Poll: Would you buy dry-plates?

holmburgers · Jul 9, 2014

If somebody manufactured gelatin dry-plates in the most common large format sizes, would you realistically buy/use them?

I'm talking about a slow, color-blind, black & white emulsion on glass.

Bearing in mind that you may have to find/fashion a glass plate holder and become accustomed to shooting with a material that is quite different than panchromatic (or even orthochromatic) stock.

Assume for the moment that this product will be well made, reliable, expertly packaged & shipped, easy to purchase, and capable of producing very beautiful photographs.

Yay or nay?

Dan Fromm · Jul 9, 2014

Absolutely not.

holmburgers · Jul 9, 2014

Vote then please.

And how about a constructive comment as to WHY?

darkosaric · Jul 9, 2014

Voted for I'd definitely try a box.

removed account4 · Jul 9, 2014

i'd try a box ... for sure!
i love shooting glass plates!
should we start calling your george, chris ?

- john

Daire Quinlan · Jul 9, 2014

I just finished off a box of 6.5x9cm plates I lucked into on the auction site. Certainly very unique look to them. Of course I managed to ruin almost all of them by developing too long or using warm water to wash them post development but one or two worked out

They'd likely have to be CHEAP though, I don't know how sustainable it would be for you. Any more expensive than a couple of euros per plate and I'd be shading toward making my own

ntenny · Jul 9, 2014

I've shot a few old-stock plates with sometimes-good results, but I think blue sensitivity would limit my interest as compared to even an ortho emulsion. I'd experiment with them, but I doubt I'd make regular use of a blue-only emulsion on any substrate.

-NT

dwross · Jul 9, 2014

Nate,
That's excellent feedback for Chris. He could make ortho just as easily as colorblind. The attraction of offering strictly colorblind is that it can't be bought commercially. Colorblind on glass can make some truly unique and beautiful images. The state of the craft has come a long way since you visited my studio (how many?) years ago now
2 cents,
d

jp498 · Jul 9, 2014

I think the appeal would be something that is historically accurate in terms of color sensitivity. Not only could be it used for art, but for living history demonstrations/re-enactments, art history, etc. .We've got the old lenses, old cameras, old clothes, everything but the plates.

BrianShaw · Jul 9, 2014

Add me to the "maybe" group. The need for holders is what keeps me from considering a "yes, definitely" vote. Also, I'd be more interested in archaic sizes since those are the only plate holders I have.

Barry S · Jul 9, 2014

I'm mainly interested in products that give a unique look to the final work and are unavailable commercially. The following products would be a definite yes for me.

--Azo paper on warm cotton rag base (friend went up to GEH and made this, think the base was Rising Stonehenge--anyway, it's beautiful)

--Calotype Paper

--Dry Collodion Plates

--Autochrome Plates

railwayman3 · Jul 9, 2014

I once used a packet, obviously long outdated, which I was given as a student and was surprised by ease of processing in dishes and the quality and kind-of-old-fashioned look of the results.
I'd probably buy a packet to try again out of interest and nostalgia, but couldn't see myself using them regularly. (Apart from anything else, there's the problem of storing sheets of glass....30 years of negs, prints and slides are a big enough headache as it is !)

Jim Noel · Jul 9, 2014

Although I have plate holders for each of the formats I use, I probably would not buy them now. In the past I would have loved them. I did wet plate for a while and really enjoyed it. But at 85 I am beginning to pull in my horns. Good luck with the project.

Truzi · Jul 9, 2014

If they made them in 35mm I would

Seriously, though, I will have a 4x5 someday. I certainly would try some, though I don't know that I'd use them a lot.

paul_c5x4 · Jul 9, 2014

Well.... Ilford do glass plates for specialist applications, but at a price. They also introduced a line for holographic applications a couple of years back...

If someone introduced a range of plates today, it would have to be of comparable cost to sheet film before I could seriously contemplate using them on a regular basis.

Regular Rod · Jul 9, 2014

Yes indeed but only if available in whole plate size...

RR

ntenny · Jul 9, 2014

Truzi said:
If they made them in 35mm I would

They used to! Plate backs for the Contax rangefinders show up occasionally. It's hard for me to imagine what the niche for such a product was.

I suspect that the greater interest would be in plate-camera sizes---9x12, 6.5x9, whole-plate---rather than the current common LF sizes. Some of us have a few stray plate holders for the modern sizes, but it's gotta be a minority as compared to modern sheet-film holders.

-NT

michr · Jul 9, 2014

I've always wanted to try plates, but the lack of availability and high price puts me off. The appeal of film, is even now, it is relatively easy to obtain and commonplace. If the plates were available by the boxful and cheap, then sure, I'd work with them as often as I could. I know this is unrealistic. Rather, when a material is precious in some sense, either in cost or availabilty, I'm less inclined to take risks with the material in fear of using up my stock. I want to play around with glass plates. I don't want to invest in them.

DannL. · Jul 9, 2014

I chose to vote "Nay. probably not." as I already coat and use my own plates. But I'm sure plenty of folks would enjoy using them. My biggest concern would be cost.

chrisaisenbrey · Jul 9, 2014

Of cause it also depends on the price. New glass-plates of APX100 are available, but they are extremely expensive:

http://www.macodirect.de/glasplates-c-746_751_802.html?language=en&sort=3a

At a price of more that 10 for a single plate it is definitely just a try.

By the way this means that Agfa Belgium is still able to do dry plates and APX 100.

Chris

jp498 · Jul 9, 2014

If they can look like finished wet plates, they are an object to behold and worth a little extra. In the right light a wetplate negative looks like a positive, etc... Skin tones shine with real silver on the glass, part reflective, part backlit. Looking at scans of glass plates on the interwebs does not do the medium justice.

konakoa · Jul 9, 2014

I vote no as while the plates would definitely be cool, equally important would be finding a plate holder that matches my ground glass (in terms of focus) and that the holder itself would be in good condition. No one is going to make new plate holders and I'm tired of chasing down and buying used beat up junk. So no.

Ian Grant · Jul 9, 2014

I already have a few boxes of Dry plates and I'm due to collect a large quantity at some stage in the next few weeks. I have plate holders in quite a few sizes (and cameras that use them).

I would coat my own emulsion if needed cost is a major factor, I have commercial experience of emulsion manufacture and coating and have seen Ilford's commercial plate coating line in action like many others on factory visit.

Ian

winger · Jul 9, 2014

I voted maybe as I think I have a plate holder for my great-grandfather's camera. I just have to get the camera to work. I really don't see myself using plates a lot, though. My time for shooting just never seems to align with the right light for shooting.

jp498 · Jul 9, 2014

konakoa said:
I vote no as while the plates would definitely be cool, equally important would be finding a plate holder that matches my ground glass (in terms of focus) and that the holder itself would be in good condition. No one is going to make new plate holders and I'm tired of chasing down and buying used beat up junk. So no.

People make new plate holder conversions for wet plate. lundphotographics.com for example.

Poll: Would you buy dry-plates?

Would you buy dry-plates?

Yes, definitely.

No, probably not.

Maybe, I'd definitely try a box.

holmburgers

Dan Fromm

holmburgers

darkosaric

removed account4

Daire Quinlan

ntenny

dwross

jp498

BrianShaw

Barry S

railwayman3

Jim Noel

Truzi

paul_c5x4

Regular Rod

ntenny

michr

DannL.

chrisaisenbrey

jp498

konakoa

Ian Grant

winger

jp498

Poll: Would you buy dry-plates?

Would you buy dry-plates?

Yes, definitely.

No, probably not.

Maybe, I'd definitely try a box.

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