3. TEST CAMERAS

      It is probably not a good idea to start experimenting with wet collodion and waste materials trying to process 16x20 plates. It is going to take a good bit of experimentation to figure out how to shoot properly exposed images consistently.

   I have been studying and practicing photography on and off my entire life, and some years ago built a 5x7 box camera:

 and a bellows on rail 8x10:

    I will have to make special plate holders for them, so we can use them to experiment with different techniques without breaking the bank.

    I had an old lens back then I used to test both of them, but cannot find it anywhere, so I have been on a quest for a cheap lens to replace it. I don't need a "proper" lens with a Copal shutter, a process lens will do.

   I finally settled on a  Baush $ Lomb 6 1/2 x 8 1/2 Tessar Ic F/4.5 I bought for only $70:

This is what Google AI has to say about it:

      At roughly 250mm, that will be a "normal" lens for the 8x10 and a tele for the 5x7.