I've been shooting 4x5 for about 20 years now, and six years ago I started buying & using historic lenses. Mostly these were from 1905-1925, but I also acquired a small collection of x8 lenses c.1845-1858. I've always loved the look of historic photos and tried to get as close to that as I could with slow sheet film (Efke 25.) There are at least three huge differences between modern sheet film and glass plates though: (1) plates are orthochromatic and
only sensitive to blue & UV light. Sheet film is panchromatic--sensitive to all colors of light. (2) when light passes through a glass plate, a little bit of it (10%?) is reflected back from the rear surface and goes through the emulsion a second time. This is called "halonation." Modern film has an anti-halonation coating to prevent this. (3) the emulsion is poured onto glass plates by hand, and there are imperfections. Modern film is machine made and very uniform.
There is finally once again a source for dry plates available in commercial quantities. I bought a box of ten (4x5) and have begun using them. My hobby is "roaming," and I often stop to explore the abandoned farm houses etc. I find on the Northern Plains. Two weeks ago I found an abandoned country school house in northeast South Dakota and went inside. I found an upright piano that was heavily vandalized. I shot two exposures. I metered with a Minolta IVf using ISO 2. (Yes, 2.) Lens was a 5 inch Petzval made in 1858 by Alphonse Derogy. (Brevete s.g.d.g. a' Derogy, OPTn, a' Paris.) Ironically, it's also engraved "Derogys VR
patent. Derogy stole the design from the actual patent holder, Josef Petzval. But enough history.
Below is my first attempt at shooting plates, and I feel lucky I got anything at all! Exposure: f3.5, 1s, ISO 2. Used x8 stop ND filter. I'm getting closer to the look I want. I am encouraged!
Kent in SD
