Dilemma: I fell back in love with 35mm

[blockend]

If you want gallery standard images, 35mm monochrome and good technique can deliver. For colour negative prints medium format helps with sharpness and saturation.

[markbarendt]

Wet plate stuff can be done on the cheap, no need to forsake one to do the other.

What about shooting slides in 35mm and enlarging to wetplate...

That's a great idea.

[markbarendt]

But hot damn, how come nobody told me how sweet the Nikon FE is. I mean seriously!

For me, the FM2 holds that sweet spot.

[Klainmeister]

Well, I have been loaned a 4x5 back for wet plate, so now I just need chems. I would really like try enlarging chromes onto the plates, since many of my backcountry shots I would also shoot at least 1 roll of chrome as well. 11x14 plate? that'd be schweeeeet!

[keithwms]

Bear in mind that some of your enlarger optics may cut out too much UV to get a quick exposure, you'll have to test. Worst case, just equip yourself with a lemp with more UV component and process lens optics.

(A lot of glass cuts out at ~350nm, fused quartz allows you to go down much further)

Also bear in mind that wetplate emulsions are far from panchromatic, so you have to shoot your slides startegically. Blue filtering might be a good idea- let the film handle the issue of continuity of tone.

[Klainmeister]

It's a Color head with a Componon-s...thoughts?

[rakeshmravi]

I haven't been watching camera prices very much but those prices I do watch (MF Nikkors) have been going up in price; especially the sexy primes like the 35mm f/1.4 and 28mm f/2. Even the humble (but magical!) 105 f/2.5's have been up. KEH has a lot of sale prices in place right now, and they know more than I do, so who's reading the future? Perhaps there's a lot of pent up selling now that the other shoe has dropped in Rochester (as if they're the only game in town).

"I'm too busy to read today's paper, so I get tomorrow's... My stocks have done OK."

Steven Wright


s-a

Why just lens? Even the exotic Nikon FE camera in perfect condition can still fetch ~200 bucks. The only time I see 35mm films gone would be when the 645 MF digital becoming mainstream and ever kid on the block has one (like the D90s now). And that is not happening in 5-10 years time. Even then then the 66 and 67 will still be in demand.

[keithwms]

It's a Color head with a Componon-s...thoughts?

I dunno offhand. Just try it, giving as much white light as you can. If your exposures are still really unreasonable then there will be a way around it. Offhand I don't know what the peak sensitivity of your emulsion will be. 350-400. Probably right on the ragged edge but fine.

Show the results please!!!

[Klainmeister]

Will do, I've learned that Cyan at 15-25 makes a pretty solid white, so maybe I'll aim for that. When I actually do this test (I have lots of other non-photographic money eaters at the moment) I will definitely post some notes, initial thoughts, etc.