5x7 shen hao film holders

Has anyone had problems? I just returned two holders two Badger Graphic. They

both leaked light. What a bummer. I need some new ones.

Anyway, I tested them twice with different films. Mine leaked in an odd way

along the edges. A sort of mottled pattern.

I also saw some streaking in the middle of one of one of the sheets. I think

one of ends may have leaked.

The end flaps are held by black duct tape! hmmmm.

The wood is a light weight straight grained blond wood. They appear to be

well made, but the wood is a little soft, compared to the old time wood ones I

have.

Any new shen hao product might have issues. Their early roll film holders were terrible, at

least the one i bought from badger. I eventually sent it back for a newer model and have

had better results. I'd search out some used plastic Fidelity holders if i were you.

Chamonix on ebay sells 5x7's.

I agree with Vinny. I had a friend purchase an early Shen-Hao for me in China before they

had a US importer, and the finish was very poor. Within a week the black paint on the metal

started chipping off and the varnish started bubbling and peeling. Can you return them?

Thanks for your answers. Yes. The Badger fellow was cheerful enough about giving me a return authorization number. And I assume they will credit my card. Of course I'm out the mailing charges.

Jeff at Badger Graphic is one of the best people to deal with in the gear biz. Only good

things to say about that company.

Gene,

 

When I tested two of the new Shen Hao holders, I had no problems with them at all. I've been using them ever since, again with no problems. The only time I've experienced problems such as you described was one time with a Fidelity holder when a colleague forgot to pull the darkslide completely out. That caused a light streak in the middle of an image. Actually, I think these Shen Hao holders are quite good. A little stiff when it comes to pulling out the darkslide, but still fine. The tape at the end of the holders is okay. The tape does not block light in film holders anyway; it's the design of the holder itself that does that. I think your four-sheet test may not have given you an adequate chance to learn how to use them.

Michael, thanks for your comments. Good 5x7 holders are hard to come by. I'm glad yours are fine. I'm pretty confident that my tests were conclusive for my holders. There's not much of a learning curve; and I've been using sheet film holders for many years.

I wish Toyo would make a batch of 57's; their 45 holders are very rugged.