Saturday, July 9, 2016

24x24 Chamonix Camera Deal FAIL

Was hot on the trail of purchasing a used 24x24 Chamonix, and a Reis tripod with head selling in Calgary Alberta. Unfortunately the deal fell through when the seller got a local person to substantially overpay for his used gear. Too bad!! Oh well on to the next camera : )

I am thinking of getting something even bigger. Possibly a camera measuring 20x30 or larger specifically designed to do wet plate work. For now I will settle on using my 16x20 Chamonix. I plan on contacting the North American rep Howie and purchasing a 16x20 film holder along with a 16x20 wet plate back. I also want to also see if I can get adaptors that will allow me to convert the 16x20 wet plate to allow for 12x20 plates and 16x16 square format plates. This would allow me to do large square portraits and longer panoramic landscapes.

I think I was getting ahead of myself with the 24x24 deal. Lets do the 16x16, 12x20 and 16x20 wet plate work for a couple of years then decide whether I should move up to 20x30, 30x30 etc. Smaller steps Gerry, bit by bit, brick by brick builds the grand cathedral. Let's not get to far ahead of our ability!

Note* I also have the option of buying a brand new 24x24 from Chamonix. It will cost more ($2000 CAD more?) but be brand new, not 2nd or 3rd hand. It is always better to buy new if you can.