Newbie Question ....film related

So, I am sitting here with a large format field camera procurred
from school and I can't for the life of me figure out if I am supposed
to load the film holder into the camera from the left or the right.
If I load it from the left I would be loading it on the side that the
spring (metal bar that bends a bit) holding the glass on starts on and
is screwed to the camera, if I load it from the right it would be the
side that the spring doesn't physically reach.
Which side should I be loading it from?
Please save me from a bunch of destroyed film.
I've searched the web over and can find no answers.
Thanks

wrote in message
ps.com...

So, I am sitting here with a large format field camera procurred
from school and I can't for the life of me figure out if I am supposed
to load the film holder into the camera from the left or the right.
If I load it from the left I would be loading it on the side that the
spring (metal bar that bends a bit) holding the glass on starts on and
is screwed to the camera, if I load it from the right it would be the
side that the spring doesn't physically reach.
Which side should I be loading it from?
Please save me from a bunch of destroyed film.
I've searched the web over and can find no answers.
Thanks

Depands on the camera! ...
Look at the surface of the camera that will mate with the film holder-- at
the top and bottom (the long dimensions of the film), there should be some
sort of guides/ridges that hold the film holder in place. Does this
ridge/guide extend along one end? If so, the holder is inserted from the
other end and fits against these ridges/guides on three sides.
Look at the frame around the ground glass focus screen. One side of it may
be designed flared out to "guide" the film holder into place. That is the
side the holder is insertd into.
Try inserting the film holder one each way. In one direction it may fit more
securely than the other direction.
If none of these suggestions help, then assume that the camera was designed
for a right-hand world, and insert the film holder in from the right, as
determined when looking at the focus screen.

wrote in message
ps.com...

So, I am sitting here with a large format field camera
procurred
from school and I can't for the life of me figure out if I
am supposed
to load the film holder into the camera from the left or
the right.
If I load it from the left I would be loading it on the
side that the
spring (metal bar that bends a bit) holding the glass on
starts on and
is screwed to the camera, if I load it from the right it
would be the
side that the spring doesn't physically reach.
Which side should I be loading it from?
Please save me from a bunch of destroyed film.
I've searched the web over and can find no answers.
Thanks

The side of the back the film holder goes into should
have a lip, the other side will be flat. There are few backs
that will allow loading from the wrong side.
The back of virtually all view cameras can be turned in
some fashion. Most are held in by some sort of catches so
they can be oriented vertically or horizontally, some are
mounted so they can be rotated at will. This allows you to
put the loading side wherever you want it.
Do you know what kind of camera this is?


--
---
Richard Knoppow
Los Angeles, CA, USA





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Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

Thanks I managed to figure it out with the descriptions you two
gave.

wrote in message
oups.com...

Thanks I managed to figure it out with the descriptions
you two
gave.

Have fun with it. LF is not quite like anything else. I
wish I knew of a good tutorial on the web, perhaps someone
else does. If you have access to a good public library you
might check on whether they have any older photography
books. In particular I suggest any of the _Graphic Graflex
Photography_ series. These were issued about yearly for a
couple of decades. While they are mainly aimed at using
Speed Graphic press cameras they do have a section on view
cameras (which Graflex also made) and a fair amount on the
handling of sheet film. There are also a couple of good
books about view cameras, in particular the ones by Steve
Simmons and Leslie Stroebel, both wrote excellent books
about the use of view cameras. Amazon probably has these,
they are not too old. Both explain the use of the vaious
tilts and shifts which are the hall-mark of these cameras.


--
---
Richard Knoppow
Los Angeles, CA, USA





--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

wrote:
So, I am sitting here with a large format field camera procurred
from school and I can't for the life of me figure out if I am supposed
to load the film holder into the camera from the left or the right.
If I load it from the left I would be loading it on the side that the
spring (metal bar that bends a bit) holding the glass on starts on and
is screwed to the camera, if I load it from the right it would be the
side that the spring doesn't physically reach.
Which side should I be loading it from?
Please save me from a bunch of destroyed film.
I've searched the web over and can find no answers.
Thanks


You got it from school and they didn't show you how to insert the film
holder?

The "top" has kind of a groove to mate with the ridge across the top of
the film holder, which helps lock it in place while you pull the dark slide.

You got it from school and they didn't show you how to insert the film
holder?

They did, it was just one of those little details that flew my mind.
At least I remembered to close the lens ;-)

I'll check out the books.