Loading 4x5 film holders - with tips for success

[@Brenby]

Thanks for the video. I'm new to 4x5 and I'm having a very fun time shooting it!

[@gregfaris6959]

Couple of comments: 0:41 - DO NOT use a razor blade in complete darkness! The film itself is actually inside a lightproof wrapper, and that is inside a lightproof box shell, so there is no danger in making this cut in full room illumination before going dark. 3:19 - See those little hooked barbs on the back of the holder? Those are locks - turn them to lock your dark slide in place after you load film. The issue is not so much that the dark slides will slip open (they’re pretty tight and require some deliberate action to remove) but this serves as a further reminder that this is the side you have already loaded. It’s easy to get mixed up in the dark. Some holders have an ejection lever, which serves to easily remove film when you want to process it, and this lever also serves to check to see if there is film loaded in that side, but these simply Fidelity-type holders do not have this feature, so that’s what the little lock is for. 3:42 - He mentions dust control, however I always give the film a gentle once-over with canned air as I am closing the holder. This is especially important if you are using a changing bag, as many bags deposit a lot of dust onto the film. The dust particles on the film produce very annoying and hard to correct traces on your developed film. 5:25 - The notches not only serve to orient the film correctly, but also to identify what type of film it is. Every film type has a distinct notch pattern to identify it in the dark. This may not be important when you are loading film, as the box clearly identifies the type, however when you are unloading holders to get the film processed it is critical to make sure you know what type of film it is to get it into the correct process for that film. One usage tip: When you are working with your loaded holders, give the holder a firm tap in the direction you are about to load it in the camera. This is because the film holders actually do not hold the film completely still, and the film can shift slightly within the holder. As large format often uses rather long exposure times, this can happen during your exposure, ruining the result. This is more true for larger formats, but it can affect 4x5 as well. Don’t ask me how I learned this.

[@erichstocker8358]

You don't need to do the razor cut of the outside seals in the dark. The film is in a light tight bag and often has another box cover over that. As long as one doesn't open the top after cutting the seals there is no issue. Remember only two sides of the box has the seal and that is to keep someone from opening the box in light.

[@TrailerHomeVideo]

nice explanation

[@jimpurcell]

Thanks, very helpful.

[@RomulSpiel]

Отличное обучающее видео. Спасибо!

[@matthewhintz6404]

Obviously there is no harm in it, but is cleaning the holder like this necessary? Probably a good practice but kinda time consuming. I have never cleaned a holder prior to loading and never had an issue! Just curious what your thought process there is. Thanks

[@mediumphoto]

Cleaning the holder is simply good practice, and while not necessary (film will still expose in a dirty holder) it only uses up a few seconds of darkroom time. I've had tons of small hairs approx. 2mm - 4mm in holders over the years, working in a physically isolated and clean darkroom. Thanks for your comments and questions!

[@arnolfini1434]

People might find loading the film landscape rather than upright ,especially with 8x10 film, a bit easier!

[@melody3741]

Okay that upper right/left was horrifically unhelpful, especially considering that you can load the holders either way, but nearly always in the horizontal position, and that they then have to again be reversed when you load them. I would rather you describe it in relation to the long and short sides