rayfc Posted December 31, 2002 Share Posted December 31, 2002 Does anyone know if 4x5 film is truly 4x5 or, is there a fractional component of the dimensions? Also, are the dimensional tolerances from brand-to-brand very close? I searched the archives here and on the Kodak site but, did not find the answer. Much Thanks and Happy New Year. Ray Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellis_vener_photography Posted December 31, 2002 Share Posted December 31, 2002 I'll be t there is an ISO standard for sheet film sizing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelly_flanigan1 Posted December 31, 2002 Share Posted December 31, 2002 The Current Kodak 4x5 black and White negative films are about 1/8 inch smaller than 4x5 inches on both sides. ie 3 7/8" by 4 7/8" size. I know this because I cut down Fuji Ortho 8.5x11" and 12x18" sheets under red safelight to the 1/8" below 4x5 size on a regular basis. <BR><BR>The old obsolete 4x5 film pack is slightly different in nominal 4x5" size. I have had to trim down the 4" side a bit to fit in my epson 2450 4x5 film holder. <BR><BR>The usable image size depends on the film holder. A few of my holders will produce a 3.75 by 4.75 inch image. This is abit dangerous to actually use all the edge portion. For critical work; I use just 3x4 inches; and allow some space for handling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troll Posted December 31, 2002 Share Posted December 31, 2002 What we call "4x5" sheet film is actually 100mm x 125mm. But the size of the image is much less, nominally 95mmx120mm due to the film ID notch and the film holders. For most of us it's actually even smaller, unless we're making contact prints or using a double-glass negative carrier. The opening of the glassless negative carrier for my Omega D2 is only 92mm x 118mm. That's 3.62" x 4.65". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimh Posted December 31, 2002 Share Posted December 31, 2002 <i>I'll be t there is an ISO standard for sheet film sizing.</i> My best guess is <a href="http://www.iso.ch/iso/en/CatalogueDetailPage.CatalogueDetail?CSNUMBER=25440&ICS1=37&ICS2=40&ICS3=20">ISO 10012</a>. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelly_flanigan1 Posted December 31, 2002 Share Posted December 31, 2002 The aperture of my Epson Scanner's 2450 photo "4x5" film holder is 3.65 x 4.65 inches; or about 93 by 118 mm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rayfc Posted December 31, 2002 Author Share Posted December 31, 2002 ...and the answer is: http://www.geocities.com/thombell/filmsheet.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelly_flanigan1 Posted December 31, 2002 Share Posted December 31, 2002 Ray's link gives:<BR><BR><b>Nominal Size 4 x 5 <BR><BR>Minimum 3.91 x 4.91 (in) 99.2 X 124.6 (mm) <BR><BR> Aim 3.92 x 4.92 (in) 99.6 X 125.0 (mm) <BR><BR> Maximum 3.94 x 4.94 (in) 100.0 X 125.4 (mm) </b><BR><BR>Most of my Kodak and Ilford films seem to be at the minimum size of this list; or even smaller. The Plus-X pan Professional I got from B&H two months ago is almost exact 1/8" smaller than 4x5" AFTER processing; ie 3.88 x 4.88; which is less than the minimum from this table. I used a machinists 6 inch steel ruler than measures to 1/64 inch or 1/100 inch on the other side. My 4x5 spiral Nikor tank is abit sensitive to the nominal 4" dimension; and must be adjusted slightly if a 4x5" batch varies in size. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ole_tjugen Posted December 31, 2002 Share Posted December 31, 2002 What worries me more is the size of 5x7" versus 13x18cm. The link mentions only 13x18, but there is a difference.. 5x7 film will fit in 13x18 holders, but the opposite is very difficult if at all possible. A while ago I measured film of both sizes, and found that the 13x18cm film is almost exactly 5"x7", while 5x7 film is 1-2mm smaller... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
upscan Posted January 1, 2003 Share Posted January 1, 2003 Ray: Ultimately it depends on the film holder, not on the film. Film holders are not exactly identical so the best way is to pull out the slide from a film holder and measure your own film holder 'openings', i.e. dimension of the whole rectangle that is fully accessible to the incoming light. To be sure use a micrometer if you need correct decimals. The answer you get will be the absolute, incontrovertible fact, no theorizing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelly_flanigan1 Posted January 1, 2003 Share Posted January 1, 2003 Ray question was the size of the Film; and not the film holder opening. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelly_flanigan1 Posted January 1, 2003 Share Posted January 1, 2003 In loading my 4x5 Nikor stainless tank; I have found out the hard way that the 4" dimension varies. This causes problems when loading the spiral reel in total darkness. Now I set the reel to the batch of film I am processing; by wasting one 4x5 sheet from a pack to set the reels height. When switching brands often one must readjust the spiral reels height. <br><br>When using surplus film that has been cut down to "4x5"; sometimes the sides are not parallel; ie the film squirmed over when being cut. This can make the film sloppy in a 4x5 sheet film holder; and a real devil to load in a spiral nikor tank. <BR><BR>The films outer dimensions; and the film holders aperture size are both mentioned in this thread; and are both important. <BR><BR>The last batch of Kodak Plus-X PROFESSIONAL 4X5 film received last month is exactly 1/8" less than 4x5 inches; and is less than the minimum size mentioned in the link mentioned above. Maybe since this is the last of Plus-X in this size; they didnt care much about tolerances... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rayfc Posted January 1, 2003 Author Share Posted January 1, 2003 Folks, Just for the record, I was constructing a slop tray frame similar to the one suggested on Phil Bard's site (http://www.philbard.com/home.html). While testing the fixture, I happened to notice that 4x5 film dimensions varied quite a bit. I wanted to build the frame to safely hold the worst-case dimensions; thus, my initial inquiry. Ok, that little project is over now (with a very happy ending) but, I'm still in awe at the size variance of 4x5 sheet film. Such loose tolerances must be inconsequential otherwise, we'd all be in an uproar... Happy New Year Ray C. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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