To quickload or not to quickoload.

[jmendez]

I have just purchased to Graflex 4x5, would like any opinions on Fujifilm quickloads versus plain old filmholders, price not withstanding.

 

[David A. Goldfarb]

The advantages of Quickloads are that they are dust free and don't require loading in the dark, and you can write on the packets to keep track of exposure information.

Depending on how much film you like to carry, another advantage may be that they are lighter and take up less space than an equivalent number of filmholders, but there is something of a law of diminishing returns on this, depending on how many holders you carry, and how often you reload.

The disadvantages of Quickloads are price, limited choice of films, and if you need to carry a lot of film, Quickloads can be more bulky than loose sheets.

There are a couple of good articles covering most of the available filmholder options at www.butzi.net.

 

[Anscojohn]

Can I use the Fuji Quickloads in a Polaroid 545i?

 

[Mark_S]

The ideal would be a film which is readily available in both sheets and quickloads, but the only B&W film available now is Acros, and it is difficult to buy it in sheets here in the US. I understand that Kodak used a third party to do their ReadyLoad packaging, and I can only hope that they will package other film now that Kodak has pulled out of that portion of the market. - My fantasies involve finding HP5 and/or FP4 available in Readyload !

 

[jmendez]

Thanks, David
alot to consider. The camera came with the polaroid 545i holder and some still good 55 film. Too bad that polaroid film is history. Will see what I come up with.

Jorge

 

[cdholden]

Anscojohn, yes. It will work. Though Polaroid doesn't support using any of the others, I've used mine with Acros, Velvia and TMX.

 

[david b]

Find a Fuji holder and use Fuji film.

I did a road trip last year with just QL and it was so easy.

 

[Anscojohn]

Anscojohn, yes. It will work. Though Polaroid doesn't support using any of the others, I've used mine with Acros, Velvia and TMX.

&&&&&
Thanx

 

[keithwms]

Per sheet yes, the QLs take a bit more space. But that advantage goes to zero if you are like me and go out with 4 or 5 different kinds of film.

I *love* QLs for travel. With a QL system you take one lightweight holder, and the sheets are individually wrapped so... no need for a changing tent or additional holders. So.. consider that you have 100 QL sheets in your backpack and one holder, that's way less bulk and weight than a changing tent + a box of free sheets + however many holders you feel is necessary to avoid having to pop out the changing tent too often.

Another big advantage is being able to very quickly go from one film to another... e.g. velvia to pro s to acros... in a matter of seconds. And you can casually toss the exposed QLs into your bag and not have to deal with labels or unload them until you're back at home base and ready to develop.

So, notwithstanding the *big* price difference, I'd go with QLs all the time, for travel.

Anscojohn, I had a slight issue with a 545i back not consistently reclipping the QLs correctly every time. Since I wasn't going to shoot any more polaroid with that back, I openend it up and discovered that you can take out the roller mechanism (much lighter!) and another metal thingie that tends to hang up on the QLs; I mentioned it in a blog here. The result is a much lighter back that clips the QLs more consistently. If you do encounter any problems, just remember that there is a metal piece in the 545i that can bend a bit and foul things up, and you can remove it completely without consequence if you are only shooting QLs.

 

[HerrBremerhaven]

The Polaroid 545 does not have a pressure plate like the Fuji Quickload holder, so the Fuji holder will hold the film flatter. Also, the Fuji Quickload holder is lighter than the Polaroid 545, and not quite as bulky to pack. It is a very clean and efficient system, and extremely easy to use.

Ciao!

Gordon Moat Photography

 

[Martin Aislabie]

From my simple perspective

Advantages for Quickload
Quick
Easy
Clean

Disadvantages
Expensive
Very limited film choice

I use Darkslides as I don't like the B&W film choices on offer (only the Fuji) - but I am envious of the cleanliness they provide

Keeping Darkslides and their film clean is a right pain in the behind

However the dust seems only to be attracted to the negs of my better shots

Dooh!

Martin

 

[Mark Fisher]

FYI - I recently bought Acros in loose sheets from Badger Graphics. When I am shooting, I am often camping or traveling. I can never seem to keep the film clean. When I can, I load darkslides because I am cheap.....

 

[2F/2F]

IMO, the Fuji system is perfect in a mechanical sense. There is not one improvement I could really think to add. No dust, no light leaks, way less user error (if any at all), and they are extremely lightweight and fast. Making duplicate exposures is a breeze, without having to be super careful to knock your rickety cameras out of place when flipping the film holders. If you are shooting a lot of sheets on one project, they are great.

The drawbacks are the price and the limited selection of emulsions. One of the Pro 160 films is not available at all in Quickloads. I can't remember whether it is C or S...probably C. (It will be a very sad day for me when they discontinue 64T in Quickloads.) Given the price, I really try to pick them up past date 50% off specials from my local shops, and have done well this way so far. Also, I generally make fewer duplicate exposures, if any at all...but then again, the reasons for my making duplicate exposures in the first place (possible light leaks, dust, damage, user error) are all but eliminated by the Quickload system.

In my opinion, if you can afford it, and you can do what you want to do using the available emulsions, it is well worth it.

I really wish Ilford had a system that is just as good, as I prefer HP5 and FP4 to anything Fuji has. Quickloads are the only way I use Fuji b/w film, although Fuji is my preferred color film.