I am looking to purchase a changing tent that will allow me sufficient room to load 4X5 film holders. Any recommendations? I have seen a Fuji changing tent made of laminated wood and cloth that folds up for storage. The dimensions are 26"W-26"L-24"H. Has anyone used this changing tent?

-- R. Lawrence (leica@interpath.com), September 21, 1999

Answers

Try the Harrison film changing tents. They come in various sizes & work well. In the latest issue of View Camera Magazine you will see a photo of Tillman Crane, workshop leader, changing 8x20 film in one of the larger ones.

-- Dan Smith (shooter@brigham.net), September 21, 1999.

I am using one from a company called Shadow Box. It's works well (sets up like a tent) and handles the abuse pretty well (comes in a handy plastic suitcase for travel or putting into the car trunk). One thing I learned when choosing a changing tent, avoid the ones that "pop up". These have exposed metal hoops inside the tent; this can lead to extra risk in scratching film or whatever may comeup against the hoops.

-- Robert Ruderman (ruderman@seanet.com), September 21, 1999.

If you're using transparency film, it may not be worth purchasing a changing bag. Based on B&H's prices, the price of Readyloads and Quickloads have remained stable for several years at about $2.25/sheet, while the price of plain sheet film has increased to nearly $2/sheet. Personally, I don't mind paying $0.25 to avoid having to load film.

Perhaps the differential for B&W film is greater, or perhaps the film that you use doesn't come in a preloaded holder. In that case, you're stuck with having to use a changing tent.

My own experience was with a Photoflex Changing Room. I found it very difficult to load film without having some dust on it. This was especially true while working in the desert. I simply won't work with a tent in dry, dusty areas anymore.

Hope you have better luck. Bruce

-- Bruce M. Herman (bherman@gci.net), September 22, 1999.

I second the recommendation for the Harrison tents. They work well, and are comfortable to use.

Regarding the previous post on the price differential between boxed sheet film and quickloads, I believe the 25 cents figure is optimistic. For RDPII sheet film I pay $1.72/sheet (based on 50 sheet box) while a quickload costs $2.60. That is a difference of $0.88/sheet or 51% film higher cost. I believe the differentials for Kodak readyloads are somewhat closer.

-- Larry Huppert (Larry.Huppert@mail.com), September 22, 1999.

There is a similar question I asked. I bought a Harrison mini pop-up tent (the smaller version for 4x5-5x7). It works great and lightweight. The only improvement I suggest with this tent is to make pockets for the aluminum frames deeper so it's easier to set up the them on the tent.

-- Masayoshi Hayashi (mhayashi@phys.ufl.edu), September 22, 1999.

I have a Photoflex changing bag and do not like it. The setup seems tricky. Somedays I can setup the bag, other days it seems impossible.

-- Michael Briggs (Michael.Briggs@prodigy.net), September 23, 1999.