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5x7 lenses


emile_de_leon9

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Emile,

 

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I just recently acquired a 5x7 back for my Deardorff 8x10 and I'm

really enjoying the format.

 

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I was shooting both 4x5 and 8x10 before, and had a pretty good

compliment of lenses for each format, but nothing really wide or

really long (72mm for 4x5 and 19-inch for 8x10),

 

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With 5x7 my 72 (which I can just focus at infinity on the Deardorff)

still has coverage for some movement using the vertical sliding

lensboard since the smushed-up bellows precludes much tilt or

swing. But the really nice thing is the angle of view approximates

a 17mm on 35mm format�really wide.

 

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Also, I have a 90 (equivalent to a 21 in 35 format) and 120 (about

28 in 35 format) that will cover the 5x7 and these do allow for

more camera movements.

 

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My 19" gives me a little more reach than on the 8x10 and I've

been toying with an old 11.5-inch Verito portrait lens that was

just too short for 8x10 but too big to hang on my 4x5 field.

 

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Another favorite portrait lens is my old 12" Ektar, which is just

about perfect for a H&S portrait from 5 feet away.

 

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Anyway, with this one reducing back I've "filled in" most of the

holes in my lens coverage arsenal for large format.

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All time favorite is 150mm G-Claron. I just had a new-to-me 120 Super

Angulon with me in Death Valley last weekend and it shows great

promise, but it's big. The 240 Fujinon A is fabulous for getting

right up next to things, and I seem to use the 180 Fujinon a lot with

5X7 too. A mildly wide normal. The 150 Claron has a much wider

circle than Schneider claims for it.

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I like SA 8/121, which is similair to 24mm at 35mm format. And this

lense also allows you a lot of movements. Sironar N 5.6/180 is

moderate wide angle with some movements, but incredibly sharp, for my

taste it is too sharp for photographing people. For still life and

portraits I use Nikkor M 9/300.

Regards,

www.janez-pelko.com

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I moved to 5x7 by purchasing an "increasing back" which hangs on the

back of my Wista Field 45 in place of the ground glass. I purchased

no specific lenses for this format. I am able to use a Fuji 90 mm

(yes, it covers the 5x7, but with no movement), a Fuji 150 mm and a

Caltar 210 mm. I like the Fuji 150 the most for 5x7 because it has a

fairly wide field of view. The 90 is a fun lens, but kind of a chore

to set up, because it is possible to include the front bed of the

camera in the foreground.

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Emile: Most used lens is the Schneider 180/315. Good value ($220 or

so) and very, very sharp. The newer ones have Copal shutters. Next

most used lens Schneider 110 HM. (very expensive but very useful and

great quality) Next G-Claron 240 mm. Good value used. Lots of room

for movements with 5X7. (None of us have any idea what you want to

take pictures of, so I'm not sure this is of any use to you.) 4th

lens is a G-Claron 300mm, which can cover 8X10 and is useful for 4X5

too.

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  • 4 weeks later...

I shoot 5x7 extensively and highly reccomend the following Rodenstock

lenses (Nikkor equivilants are also good):

 

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90mm f/4.5 Grandgon-N (super-wide with some movement at infinity, lots

of movement closer up)

 

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115mm f/6.8 Grandagon-N (fabulous wideangle with tons of movement)

 

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210mm f/5.6 Apo-Sironar-S (the S series lenses only cost a little more

than Rodenstock's N series and are substantially better in terms of

coverage, edge sharpness and eveness of illumination- really

fantastic).

 

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300mm f/9 Apo-Ronar (An older, process-type lens design, it is very

small, light and fantastically sharp at close distances up to about 15-

20 feet. I use it a lot as a portrait lens. But it is poor at

infinity, due to being specially designed for closer distances. For

distant landscapes or archictural shots with movement, choose a Nikkor-

M 300 f/9, which is small and light, or any of the large, heavy

standard 300 lenses made for 8x10.

 

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You can see my 5x7 images at the Weston Gallery in Carmel, California

or on the web at www.westongallery.com. Follow a link for my name:

Joel Pickford

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Thanks for the lens info Joel...It is a real trip to figure out the

lens package I want on this 5x7 Anba Ikeda just bought on ebay.Esp

lens coverage in terms of what I need on 5x7...but figuring it all

out is part of the journey !Thanks for your reply!I'm looking

forward to seeing your work ......web site style....

Regards,

Emile.

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  • 10 years later...

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