ULF wet plate holder

**pound** · 15-Dec-2013, 22:19

I am thinking of my own ULF camera and have gathered a few ideas from the various blogs that others have shared on their building process.

I seen quite a few had started by buying a proper holder. I probably do not have the budget for that especially if I decided to go for 20x24 wet plate camera.

Do anyone has ideas or plans for building a wet plate holder? Primitive designs is fine as long as it works. Thanks

**Drew Bedo** · 18-Dec-2013, 19:06

Do you have a lens that covers 20x24 yet? That might cost more than a holder.

jp · 19-Dec-2013, 08:45

If you can't afford a film holder, you won't be able to afford the dip tank or silver chemistry needed to fill it.

**pound** · 19-Dec-2013, 18:16

Thanks for the comments. I have managed to get a process lens at a good price that will cover 20x24. I intend to get local acrylic shops to make the silver bath box. so my funds will go to the silver nitrate and other materials. this will be a long term project so I will plan it along the way.

Anyway I found some plans and samples from what others posted at the other collodion forum.

jp · 19-Dec-2013, 19:32

Good luck, really. It's fascinating, but not cheap as using film. I'd love to do it, but probably wouldn't do enough of it; overworked and too many photo goals on my plate.

**pierre506** · 19-Dec-2013, 21:33

My dear friend,
You can use the process lenses but they are not good for WP collodion. You may use process lens to shoot still lives or landscape because the lens is too slow.
You have to prepare a large sum of bucks for the fast lenses if you wanna take portraits.
Good luck.
Pierre

**pound** · 19-Dec-2013, 23:08

hi Pierre

you are right. I am shooting mostly still life for my 4x5 wet plate. The process lens is f14 but I have to start with something affordable to me first. 一步一步来吧!

**MadJake** · 3-Mar-2014, 14:41

I would recommend googling images of wetplate holders, your bound to find something. To solve the problem of the T distance make two identical holders at the same time and putting the GG in one. There was a guy who sold a manual on ebay which had plans to make a wetplate camera including the holder for just a few $$. There's also this book http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/0240804619 which may help.

Best of luck!

**pasiasty** · 4-Mar-2014, 09:10

Originally Posted by pound

hi Pierre

you are right. I am shooting mostly still life for my 4x5 wet plate. The process lens is f14 but I have to start with something affordable to me first. 一步一步来吧!

Just keep in mind that for a given subject you will need way bigger imaging ratio to fill the frame, and thus you will have to compensate exposition much more. Or you can choose bigger subjects, eg. durians instead of lychees

**Drew Bedo** · 8-Mar-2014, 06:38

While cost is always an issue in ULF, I imagine that space to work in is as well. My 4x5 ki tfor shooting in the field lives in a shoulder bag, a bit one to be sure. The bag lives in a closet. The total volume is still less than 2 cubic feet. Fresh film and a changing bag can go into side pockets for traveling.

Just the ULF camera will take up more space than this entire 4x5 outfit. Now I consider the room needed to set up dipping tank and other things to coat and sensaitze the plates. Boxes to store plates and soon . . .its all big.

I have only respect admiration— and envy for the photographers who can devote the time, space and resources to ULF imaging.