I was picking up some stuff in a large camera store yesterday (I live in Japan) and they had 2 rather strange sizes of B&W Fuji sheet film in the fridge:

8.2 x 11.8 cm
and, also,
11.8 x 16.8 cm

I thought I’d found a handy source for 3x4 sheet film and getting an inexpensive 3x4 Graphic started to seem incredibly attractive, but doing the math this doesn’t seem to be the case... isn’t the "3x4" size actually 3 1/4 x 4 1/4 inches? If 1 inch = 2.54 cm, the 8.2 x 11.8 cm film should be about 3.23 (close enough to 3.25?), but the other dimension would be 4.65 inches. Is this too long to use in a "3x4" holder, or is this the actual size of the film, while the image is 3 1/4 x 4 1/4 inches? Anyway, I’m confused – does anyone know if this film would work in 3x4 film holders?

In terms of the 11.8 x 16.8 cm sheet film – does anybody know anything about this? What are the cameras out there that take this size film?

Thanks for listening...

Back in the days when emulsion was on glass, the dimensions were accurate. 6 1/2 x 8 1/2 was exactly that. When film came along there were generations of plate holders out there, and nobody was in any mood to throw them away. So they invented the film sheath. It was a metal sleeve that the film fit it that allowed it's use in plate holders.

In order for this to work however, sheet film sizes needed to be slightly smaller in both directions to allow for the sheath.

So your 3 1/4 x 4 5/8 won't fit directly, but the good news is you'ld only have to cut one end to make it fit.

This size is commonly refered to as "9x12" only in centimeters. A lot of European and British cameras used this size. The kodak Recomar and a lot of the "U front" folders and cameras from Zeiss, Ihagee, Ikon, etc., used this format. I have a Klaap Reflex from Ihagee that rivals a Graflex, but can fold down to the size of an early Harry Potter novel, and it uses this size film.

The 12 x 18 I'm less familiar with

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Les on 2003-02-24 06:08 ]</font>

There is the European version of 5x7 it's close