Suggestions for getting new film holders

after becoming a little frustrated with occasional light leaks, I'm contemplating getting some brand new 4x5 film holders.

I have never used the Toyo film holders, but they look good. Anyone used them care to comment?

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/61077-REG/Toyo_View_180_903_4x5_Sheet_Film_Holders.html

How do they compare to Fidelity?

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/17542-REG/Fidelity_FI4500X2_4x5_Sheetfilm_Holders_2_.html

The Toyo ones look like maybe better quality, and are actually cheaper (though film holders seem outrageously expensive, in general). Some of my current set of holders are Fidelity, so I am somewhat familiar with them.

Maybe there are other alternatives besides these two manufacturers?

Also, am I the only one that cringes a little when the entire dark slide is pulled out in bright outdoor light? I know light is not supposed to creep in the holder from the slot, but, I could swear it has happened to me more than once.

Jeff -

The selection of film holder manufacturers is extremely limited. Fidelity (which also includes Lisco) was purchased by Calumet a while back. Urban legend is that there was one guy who actually ran the manufacturing line, and when he retired, Calumet decided to mothball everything rather than hire a replacement. As a result, new Fidelity/Lisco holders are no longer being manufactured.

That leaves Toyo and Chaminoix, a new supplier in China who appear to be concentrating their efforts on the non-standard sizes. There are also a few artisan shops in the US - S&S, AWB, etc - but they also are focused on the ULF niche.

You may be able to find old "new stock" holders at places like Midwest Photo. I bought a set of brand-new, in the original box with instructions Graflex holders last year at a flea market - and they havn't been made in 30 years!

You are right that the prices seem to have escalated enormously over the last 3-4 years.

In 4x5 and 8x10, both Fidelity and Toyo are available new. I use both brands, and have had no problems with either. My latest purchases have been Toyo, as I think they are of a slightly higher quality.

I have had a few different types in various formats and agree that the Toyos are a little better than the Lisco/Fidelity holders. They seem to be made to finer tolerances, so the sheet is always square in the holder and doesn't jiggle around.

You should be able to remove the darkslide completely in outdoor light. Leaving the darkslide partway in is no guarantee against leaks, and could even cause a leak, since it's pressing up against the light trap, which is usually a springy metal comb covered with felt.

David A. Goldfarb said:

They seem to be made to finer tolerances, so the sheet is always square in the holder and doesn't jiggle around.

Click to expand...

But doesn't that cause problems with film not always cut to the same standard? I remember that over sized J&C 8x10 film. It fit most of my holders. It was tight but fit. Now that was over sized but the ANSI film size has some wiggle room in it.

According to the Badger website Shen Hao is producing 5x7 holders now. Fotoman is also producing a few sizes. So maybe a few more people are stepping up to fill the void left when Fidelity closed.

I haven't had a problem with that, and I've used various Kodak, Forte/J&C, and Efke film in Toyo 4x5" holders. If the film is oversized, I'd say the film was defective.

The Toyo holders, without a doubt, are better built and seem to be much more durable than the other brands.

The only exception to the "other brands" model are the ones made by Linhof. They're hugely expensive but they're meant to last a lifetime.

I also use the Lisco/Fidelity types and prefer the ones with the metal tabs. IMHO, the plastic tabs seem to become brittle with time and crack easily.

When shooting outdoors, I usually drape the dark cloth over the back of the camera, which helps mitigate any light hitting the holders.

I'll be picking up a few of the Shen-Hao 5x7 holders offered by Jeff at Badger Graphics to try. And, if they're built like the larger Shen-Hao cameras, I expect they'll be pretty decent.

Cheers

David A. Goldfarb said:

I haven't had a problem with that, and I've used various Kodak, Forte/J&C, and Efke film in Toyo 4x5" holders. If the film is oversized, I'd say the film was defective.

Click to expand...

I think the 8x10 standard allows a bit more slack between too small and too big. It's not a lot in either case but if the holder is on the small size of the standard and the film on the large size I wonder if it could become an issue.

Just another vote for the Toyo holders, like many others I have these plus a bunch of Lisco/Fidelities, and while I've never had a problem with any of them, the Toyos just feel better made and more precise.