old film holders versus new-- any difference in sharpness?

I've been shooting with a set of old wooden Kodak 8x10 holders which

seem to work fine, but I recently rented some new holders

(Lisco/Fidelity) that made my holders look pretty marginal by

comparison. Presuming there are no light leaks in my old holders, I

wonder if they hold the film as flat as the newer ones, or if there

are any other differences that would affect image sharpness. Any

thoughts?

 

~cj

Chris if your pics are sharp why worry?

there is no doubt in my mind that the new ones warp over time. especially if they get a bit hot in the summertime. I think its an individual thing and you have to check each holder. some older holders can be just as sharp as some of the newer holders.

 

Kevin

I prefer wood holders over plastic ones. For 8x10, they are lighter, a little smaller

and less prone to warpage and dust (static). Ansco, Burke and James and Kodak

made quality wood holders that in my opinion are better than the current Lisco/

Fidelty holders.

I can make blurry pictures with either one :>()

I prefer wood. They weigh less. I recently had a chance to to purchase a rather large set of 5x7 Lisco holders that looked like new. I weighed them and compared it to my wood ones. They were so heavy, I passed them up even though they were a give away price.

I'll buy your wooden holders from you. But after the previous

responses, you probably do not want to sell them.

I have both wood and plastic 8x10 holders. I prefer the wood ones made by Graflex for Eastman Kodak. The light traps unscrew(except for one, which is, oddly, held together with rivets) so I can, if need be, open them up easily for cleaning or replacing the velvets---I can't do that with any of the plastic ones, or my wooden Agfas for that matter. Plastic holders are useful in my Gowland Aerial since the textured finish lets the air "leak" avoiding an air pressure lock when changing alititude. It is also nice to have an assortment to hold different film emulsions, so I don't have to worry about what film is in what holder when those little post-it notes fall off. ------------Cheers!

I have mostly plastic Fidelity and Lisco holders, but I also have a small number of Kodak wooden holders. I'll take the wooden holders over the plastic any day. They are lighter than the plastic holders, and I have also found that I can load and unload the wooden holders faster than the plastic ones. I'm not sure why that is, but it's so. Also, I've had two nearly brand new plastic holders that have warped after sitting in the sun. My wooden holders are, well, straight as a board, you might say.

This has been an interesting thread. I've always assumed that wood holders are more prone to dust. (Wood specs.) On the other hand, I just took some photos with plastic fidelity holders in which I suspect I had a light leak. I was thinking of checking the camera, but I will instead check the holders.