Improved focus check for folders

[PaulC]

This is a very simple variation on an old idea, but it works really well.

It struck me that rather than taping a bit of tracing paper or waxed paper over the opening in the film chamber, it would be much easier to cut a strip of waxed paper to the same size as film, wind it on to an old spool and then load the camera exactly as you would with film. You can then tension the paper with the winder.

It is also instructive - not to say shocking - to observe what happens to this fake film when the bellows are sprung open. Real film may be a lot less flexible, but it is subjected to the same suction. It really drives home the message that you should never, ever wind on a folder and then shut the bellows; always wind on after opening them.

[Farside]

Good idea.

[alex]

This is the way I do it, and you're spot on, it works very well. I cut a strip from a roll of greaseproof paper for kitchen use, and spool it on to an old 120 film spool. It wasn't always easy to keep the ends taut on the take-up or supply spools, so I modified it slightly by cutting of the leader and trailer ends of the backing paper of a film I'd developed, taped the ends to the ends of the greaseproof paper strip, so that there'd be proper film backing paper tongues to fit in to the spools and friction would do its proper job of holding it all in place.

[PaulC]

I just folded the ends of the greaseproof paper into triangles and shoved them through the holes in the spools. It seemed to work well.