Taking photos with a 1960s Tri-X 4x5 film pack

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Yesterday I loaded a 50+ year-old 16-shot 4x5 film pack into my Graflex Super Graphic and took four shots near downtown Houston. Last night I managed to open the film pack, remove only those four exposed film sheets, close the pack for later use, and develop four photos.
I had never used a film pack before, spent a lot of time fumbling around in the dark trying to pull those film sheets, then had significant challenges developing them because film pack sheets are larger than regular 4x5. It wound up being a frustrating yet valuable experience. If you’re unfamiliar with film packs but want to use one someday, maybe this video will help.
Details:
Graflex Super Graphic
Hyperfocal distance method - f22 aperture, focus locked at 30 feet, shots composed with wire frame finder
Developed at home with Stearman Press 445 tank, SP-76 developer, 10+1 solution, 6 minutes 30 seconds
Scanned with Epson V600, edited in Lightroom
The screenshot near the end is from this RU-vid video about WW2 combat photographers: • Speed Graphic 45: The ...
P.S. I know my videography skills are lacking, but cut me some slack. I’ll get better. :)

Опубликовано:

11 сен 2024

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Комментарии : 15

@flyingo 4 месяца назад

Very cool. I ended up with several of these multi-shot 4x5 film packs- Kodak and even a couple Fuji ones. Like yours, the film is dated from the 60s and 70s, so I don’t have my hopes up too high. Seeing yours gives me a little bit more confidence in what I might achieve. I’ll be developing them in a Yankee tank like that square one you showed. Thanks!

@houstoncombatphotography9454 4 месяца назад

You might want to check out my video about using a film pack to shoot a reenactment. I got some pretty cool results from the film that day.

@houstoncombatphotography9454 2 года назад

Aaaaaand I just realized I didn’t horizontally flip one of the pictures during editing. Duh.

@milesian1 Год назад

This was very helpful to me. I don't recall where I got it, but somehow I acquired a pack of this film a few years ago that I just stuck in my film freezer without looking closely. Recently I was organizing the film in my freezer and came across the pack, and I've been intrigued about how to go about shooting and developing it. This video pretty much answers all my questions, and now I'm getting ready to try shooting a pack once the holder arrives from the seller. My main remaining concern prior to watching this video was development, since I don't have the means for tray development. But now I'm pretty sure that my MOD-54 holder will work okay. If necessary, I suppose I could make a little "jig" for cutting off the excess on the paper remnant side while it's inside my changing bag. Mine says "develop before May 1967," which has given me an idea for a project with that year in mind. BTW, that Super Graphic looks practically new. What a jewell!

@houstoncombatphotography9454 Год назад

Since I made this video I shot another film pack, this time at a reenactment. The pack had expired in 1968. Almost every shot turned out fine, I just had a few blotches and dark areas.

@milesian1 Год назад

@@houstoncombatphotography9454 Thanks for your update. That's awesome! Did you also rate it at 80 EI? Any insight on developer/dilution? For my project, I'm thinking of inviting people born in the year 1967 to sit for a portrait on this film and documenting the process. Of course, I'll be sure to shoot some fresh 4x5 as well while I have them.

@houstoncombatphotography9454 Год назад

Sorry, I just saw this. For development I really just winged it, I used SP-76EC 10+1 for 11 minutes instead of 6:30. Fortunately it worked. :)

@houstoncombatphotography9454 Год назад

And I rated it at 60, which was also a total guess.

@milesian1 Год назад

@@houstoncombatphotography9454Thanks! I've been busy and haven't made progress on this yet, so I appreciate your replies.

@Threetails Год назад

I just got my hands on a Graflex that came with some tri-x film packs JUST LIKE THESE that expired like a year before yours and now I really want to see if I can get anything out of them. Also, thanks for showing me how to use it!

@houstoncombatphotography9454 Год назад

Outstanding, glad I could help. Please let me know how they turn out.

@Threetails Год назад

@@houstoncombatphotography9454 Probably going to try a modern sheet film first just to get the hang of the camera. Lucky my area has supplies and services for that.

@aeromodeller1 Год назад

What are the exact dimensions of the Film Pack negatives? Andrew Irvine used Film Pack negatives on the 1924 Everest expedition. The archivist at Merton College measured them at 87 mm x 120 mm. Several manufacturers made Film Pack negatives.

@houstoncombatphotography9454 Год назад

Good question, I’ll measure and get back with you.

@houstoncombatphotography9454 Год назад

If my conversion is correct, they’re approximately 104mm x 133mm, 5.25” x just barely over 4”. If you send me your email address I’ll send you photos of the measurements and a comparison with a standard modern film sheet.