TOYO- FIELD 45 A CAMERA FILM LOADING

nicointheclouds

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Hi everyone,

I recently bought a Toyo field 45a 4x5 camera not the 45II but the earlier version. I am having trouble loading the film without anything moving.The newer version has an easier back to load it seems but with this one after i have got my perfect composition i can't seem load the film without there being a slight movement due to film being loaded.
Does anyone have any suggestions? thank you
 

B.S.Kumar

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Toyo made three different versions of the 4x5 back.
1. Reversible: remove the back to change orientation from vertical to horizontal
2. Reversible, but with a very wide opening to allow Polaroid 405 and Fuji PA-45 holders to be slid in. These are marked with a label on the inside.
3. Rotating: press a lever to release the lock and rotate between vertical and horizontal orientation.

All have a bail arm to open the back to insert the holder. Are you using it?
Also check that the camera is mounted securely so that it does not move when loading film. Some tripod heads are too small. A quality QR plate is a good idea.

Kumar
 
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nicointheclouds

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Hi Kumar,
Thnk you for your prompt response. There is no lever on my model to release a lock.
Please see attached video that i have just taken
 

B.S.Kumar

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A couple of photos would suffice. Or load the video to Google Photos and post the link here.
 
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nicointheclouds

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here is a link to the video ive uploaded and i can send some photos here.

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B.S.Kumar

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Correction: I've just now looked at the Polaroid version, and it is not Graflok compatible. The top cannot be removed for Graflok type roll film holders, and must be used with slide-in holders only.

I haven't seen this version earlier. This looks like a reversible, not a rotating back, but without the bail arm. Can you show two more photos:
a. with the top part removed, and
b. the other side of the top part?

Kumar
 

B.S.Kumar

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The last photo shows two holes at the bottom of the back. One is obviously for the hinge. What is the other for?
 
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nicointheclouds

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Kumar, thats right it is reversable but not a rotating back, no bail arm (this is why its hard to load film without moving).
it appears from what i have read that this is an older version of the toyo 45a.
 

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B.S.Kumar

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The Toyo 45A rotating back with the bail arm looks like this:







Can you show similar photos of your back?

Kumar
 

destroya

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nicointheclouds said:
Kumar, thats right it is reversable but not a rotating back, no bail arm (this is why its hard to load film without moving).
it appears from what i have read that this is an older version of the toyo 45a. just take your time
Click to expand...

I have this same camera and it is not as easy as others to load and not shake or move the camera. but the more you use it, the better you get. take your time! a sturdy tripod helps a lot a well. just slowing down helped me. loading a quicload holder or a roll film back is even harder, but again take your time. it will get easier as you do it more often

john
 

Sharktooth

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After watching the video, it does seem that the spring force is excessive. I wonder if that's adjustable. You'd have to remove the ground glass holder and have a close look.
 
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nicointheclouds

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Hi Kumar, yes i took off the back and had a look, it doesn't have that lever. i have to learn to put in the film without moving the set up. thank you very much for sharing your photos.
 

Don_ih

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You could remove the back, put the film holder in the back, then put the back on again?
 
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nicointheclouds

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hi john, thanks for the comment, ive got back 5 of my negatives and the same thing has happened with all of them (completely different situations and photos) and that is that the framing is not even, ive composed an image with the item in the centre but as the negative shows bottom half of the photo has far more space than the top, which i suppose means the camera has tilted upwards or downwards?
may i ask to you all, the framing i see through the glass is the whole frame correct? there is not cropping going on is there?
this is with a normal 4x5 loaded in the back.
 
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nicointheclouds

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I suppose this question is going to lead me to getting the most stable tripod for my 4x5 as possible. any reccomendations would be much appreciated.
 
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nicointheclouds

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Don_ih said:
You could remove the back, put the film holder in the back, then put the back on again?
Click to expand...

I did try that but removing the back requires a fair amount of push to take off, similiar amount to putting the film in, so the same sort of thing happens.
 
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nicointheclouds

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Sharktooth said:
After watching the video, it does seem that the spring force is excessive. I wonder if that's adjustable. You'd have to remove the ground glass holder and have a close look.
Click to expand...
actually yesterday i pulled to hard and ened up taking the back off it took me and my friend about an hour to figure out how to get spring device working again, its not adjustable from what we saw, its back on now, but it really is a bit of a pain to put the film in and you really need some strength in your one hand to pull it back
 

B.S.Kumar

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Are the leaf springs aligned properly? It is difficult to make out from the photo, perhaps due to the angle at which the photo is taken.
There seems to a lot of wear on the leaf springs, which means they are rubbing against something.

I checked my inventory, but I only have revolving backs for the D and G series cameras. I don't have a reversible back to compare, but based on the difficulty you are having and the wear on the springs, I think perhaps there is a mismatch between the two parts of your back. The top panel is for the revolving back, while the bottom is for the reversible back. If you have access to another Toyo camera user nearby, you can confirm this immediately. Or perhaps someone who has a 45A with a reversible back can show similar photos.

Kumar
 
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