education for building a ULF wet plate camera

[Pere Casals]

Hi,
I am wanting to build an ULF camera for wet plate and have no experience with both. I like a challenge but I also want good correct info to go off.
Can anyone recommend good books or online tutorials to cover -
1. Choosing a lens even lenses that are used for a different purpose like a projector lens to save on cost. Also covering the type of use the lens would be best used for.
2. Collodion and alternative developing.
3. Building an ULF camera.
4. Covering portraits using an ULF camera.

Any other info I may need will be great.

Thanks in advance.

Making a basic ULf camera can be quite straight: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NW4dhOJVfzk . Also you can use a pinhole for the lens.

So in a weekend you can be in touch with ULF...

but...

A serious ULF device is a challenging project. You don't say what's your present level, this is an important information to advice the way to go to it.

While you can go directy to Collodion ULF and alternative (like pioneers) it would be better to follow a learning path.

First you may master small and medium format film photography, then I'd acquire the cheapest 4x5" gear you could find to get used to camera movements and custom development for each sheet, while learning sensitometry. Darkroom Cookbook and Beyond the Zone Systems books are good starting points,

You have to realize what you can do with a lens that has a large image circle, learning what aesthetic resources used classic masters, and then developing your own style, of course you later can brake all rules...

What I say is that you can go directly to ULF in the straightest way, but at the same time I would recommend you learn from smaller formats.

Here you have a list of lenses: https://www.angusparkerphoto.com/blo...ndations-14x17.

A lens I'd recommend (in a budged) is a Symmar 360mm f/5.6 convertible to 610mm f/12 (by unscreewing the front cell). You would have two focals, and you would have a shutter...