Instax Wide and 1/4-plate cameras

vickersdc · Feb 4, 2021

I threw down the Instax Wide photo of a cottage on to the desk and it landed next to a paper negative cut for my 1/4-plate camera. The sizes were almost identical.

So, it occurred to me that I could use my 1896 Underwood 1/4-plate camera with it's DDS with Instax Wide film... it works well on one side, but the other side is just a little too small to fit the Instax into. Still, I think it might try it out this weekend

Here's an Instax wide photo in the 1/4-plate DDS...

Don_ih · Feb 4, 2021

I put Instax wide in a Polaroid 100 holder and used that in an RB67 with the Polaroid back. I think you have to expose at iso600. Unlike Polaroid integrated film, you expose Instax through the back - so you would have it in the holder pictured above black-side facing out. Not that you'd notice that loading a sheet in the dark.
I only did it a couple of times. I don't think I liked the results much.

(I wish Fuji would make either peel-apart film or make a better camera for the instax wide.)

vickersdc · Feb 4, 2021

@Don Heisz - agree with you on wishing Fuji would make a better camera for their Instax wide film - even just a decent lens would be good. But then again, with Instax resolving 10lp/mm does it matter the lens is plastic?

As for exposing through the back - that's how I've shown in it the picture

I've also found that I can squeeze an Instax Wide sheet into my Cambo C240 6x7 holder for the 4x5 camera (although it obviously won't expose the entire sheet, unlike the 1/4-plate).

Don_ih · Feb 4, 2021

vickersdc said:
that's how I've shown in it the picture

Ah - that's a reflection. I thought it was a moody low-light photo...

It's not the resolution of the film that's the problem with Instax wide - it's the harsh flatness generated by the way the camera takes pictures. And composition through that viewfinder is a bit of a joke.

vickersdc · Feb 4, 2021

Don Heisz said:
It's not the resolution of the film that's the problem with Instax wide - it's the harsh flatness generated by the way the camera takes pictures. And composition through that viewfinder is a bit of a joke.

The viewfinder is pretty hopeless at framing an image - it's sort of an approximation but that's it! I've put some black gaffer tape over the flash...

vickersdc · Feb 5, 2021

Last night I changed the lens on the 1/4-plate camera (it was the original and had no shutter) with my 90mm Super Angulon. The Copal 0 shutter fits a treat and I can still remount the original one. I've also loaded up the two DDS with an Instax sheet each and hope to try it out tomorrow morning (weather depending).

Anyway, here's my 'new' Instax camera...

vickersdc · Feb 5, 2021

The sun popped out and I grabbed the chance to leave the computer for a few minutes to try out the 1/4-plate camera fitted with Instax Wide.

This is the test shot; I metered off the white wall (1/80th @ f45 @ ISO800). I set the shutter to 1/60th and put in a 2-stop ND grad to see what would happen too. As you can see that grad was enough to drive down the sky into blackness but the 1/60th shutter still kept the white house, white. The dynamic range of this film must be tiny!! Anyway, more experimentation needed...

Donald Qualls · Feb 5, 2021

The dynamic range of Instax, like Polaroid integral films and Polaroid/Fujiroid peel-apart films, is barely even as great as 1960s vintage slide films. One must meter dead on, and be aware that there will only be about three stops (four at most) between white-with-detail and black-with-detail, about five stops between blank white and blank black (vs. seven or so for B&W negative, or a good solid eight for color negative films).

vickersdc · Feb 5, 2021

Thanks for information, @Donald Qualls - that is useful to know.

A useable latitude of three - four stops is definitely something short of the Ektar 100 and Portra 400 that I normally shoot! It also means careful selection of ND grads to help out too (as seen by attempt earlier - even a 1-stop grad will make a significant difference depending on the scene).

vickersdc · Feb 6, 2021

I found the characteristic curve for Instax film - I'd put the latitude at about +1 stop, -2 stops (maybe -2.4 stops if you're lucky). Anyway, here's the curve and my reckoning...

vickersdc · Feb 7, 2021

I took the camera + Instax out again this afternoon and using the information from the characteristic curve, set about to retain as much detail as possible. With sunny clouds, I had to wait until the right moment to take a couple of measurements (sky at 1/60 @ f45) and then set the shutter speed to 1/30th (at a fraction over f45). Happy that the shadow areas would be okay in this instance, this was the result...

I was very happy with the result, the actual Instax print looks sharp and the colours are great (better than this web version!). It definitely seems that limiting the dynamic range to around 3 stops is going to be key, as is choosing the right light to make the images pop.

Donald Qualls · Feb 8, 2021

vickersdc said:
It definitely seems that limiting the dynamic range to around 3 stops is going to be key, as is choosing the right light to make the images pop.

Glad to hear it works well. Now I'm going to have to get a Wide camera so I can try it (might try it with the Mini I've already got in my RB67 first, though).

awty · Feb 8, 2021

Very cool. How did you couple it to the 1/4 plate?
I bought a wide and a mini awhile ago to fit to other cameras, but haven't got around to it yet.

vickersdc · Feb 8, 2021

awty said:
Very cool. How did you couple it to the 1/4 plate?
I bought a wide and a mini awhile ago to fit to other cameras, but haven't got around to it yet.

I didn't couple the Instax wide sheet to anything, just laid it in. I can (at the moment) only fit the sheet into one side of the DDS. You will need to remember that the dark side of the film goes towards the lens - although that's kinda pointless knowing that, as you transfer the sheet from the Instax holder to the bookform holder in a changing bag. However, it's useful to know that if you can feel the wider part that holds the chemicals and the join between that and the 'window', you'll be able to orient it without problem.

So, in my bookform holders I have a thick piece of black glass and a piece of black card - these are my spacers. I then lay the Instax sheet on top of them and close up the holder. The sheet fits nicely on the longer edge, but is fractionally too long on the shorter edge. Ensure the chemical side sits comfortably into the holder and doesn't get crushed when you close the bookform holder / DDS.

That all sounds terribly complicated - if I get a chance at the weekend, I'll upload some images as a guide.

awty · Feb 8, 2021

Im confused, yes pictures would be good.
I thought you needed the fuji back yo process the film. Im assuming your loading just the pack itself into the film holder.....hmmm will need to investigate.

Oren Grad · Feb 8, 2021

FWIW, Instax Wide film does not fit into my 3 1/4 x 4 1/4 inch cut film holders - neither the standard holders for Graphics nor the slotted ones for Graflexes. It's just a bit too wide.

Donald Qualls · Feb 9, 2021

awty said:
I thought you needed the fuji back yo process the film. Im assuming your loading just the pack itself into the film holder.....hmmm will need to investigate.

The common way to process these after exposure in something other than the Instax camera is to slip the print back into the cartridge (still in the dark) and reload it into the camera. If the camera doesn't eject the print automatically when powered on, you'll then cover the lens and fire the camera to eject and process the print.

vickersdc · Feb 9, 2021

Donald Qualls said:
The common way to process these after exposure in something other than the Instax camera is to slip the print back into the cartridge (still in the dark) and reload it into the camera. If the camera doesn't eject the print automatically when powered on, you'll then cover the lens and fire the camera to eject and process the print.

Yep, that's exactly how I am processing mine. Pop it back into the Instax 100 camera in the changing bag, turn it on, fire the shutter and voila!

vickersdc · Feb 12, 2021

I figured I would try a portraiture test shot using the Instax Wide in the 1/4-plate camera to see how it reacted to my flash (Profoto Acute B600 with beauty dish). Not only that but I had lightly modified the bookform DDS so that it could hold two sheets of Instax and I wanted to make sure that was okay too.

For me, it shows that Instax film is capable of some great looking images and I might just have to try taking some proper portrait images!

vickersdc · Feb 13, 2021

Quick update: in order to fit two sheets of Instax Wide film into the bookform holder, I did have to very carefully widen the space to fit in the sheet. There really wan't a lot of room for errors here as the wood that I was reducing thickness was barely a couple of mm anyway.

vickersdc · Feb 13, 2021

With that done, it was time to re-blacken the wood where it had been sanded...

vickersdc · Feb 13, 2021

Which brings us on to how to use it... the following is done in a changing bag.

Step 1: remove a sheet of Instax from its original holder. Make a note of which way round it is (although you can't see it at this stage, the dark side is the lens side and the thicker piece that holds the chemicals needs to be uppermost).

Step 2: open the bookform holder and (thinking about how it slides into the camera) insert the sheet...

vickersdc · Feb 13, 2021

Step 3: insert the spacers...

vickersdc · Feb 13, 2021

Step 4: place the second sheet on top of the spacers (dark side uppermost) and chemical pod towards you this time (i.e. opposite way to last time)...

vickersdc · Feb 13, 2021

Step 5: final step... close the bookform holder. I've opened the darkslide here so that you can see how the Instax film is showing...

Instax Wide and 1/4-plate cameras

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