I picked up 3 Mido II clam shells and 27 Mido II film holders tonight (8x10). These holders allow you to carry more loaded film at a much lighter weight. I believe for the weight of 2 regular holders (4 sheets of film) you can carry something like 8-10 sheets in the Mido holder inserts and 1 clam shell (outer frame that holds the insert). I have heard there are some problems with this system but also read and been told once you figure these things out they work great. My hope is to use these in Southeast Asia when I move up to shooting 8x10 portraiture, hopefully that will happen in the next few years. Having less holder weight is crucial for me, working in that heat and humidity is a real bitch! Anything that makes it easier to do I need to try out. These new holders might be the difference between shooting 8x10 in Asia or just having to be content with the 4x5 and 5x7 cameras.
If these Mido things do not work out for me I will resell them and try to get my money back.
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4x10 Mido II Holder System
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Update* I did some guestimating on this, I believe while using about the same amount of space and weight the difference between regular holders and Mido holders is as follows:
- 10 regular 8x10 holders holding 20 sheets of film is equal in space and weight as 1 Mido loading clam shell and 24 Mido inserts holding 48 sheets of film.
I should be able to carry almost 2.5 times the amount of film using the Mido system. I now need to learn how to use Mido holders efficiently and effectively, with a minimal amount of fogging, scratches and dust.
