New Mammoth Camera arrives!

[cowanw]

Wow!

[goamules]

Thanks all.

Can't wait to hear more. I thought mammoth plates were 18x22 so I guess this is a variation on the theme? Probably not much standard when you get that large.

The "mammoth" size did vary over they years from the Daguerriean times through the Wetplate era. Just as there was an English and an American "half plate" of different sizes. Any plate around 14" or 17" was considered mammoth for daguerreotypes, usually. Later, that was increased to 16x18, 20x24, etc., as the wetplate process is easier than polishing silver plates for daguerreotypes. William Henry Jackson and Carleton Watkins shot a lot of 18x21. http://brbl-dl.library.yale.edu/vufi...ber&sort=title

With dags and wetplate, the size were all hand made, cut, and such. There was no standard sizes, for the bigger stuff, until generations later. Basically the photographer cut the plate to fit whatever size holder his camera maker had made. The small sizes were more standard, so they would fit in the gutta percha and leather book type cases.

Louis, that is a 5x7 2D for scale. I'll get some pictures with a person in it soon, for more scale.

[Jim C.]

Holey Moley ! I assume that's a 8x10 2D you have in the picture for scale ?
Looks like you finally have a camera that will do justice to those howitzer sized lenses you have

[Alan Gales]

Sweet! I'm looking forward to seeing it ready to shoot with a huge brass lens on it.

[DrTang]

first up - 18x22 selfie!

[Jac@stafford.net]

OMG, if you get caught out in bad weather, you can live in it!
.

[goamules]

Yep, it's time to mount a big lens. Several have been in my collection for years, waiting on a camera. As always, I get a special feeling looking at the ground glass through an 1800s lens for the first time since who knows who looked through it. What pictures did the lens take? Who were the subjects? Lincoln? Civil War generals, wealthy families? It's very cool.

[angusparker]

So this is a new camera? Seems quite reasonable prices on the website.

[goamules]

Yes, Ray at Star has been making wetplate cameras for many years. Like a lot of craftsmen, you need to be patient, and add about 2 or 3 times the duration of his estimate. He can be slow. But he does know what he's doing. They are utilitarian, and robust. They are not AAA quality mahognay, polished by virgins, with aligned brass screws. Just good, solid cameras.

[angusparker]

Yes, Ray at Star has been making wetplate cameras for many years. Like a lot of craftsmen, you need to be patient, and add about 2 or 3 times the duration of his estimate. He can be slow. But he does know what he's doing. They are utilitarian, and robust. They are not AAA quality mahognay, polished by virgins, with aligned brass screws. Just good, solid cameras.

Might tempt me down the line - at least in a smaller size!