[LargeFormat] changing tent vs readyloads

[Hornford, Dave]

Joe,

If you like Kodak TMX I'd go with the Readyloads. There is a price
premium, but when you are on the road the flexibility and convenience
are likely worthwhile. If you don't like TMAX look at the Fuji
QuickLoader & Fuji ACROS.

I can't speak to your economic/value analysis but I can provide mine as
a starting point for you.

I have been experimenting with different solutions for taking by LF with
me days from the road and settled on a Fuji QuickChanger instead of the
Kodak Ready loads or the Fuji QuickLoads.

By preference I shoot Provia and FP4/HP5 (because PanF isn't available
in sheets). I tried both the Fuji QuickLoad and the Fuji QuickChange.
Provia knocked Kodak out of contention for me.

The QuickLoads are great. Single sheets, no loading, I can write notes
right on the case. No question after the fact which are N-1, etc...
Perfect in all regards for someone who often shoots LF while his hiking
companions note that this is the third stop in 20 meters leaving only
19,780 meters to go. (The same wits have pointed out that if I left my
cameras & cooking gear at home I could carry their packs in addition to
mine and still achieve a weight saving - the same wits were silent on my
cooking gear after the pineapple upside down cake worked perfectly)

Unfortunately, the only BW for the QuickLoads is Fuji ACROS - a fine
film that in QuickLoad format is only 5x the price of Ilford
Delta/FP4/HP5. I can live with the 50% uplift for Provia for the
convenience, I could even live with the significant uplift for BW. The
really irksome point is ACROS QuickLoads cost more than Provia
QuickLoads. I think this is the stumbling point for me.

I have not tried Kodak's Readyloader because of my Provia preference. I
intend to try mixing & matching the films/holders; other priorities have
kept me from experimenting - the 3x price of TMX Readyloads vs FP4 keeps
this low on the priority. As I have a QuickLoader, any time I'm willing
to pay the price for the convenience (say summer 2003 on Ellesmere
Island) I'll just buy the ACROS because I know it will work.

The QuickChanger lowered the weight/bulk from traditional holders and
the ability to reload the holders eliminated the price premium on the
film. I normally use the QuickChanger with 2 holders (1 Provia & 1 BW)
together these 16 sheets take up the same space as ~3 normal film
holders (6 sheets) and weigh as much as 4.

Dave Hornford
"Once in a while you will stumble upon the truth but most of us manage
to pick ourselves up and hurry along as if nothing had happened."
    --- Winston Churchill





-----Original Message-----
From: Joseph O'Neil [mailto:joneil@multiboard.com]=20
Sent: September 29, 2002 7:31 AM
To: largeformat@f32.net
Subject: [LargeFormat] changing tent vs readyloads


	Last year for the first tiem I drove the family for a week long
trip to=20
florida and the Keys.  This year I am heading back - stright to the=20
Keys.  The old buildings in Key west are wonderful, as is the landscape
in=20
and around all the Keys.
	Last year I kicked myself for not taking a 4x5 along.  I am not
making=20
that mistake this year.  :)   However, I want to take a good supply of
film=20
- that's easy, but then what about film holders?  Dragging along a huge
box=20
of pre-loaded film holders just isn't going to work.
	So what do other people prefer - ready loads or a film changing
tent?    I=20
already own a Polariod 545 back, but how compatable are the Kodak Ready=20
loads (I shoot only B&W) with the Polaroid holder?
	The extra cost ofthe Ready loads is not a factor for me as much
as you=20
cannot get Tri-X in readyloads (bummer), and i also see that film tents
are=20
not cheap, so cost wise, the extra money for readyloads is about the
same=20
as a film tent it seems.
	Any thoughts?
joe



=09
=09
http://www.oneilphoto.on.ca
http://www.multiboard.com/~joneil
"Una salus victus nullam sperare salutem"


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