolshagen]

Ulrich, please check. I have one each RH-8 and RH-12, both have gates around 56 mm high. With both, exposed films have an unexposed strip about 2 mm wide top and bottom.

I have just measured the exposable region. The outer Window is 54mm x 81mm. my holders are made of wood. May be there are newer ones of plastic or other material with different dimensions.

Ulrich

 

[David A. Goldfarb]

Okay, I measured the live area inside the rebate (remove darkslide to measure this) for the following holders:

Sheet film holders

Graflex Type 5--53x78mm
Fidelity Deluxe--52x77mm
Lisco Regal--52.5x76mm
Grafmatic 23--52.5x78mm (with the play in the holder, potentially 79mm, but not reliably)
Linhof 6.5x9--59x82mm

Rollfilm Holders

Linhof 56x72mm Super Rollex--56x72mm
Linhof 6x9 Super Rollex--56x84mm

I don't have any Graflex rollfilm holders to check against these (sold them off when I got Linhof rollfilm backs), and my DaYi 6x17 holder with masks for 6x9 and 6x12 has film in it, so I didn't check that.

 

[Ulrich Drolshagen]

Graflex Type 5--53x78mm

Mine is 52x78mm. I measured the exposable field with a caliper rule

May be there exist slightly different makes of the same type of holder.

Ulrich

 

[David A. Goldfarb]

Mine is 52x78mm. I measured the exposable field with a caliper rule

May be there exist slightly different makes of the same type of holder.

Ulrich

I suspect so, or maybe there is just some expansion and contraction with the wooden holders over time. I measured the same way.

 

[Curt]

I have a Busch 2x3 which came with a plain back. I took it off and put a Graflex back on. I have four Grafmatic 23, four Graphic roll holes "23" and two dozen new 2 1/4 x 3 1/4 film holders all in an original vulcan case. The only problem is the stiffer my fingers get the smaller the sheet film holders seem when working. I like the roll film holders, they provide a nice sized negative when using Ilford Pan F and with some movements too. I have the Kalart focus spot, the eye finder on top, the chrome view finder, field type, and of course ground glass viewing. There are no limitations on viewing with them.

A Graflex could serve you well.

 

[Russ Young]

My Horseman 6x9 roll film back produces 56x82 mm negatives... so why isn't it called 6x8?

Russ

 

[AgX]

Well, larger is more sexy.
And sex sells...

 

[Ulrich Drolshagen]

As we talk about it. There arises a question for me. Someone told me the Jobo-Spiral for 9x12/4x5 sheet film works for 2 1/4 x 3 1/4 as well, as the latter is half of 9x12. Is this true? The sheet I have found in one of my holders (it's supposed to be a Adox from about 1955) has the dimensions of 56x81mm. Can anybody confirm that it will work? I am about to aquire one of those spirals.

Ulrich

 

[Ole]

The JOBO spiral (2509N) works for 4x5", 9x12cm and 6.5x9cm. It's German, you know...

 

[Ulrich Drolshagen]

The JOBO spiral (2509N) works for 4x5", 9x12cm and 6.5x9cm. It's German, you know...

Do I get it right? It is exactly 65mm x 90mm? Then 2 1/4 x 3 1/4 sheets will not fit, as they are only 81mm long

Ulrich

 

[k_jupiter]

Do I get it right? It is exactly 65mm x 90mm? Then 2 1/4 x 3 1/4 sheets will not fit, as they are only 81mm long

Ulrich

Nope. They do not fit. Nor do 3.25x4.25. I process mine in small tubes placed inside a Patterson System 3 tank. Standard inversion, just like roll film. If you place a piece of nylon screen behind the negatives, the anti-halation coating goes away while processing. The only film I process on a 2509n is 4x5. 5x7 gets done in a unidrum with a spacer down the middle on a motorized base.

tim in san jose

 

[Nick Zentena]

Do I get it right? It is exactly 65mm x 90mm? Then 2 1/4 x 3 1/4 sheets will not fit, as they are only 81mm long

Ulrich

They used to made a hand modified version of the reel for 2.25x3.25 film but haven't for years. OTOH if they could modify it then a user could to if they really wanted one.

 

[Ole]

Do I get it right? It is exactly 65mm x 90mm? Then 2 1/4 x 3 1/4 sheets will not fit, as they are only 81mm long

Ulrich

Eh - the plate size was 65mm x 90mm. Sheet film size was as always shrunk by a few mm to fit in the sheet film adapter sheaths, and are about 63mm x 88mm. The exact length is not critical in the JOBO reels, but the width is.

 

[Ulrich Drolshagen]

The width is 56mm, so it will not fit anyway.

Ulrich

 

[rshepard]

I remember lusting after a Galvin 2 1/4 x 3 1/4 view camera during my youth.
Of course, I probably was thinking about using a roll film back with it.

Does anyone here have experience with those?

Matt

Yes. I own and use one. Excellent camera ... if you have the later models. I bought mine from a friend who used it commercially for years and somewhat regrets selling it to me.

I have two 120 roll film backs for it (one knob, one lever), and a dozen sheet film holders. I bought a bunch of HP5+ when Ilford stopped making it in that size, and a bunch of J&C 200, too. Both stored in the freezer compartment of the photo refrigerator.

Rich

 

[AgX]

Ulrich,

If you like the Jobo system, have you thought about modifying it? I never had this sheet film reel in hands, only seen photos of it. I am going to modify 16mm reels to take 9mm film by shortening the spindle/shifting the fixed spiral up. In principle such should be possible with the sheet film reel too.
Of course If one uses glue one might think about uncured resin migrating into the chemicals… But I shall try my modification anyway.

 

[rshepard]

I wonder if there are sheet film cameras using something smaller--that I could use handheld? With high-quality? And purchasable for a song?

My Galvin is a monorail and not to be hand-held. However, I also have a Crown Graphic 2-1/4"x3-1/4" which can be used with either roll film (6x9cm) or cut film (2-1/4"x3-1/4"). There is about 5mm difference in the widths; the sheet film fall is narrower than the roll film so I need two different negative carriers for my enlarger.

The Crown Graphic is going up for sale here as soon as I get some digital photos of it done. However, it won't be for a song. Several years ago I had Fred Lustig (in Reno, NV) restore, clean, lubricate, adjust, and calibrate the camera. A few missing parts were replaced with original ones (he bought the parts stock when Singer went out of the camera business), and it is functionally brand new, except for the leather hand strap. I've used it hand-held and on a tripod, and the 105mm Tessar lens produces sharp images. The rangefinder is right on for focusing and it's a fun camera to use. But, with my Bronica S2A and Galvin, I just don't need the Crown Graphic.

Rich

 

[rshepard]

And you have those Linhof Technikas in 6x9cm…

If you want to spend a lot of money, Arca-Swiss, Ebony, and Horseman make 6x9cm cameras. I believe that all have Graflok backs and accept both roll and sheet film.

Rich

 

[rshepard]

As we talk about it. There arises a question for me. Someone told me the Jobo-Spiral for 9x12/4x5 sheet film works for 2 1/4 x 3 1/4 as well, as the latter is half of 9x12. Is this true? The sheet I have found in one of my holders (it's supposed to be a Adox from about 1955) has the dimensions of 56x81mm. Can anybody confirm that it will work? I am about to acquire one of those spirals.

Ulrich,

No. The Jobo reel number is 2509N, and it's about 2mm too wide for 2.25"x3.25" sheet film. Jobo made modified reels for a short time, but they did not sell well and were discontinued.

A professional photographer friend of mine gave me a couple of reels because he now uses the Expert drums for his films. I cut the center posts down a couple of millimeters (using film as a fitting guide), then glued them together again. They work now strictly for this size, but they work.

You'll want to load only four sheets of film in them; leave the lnner slots free. They're not as good for film as the Expert drums, but those are terribly expensive.

Something to consider is what I'm moving to with my sheet film: minimal agitation development in tubes with Pyrocat-HD. I bought a length of 1.5" ABS plastic pipe and cut it to 6" lengths. I'll use those for the 4x5" film for my new (to me) Cambo and the 2.25"x3.25" film from the Galvin.

Rich

 

[Ulrich Drolshagen]

Something to consider is what I'm moving to with my sheet film: minimal agitation development in tubes with Pyrocat-HD. I bought a length of 1.5" ABS plastic pipe and cut it to 6" lengths.

Rich

Sounds interesting! How does it work?

Ulrich

 

[Ulrich Drolshagen]

Ulrich,

Of course If one uses glue one might think about uncured resin migrating into the chemicals…

This is indeed an issue. And finding a glue which will work on the plastic at all too.

Ulrich