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Hi, new to the forum here and hope someone might have this info. I acquired a 8x10 dbl bellows wet plate camera some years ago. It was the original camera used to start the LA Sheriff's Dept. Crime Lab, however, the lens was missing. Any ideas on which lens might have been on this camera. I am searching ebay and other sources for a lens, but would like to remain at least authentic to the camera. Thank you for your help. JW
You can use pretty much any LF lens you want. Many people choose to use older 19th century glass, but you don't have to. No set rule. I suggest you find a lens that matches your vision of how you want your images to look.
I mounted a World War II British aerial lens to my whole-plate camera to do collodion process just for the different look and feel.
Think outside the camera to get you image inside the camera. HA!
Can you post some photos of the camera? Are you sure it was used for wet plate? It's sounds like a studio camera and it may have had a 12"-16" Petzval portrait lens mounted.
As Walter said, you can use just about any large format lens - if you want to stay "original" there are a lot of people still using/buying/selling the older glass. There have been a number of "big" petzval lenses for sale here and on the collodion.com forum lately.
You may want to post a photo of the camera .
If the LA sheriffs office was using this for mugshots I can NOT imagine it to be wet plate. More than likely a Century Studio camera which was WAY post wet plate.
Probably photographed fingerprints and evidence, too, if it was at the crime lab. Ditto that they wouldn't have used wet plate. Their fingerprint unit started in 1915 and their crime lab in 1928.Quote:
Originally Posted by Louis Pacilla