What lens will work for a 35x35 inch ULF mammoth wet plate camera?

[gerry yaum]

Re: Process lenses' coverage...

Those are different. Celor type ones do not improve in their edge sharpness when stopped down. Tessar type lenses are much better as "poor man's wideangles". The more sophisticated 6-elements lenses are often sharp up to the edges of their illuminated field, regardless of the tight field restrictions stated in the manufacturer's publications (which are relevant for high-end process work such as mapping).

My own first-hand experience with Rodenstock Apo-Ronar CL 1200mm f/16, 6/6 version, and CZJ Apo-Germinar 1000mm f/12 showed both covered exactly the same field of about 126 cm (~50") at infinity with no vignetting at f/32. At wider stops, edge sharpness was also OK but there was a lot of light fall-off.

(The Germinar was smaller and lighter in weight though and more manageable in the field giving me more spare angle coverage for tilts.)

Thanks Ridax, another 2nd lens option.

[bob carnie]

What a truly beautiful image, thanks so much. NOW THAT IS INSPIRING!!

Monty does the best plates I have seen Gerry , and he is a somewhat nice guy to boot.. I am sure he could be a bit of a mentor when you get going. Too bad he is not Canadian.

[bob carnie]

For all you wet plate and large camera knobs out there, Ilford is doing limited runs of Ortho 25 in large rolls, I just bought a bunch , any interest contact me, I am buying 20 inch rolls to use, but 40 inch is available which obviously could be cut down to any size depending on skill sets.

[gerry yaum]

You might want to contact Kurt Moser. He does a lot of ULF wetplate work in the Dolomites and has just completed building a camera of a similar size to the one you describe. He has the Apo-Nikkor 1780mm f14 to do the job.
http://www.lightcatcher.it/en/

For a different look, I certainly would not sneeze at the Wollaston Meniscus lenses that Reinhold Schable is making. Currently his largest ULF lens is 790mm f5.6 and has lots of coverage -- he might be induced to work with you to produce a larger lens to meet your needs. http://re-inventedphotoequip.com/ULF%20Lens.html

Matt ...Thanks so much for telling me about Kurt and his wonderful work. I sent him and email and he was extremely friendly and generous in his reply (might have a new friend there!). Kurt gave me all his lens info and even asked me to visit him so we could work together. A great fellow with a sharing creative-teaching heart. You got to love that. With Kurt's permission I posted his lens tech stuff on his blog, others here might find it of interest. Here is the link.

http://gerryyaum.blogspot.ca/2017/06...wet-plate.html

[gerry yaum]

Thought I would update you all. My 35x35 camera is currently being built. I will receive on my return from Thailand to Canada in about April-May 2018. Here are some photos of the current build state.

https://gerryyaum.blogspot.com/2017/...-build-of.html

[Soomuu]

Wow, camera is looking good Gerry! What size of lens board does it take?

[Paul Kinzer]

I'm following this with great interest! What a beautiful thing. The swans really tell the scale of it, too.

[mvanderaa]

Hi Gerry: I stumbled across this thread and thought I'd check-in with you and learn the status of your 35x35 project?

[gerry yaum]

Hi Gerry: I stumbled across this thread and thought I'd check-in with you and learn the status of your 35x35 project?

Hi.... Thank you for your interest in the HF3535 project. Today I am working an OT security guard dayshift here in Canada, something I hate but need to do to let a coworker have a short vacation. To help me get through this rather long-difficult day I decided to answer your email here at work. It is fun to dream and talk photo things when your stranded in a guardhouse in snowy, cold Edmonton. So here it goes, my long winded answer to your simple question.

The HF3535 camera and the photo project “KANATA” is very slowly coming together. “Kanata” is the name of the wet plate series I am planning to do with the camera, it will probably take over 10 years to complete. Kanata is an indigenous Canadian word meaning "village" or "settlement". It is the origin of the name of Canada. The eventual photos could include landscapes and portraits shot across the country. The pictures would be made using cameras from 4x5 to 35x35 and be done both in negative form and using the wet plate collodion process (ambrotypes). I am 54 years old now, the plan would be get going on things by about 57 or so, and seriously do the photography after I retire from my security gig between ages 60 and 70, health permitting. It is all a long shot. It is sort of an impossible thing to achieve. I figure thou anything can be done, as long as you try. So we will try and see how it all fills out in the end. I will do my best and go from there. If I fail, I fail. Better to go down swinging at the plate, than not trying at all.

On the camera: I am still waiting for it! It is now over a year late. I have been told thou that the work continues and that it is coming along slowly. I find the delay frustrating but hopefully in the end I will get the camera as promised. The builder injured his hand a while back which put everything off course. I have 2 lens for the camera, will have plate holders made soon. I am trying to figure out the tripod – mounting the camera in the field set up (with some suggestions from ULF wet plate photog Kurt Moser, met him in Italy in 2018, saw his work, darkroom etc. An amazing artist and human being). The darkroom trailer plan is slowly developing as well. I am picking up a used double plastic laundry sink for it this weekend. I plan on using the sink in a small trailer I will buy in the next year or so (6x10 foot). Will pull the smaller trailer behind my camper van to start things out. Later on I might get a larger RV unit and a larger trailer. Will see about that later, if the early work is successful.

My battle plan for the project is as follows…this is from a blog I wrote a few days ago.

http://gerryyaum.blogspot.com/2019/0...ttle-plan.html

Because I am new to wet plate I need to learn the process, to learn the process I need to start out slow. I also need to spend my money wisely and slowly climb the mountain top. Part of that climb is to buy Quinn Jacobson’s latest book-video series that he recently completed.

http://studioq.com/blog/2018/12/5/ne...-may-2019.html

Of late I have been working on a second darkroom space. This darkroom will allow me to do wet plate in it as well as Platinum-Palladium printing.

http://gerryyaum.blogspot.com/2019/0...-like-now.html

I also picked up an old Petzval brass lens recently to use with a 8x10 camera for the project. The first few years I expect to shoot the 8x10 and maybe the 16x20 Chaminox Camera. The HF3535 will need to wait for now.

http://gerryyaum.blogspot.com/2019/0...-portrait.html

On a side note I have been heavily involved in my “Families of the Dump” project. In 2017-2018 I spent 6 months in Thailand making pictures at the dump and doing donation work there. We (I) handed out over $4000 in goods, head lamps, boots, rice, medicines to those in need. Have become deeply involved with the families in the dump, many people there have become my friends. I need to complete my work with them before diving head first into “Kanata”. You can see some of that on the links.

Recent exhibition and newspaper story about the project…

https://www.kelownacapnews.com/news/...ns-of-society/

Some of the b/w film photos shot between 2013 and 2016 (including using a 5x7 view camera)

http://gerryyaum.blogspot.com/2019/02/228lbs.html

Some of the color photos from 2017-2018

http://gerryyaum.blogspot.com/2018/0...ht-series.html

Here is a video shot last year of me arriving on a rented motorbike in the dump to hand out things to the people there. Also of course did a night of photography afterwards. Spent a total of about 4 months in the dump, rented a room in town etc. Lots of effort, got sick in the end but was a very positive life altering type experience. I can still see the smiling children who we gave SOLO (Lollipops) to. See the video here:

http://gerryyaum.blogspot.com/2018/0...ump-video.html

I will return to the dump and the families in May of 2019. We raised another $1110 to help them. The money is from 2 artist talks I gave as well as from private donators who have been following this work. Basically the way it works is people have seen the photos, heard my stories and gave money without me asking for money. Social documentary photography can be an important vessel for change, help make the world a little bit of a better place (at least that is my dream). I hope the HF3535 “KANATA” project will also have a positive effect on peoples lives.

So in summary, busy with lots of other stuff and slowly getting things lined up for the “KANATA” and using the HF3535 camera. Keep tuned more to come. This might all blow up in my face yet, nothing may come of it, or maybe like with the Families of the Dump pics or with the sex worker 8x10 portraits (https://slate.com/culture/2014/01/ge...photonola.html), things might still work out. Sometimes when you dive into the deep end you do learn how to swim! Hopefully I will not drown! Thanks for your kind interest.

Hope that helps update things as they currently stand. Thanks also for helping me make a mundane morning as a guard a bit more exciting. “Ain’t Photography Grand!!”

Gerry
www.gerryyaum.blogspot.com

[mvanderaa]

Hi.... Thank you for your interest in the HF3535 project. Today I am working an OT security guard dayshift here in Canada, something I hate but need to do to let a coworker have a short vacation. To help me get through this rather long-difficult day I decided to answer your email here at work. It is fun to dream and talk photo things when your stranded in a guardhouse in snowy, cold Edmonton. So here it goes, my long winded answer to your simple question.

The HF3535 camera and the photo project “KANATA” is very slowly coming together. “Kanata” is the name of the wet plate series I am planning to do with the camera, it will probably take over 10 years to complete. Kanata is an indigenous Canadian word meaning "village" or "settlement". It is the origin of the name of Canada. The eventual photos could include landscapes and portraits shot across the country. The pictures would be made using cameras from 4x5 to 35x35 and be done both in negative form and using the wet plate collodion process (ambrotypes). I am 54 years old now, the plan would be get going on things by about 57 or so, and seriously do the photography after I retire from my security gig between ages 60 and 70, health permitting. It is all a long shot. It is sort of an impossible thing to achieve. I figure thou anything can be done, as long as you try. So we will try and see how it all fills out in the end. I will do my best and go from there. If I fail, I fail. Better to go down swinging at the plate, than not trying at all.

On the camera: I am still waiting for it! It is now over a year late. I have been told thou that the work continues and that it is coming along slowly. I find the delay frustrating but hopefully in the end I will get the camera as promised. The builder injured his hand a while back which put everything off course. I have 2 lens for the camera, will have plate holders made soon. I am trying to figure out the tripod – mounting the camera in the field set up (with some suggestions from ULF wet plate photog Kurt Moser, met him in Italy in 2018, saw his work, darkroom etc. An amazing artist and human being). The darkroom trailer plan is slowly developing as well. I am picking up a used double plastic laundry sink for it this weekend. I plan on using the sink in a small trailer I will buy in the next year or so (6x10 foot). Will pull the smaller trailer behind my camper van to start things out. Later on I might get a larger RV unit and a larger trailer. Will see about that later, if the early work is successful.

My battle plan for the project is as follows…this is from a blog I wrote a few days ago.

http://gerryyaum.blogspot.com/2019/0...ttle-plan.html

Because I am new to wet plate I need to learn the process, to learn the process I need to start out slow. I also need to spend my money wisely and slowly climb the mountain top. Part of that climb is to buy Quinn Jacobson’s latest book-video series that he recently completed.

http://studioq.com/blog/2018/12/5/ne...-may-2019.html

Of late I have been working on a second darkroom space. This darkroom will allow me to do wet plate in it as well as Platinum-Palladium printing.

http://gerryyaum.blogspot.com/2019/0...-like-now.html

I also picked up an old Petzval brass lens recently to use with a 8x10 camera for the project. The first few years I expect to shoot the 8x10 and maybe the 16x20 Chaminox Camera. The HF3535 will need to wait for now.

http://gerryyaum.blogspot.com/2019/0...-portrait.html

On a side note I have been heavily involved in my “Families of the Dump” project. In 2017-2018 I spent 6 months in Thailand making pictures at the dump and doing donation work there. We (I) handed out over $4000 in goods, head lamps, boots, rice, medicines to those in need. Have become deeply involved with the families in the dump, many people there have become my friends. I need to complete my work with them before diving head first into “Kanata”. You can see some of that on the links.

Recent exhibition and newspaper story about the project…

https://www.kelownacapnews.com/news/...ns-of-society/

Some of the b/w film photos shot between 2013 and 2016 (including using a 5x7 view camera)

http://gerryyaum.blogspot.com/2019/02/228lbs.html

Some of the color photos from 2017-2018

http://gerryyaum.blogspot.com/2018/0...ht-series.html

Here is a video shot last year of me arriving on a rented motorbike in the dump to hand out things to the people there. Also of course did a night of photography afterwards. Spent a total of about 4 months in the dump, rented a room in town etc. Lots of effort, got sick in the end but was a very positive life altering type experience. I can still see the smiling children who we gave SOLO (Lollipops) to. See the video here:

http://gerryyaum.blogspot.com/2018/0...ump-video.html

I will return to the dump and the families in May of 2019. We raised another $1110 to help them. The money is from 2 artist talks I gave as well as from private donators who have been following this work. Basically the way it works is people have seen the photos, heard my stories and gave money without me asking for money. Social documentary photography can be an important vessel for change, help make the world a little bit of a better place (at least that is my dream). I hope the HF3535 “KANATA” project will also have a positive effect on peoples lives.

So in summary, busy with lots of other stuff and slowly getting things lined up for the “KANATA” and using the HF3535 camera. Keep tuned more to come. This might all blow up in my face yet, nothing may come of it, or maybe like with the Families of the Dump pics or with the sex worker 8x10 portraits (https://slate.com/culture/2014/01/ge...photonola.html), things might still work out. Sometimes when you dive into the deep end you do learn how to swim! Hopefully I will not drown! Thanks for your kind interest.

Hope that helps update things as they currently stand. Thanks also for helping me make a mundane morning as a guard a bit more exciting. “Ain’t Photography Grand!!”

Gerry
www.gerryyaum.blogspot.com

Thanks for the update! I'm sorry to hear of the delay with your camera. I hope it's nothing more than a delay and will arrive soon. I'm looking forward to learning you have it in your hands. Cheers!