jim_worthington

David,

Holding the film by the edge with the notch at the appropriate corner

(see the website link above), guide the film under the two narrow and

thin guides on either side of the holder. Those hold it flat; if you

only get under one, the film sheet will interfere with the dark slide

and/or not lie flat resulting in poor focus and/or other

unpleasantnesses. Don't ask me how I know all of the pitfalls.

Enjoy

Jim

Chiming in with a little stream of consciousness, I take landscape

photographs because doing so helps me see. My most pleasant photo

experiences are when I see something that catches my eye and am able

to put it on film. Later, when I develop it, I remember what I was

feeling and how it grabbed me. I don't always show it to other

people; in fact, I don't always print it. One great thing about large

format is that I enjoy the negatives themselves.

If I repeated anybody, I apologize. I deliberately didn't look at

the other response, because I wanted to give my immediate reaction to

the question.

Good light and low wind to all,

Jim

Kevin

It's a nice little lens. One came with a Burke & James 5x7/4x5 I

bought used a few years ago. Mine has been sharp; my work is black

and white. It won't cover 5x7, but it should do nicely for 4x5 work.

Have fun.

Jim

You can also buy a self supporting bellows hood that attaches to the

front of the Cokin P filter holder from a company in Great Britain,

whose website is www.srbfilm.co.uk. I use that combination plus a

universal mounting ring that uses three nylon screws to fit snugly

against the outside of all but one of four lenses.

Jim Worthington

Greetings,

I have a Wollensak convertible lens marked "Voltas Three Focus F8 8x10". It's mounted in a Betax No. 4 shutter and is a good lens. The aperture scale says indicates that it serves as a 12.5", 20", and 28.5" lens. It does not have a serial number. Does anybody know the history of this lens? When was it manufactured? I use it for B&W following the rules for convertible lenses, but am curious about its history. Thanks in advance.

Jim Worthington

Hello,

I used some black photographic tape (a heavy cloth tape I bought at my

local purveyor of accessories) to tape the ends of some old 4x5 and

5x7 film holders. It worked great.

Hope this helps

Jim Worthington

Bill,

You might try the photographic history listserve. I learned about it

through the links section of the Royal Photographic Society's website,

www.rps.org.

FWIW, I am very interested in 19th century photographers. Currently,

I'm reading a book about the surveys by Hayden, King, Powell & Wheeler

from the late 1860s to the late 1870s. William Henry Jackson and

Timothy H. O'Sullivan accompanied three of the four surveyors with

hundreds of pounds of glass plates.

Jim Worthington