Vintage book form whole plate holder on modern 8x10 camera?

[RogerHyam]

Has anyone made an adapter to fit an old style book form plate holder onto a modern camera - especially whole plate on 8x10?

I imagine adapters are usually made to go the other way - modern holders on old cameras - but I'd like to shoot gelatine dry whole plates of my own making on my Intrepid 8x10 and am looking for ideas to make a custom back for it.

 

[Nodda Duma]

I’ve never heard of anyone trying, since dry plate holders to fit modern cameras are readily available.. both antique ones on ebay and new ones such as ChromaGraphica holders.

 

[urnem57]

+1 for ChromaGraphica Holders. Once I learned how to load them properly they work quite well. A much better solution than the old Speed Graphic pack film holders that I modified. Worth the $$.

 

[RogerHyam]

+1 for ChromaGraphica Holders. Once I learned how to load them properly they work quite well. A much better solution than the old Speed Graphic pack film holders that I modified. Worth the $$.

I have a ChromaGraphic 8x10 holder and I'm afraid I find it terrible (others may not). I use 2mm picture glass because it is really hard to get thinner in quantity and it would be fragile at larger sizes anyhow. The tolerances on the Chromagraphic are so tight that getting a plate in and out is a real struggle. I had to remove the spacer/spring things (they were destroyed the first time I used it anyhow). It is really difficult to cut 8x10 plates within the few mm necessary for the chromagraphic on the kitchen table. Maybe if I gave it another go I'd be converted but I cursed a lot both times I tried to use it and it wasn't fun - which is a major criteria for doing this. But kudos to the guys who put it together they do good work and I'm sure the smaller formats are much better and the 8x10 just may not suit my "artisan" working style. Maybe I should have read the spec more closely before buying it. It cost me £150 to learn the lesson!

Your experience of 4x5 chromagraphic holders may be very different, especially if you are using J Lane plates. But I think they just scaled up the design for 8x10 and in my opinion and for me it doesn't work.

I'm lucky enough to have a dozen M.P.P. glass plate holders for 4x5 and they work easily and brilliantly. I also have some international style half plate holders but they aren't quite big enough and the 5x7/half-plate camera I have is too big to carry (a 7kg Kodak Specialist).

I've cut the septum out of an 8x10 film holder like one would do to make a wet plate holder and that works fine but I really don't want to cut up a bunch of good film holders and of course they only hold one plate each. Ideally I'd like to carry 4 to 6 loaded plates.

Other than chromagraphic I'm not aware of a ready supply of 8x10 glass plate holders - certainly not on UK eBay. By the time the international back format was introduced people were not shooting glass that big anyhow. It is a 19th or a 21st century thing to do really. Sure for wet plate but that is a different type of holder and you only need one. Vintage whole plate holders are relatively cheap and common although in very variable condition and not very standardised.

Anyhow I'm just trying to say I'm not totally crazy - there is method in my madness!

 

[urnem57]

I do use the 4x5 ones. I did break a plate inside one the second time I loaded it. I then learned that by slightly pushing down on the front edge of the plate they load & unload much easier. They also “break in” after a few more uses.

 

[awty]

The easiest way would be to buy a back or a old plate camera in parts, but you dont see too many 8 x 10s. Although wouldn't be hard to make one, they are just a frame with the ground glass on a hinge, to fold out of the way.
I use the MPP glass plate holders to for 4x5 and yes they work a treat. Mine are made from aluminium and are very solid.
I havent used the book style holdes for glass plates yet. I have a 24cm x 30 camera with plate holders that I intend to use in the future.

 

[RogerHyam]

I have built an adapter back now. I started a new thread under plate cameras as I thought it might fit better there.

https://www.photrio.com/forum/threa...ate-holders-on-a-modern-intrepid-8x10.184111/