Best Lens to use with 4x5 camera

[eve_morgenstern]

I'm thinking of buying a used Rosewood Wista DX 4x5 and I need to figure out

what would be the best lens for me to use with this camera. I photograph the

landscape but I like to get pretty close. Often I will have the foreground

very close but I also desire great depth of field. For instance, I will want

to see all the details of the ground - the dirt, the pebbles, debris, etc. but

I will also want the distance very sharp -trees, buildings, etc. Sometimes I

also simply like to get very close to a hill or a tree and get all the detail.

I've been using a Mamiya 7 up until now but I have not been able to get sharp

focus when closer than about 3.5 feet. This is why I am thinking of purchasing

a 4x5. Someone told me I need the 120 or 135 lens. Someone else said to just

go with the 150. And is the Wista 4x5 (DX) a good 4x5 camera for these

purposes? I'm obsessed with sharpness and detail! Any feedback is greatly

appreciated!

Eve

[hilander]

A 135mm to 180mm lens on a 4x5 will be around the equivlent of a normal (50mm) lens on a

35mm camera or an 80mm on a medium format camera. What lens are you using on your

Mamiya 7? If you are happy with that maybe get the equivlent on the 4x5 format. Personally, I

use my 210mm most often. I have no experiance with the Wista, so I cannot comment on that

camera.

[randall ellis]

I would start out with a 150mm lens and then consider getting something wider after you get the feel of the 150 - just be sure that you understand how to determine the shortest focal length lens your particular camera can take before you plunk down a chunk of cash on a super-wide angle lens.

 

To get the results you mentioned you will need to understand how the movements work. I would suggest that you pick up a copy of "Using the View Camera", it's not expensive, and see if this format is something that you want to get into. 4x5 is a great format, but not everyone has the patience to learn how to properly use the camera, and without understanding what you are doing it is easy to get frustrated. The good news in that it doesn't take a lot of effort to understand the principle presented in the book and once you have a handle on them, you can really control the end results.

 

- Randy

[capocheny]

Eve,

 

The question of "best" lens is like a belly button... everyone has one! :)

 

That said, I think it's a good idea to go out and see if you can rent a camera for the

weekend. Take it out and play with it to make sure it's what you really want. There's a

world of a difference between your Mamiya 7 and any 4x5. The learning curve is far

greater with a large format camera.

 

The Wista cameras have been around for some time and are quite well made. Others in the

same category include Tachihara and Shen-Hao. I've had a different Wista from the one

you mentioned in your note and also a Tachihara. Both are great cameras. For the price

point... you can't go wrong with any of these cameras.

 

As for the "best" lens... I started out with a 210 Symmar f5.6 and a 90 Fujinon f8. This was

"my" kit and it worked fine (until I discovered the mystique of other lenses! :)) If you're new

to LF... start off with something between a 150 and 210. Remember, wide angle lenses are

far darker on the groundglass than the above and, as a result, focusing can be a challenge.

 

I also agree that you should pick up some reading materials. In addition to the book

already mentioned... look for Jim Stone's book entitled, "A User's Guide To The View

Camera." Also, look at Jack Dykinga's book entitled, "Large Format Photography and The

Landscape (or something like this.)" It's a "practical application of the view camera" type of

book. Google it... :)

 

You'll certainly get sharpness and detail in the image after you've learned how to use a LF

camera properly! :)

 

Cheers

[neal_shields]

With a view camera tack sharp backgrounds and foregrounds are achieved by using "tilt", not by which lens you use. Having said that short lenses have more depth of field than long ones.

 

So my suggestion is get the focal length you like but make sure that the lens you buy has enough image circle to allow you to have all the movements you need.

 

If none of that makes sence that isn't supprising.

 

You really need to study up on view camera movements before you spend a lot of money.

 

http://www.largeformatphotography.info/how-to-focus.html

[troyammons]

135mm or 150mm lens to start, followed by a Nikon 90mm later on after you get dialed in a bit. Also study tilt and movements. There are times when you just cant use tilt to increase the apparent DOF.

[josepmiro]

My choice would be Apo-Symmar 110mm.

I have one and is my favourite for some reasons: moderate wide angle, good depth of field, very good coverture (near 8x10) and, the best, high sharpness not only in the center of the image.

[jim freeman]

I have a Zone VI 4x5 field camera that is basically a Wista knockoff circa 1978. I have used a 90mm Super Angulon with it, but because of the short focal length, movements are somewhat limited by the bellows. Going much wider than 90mm may not be a good idea with the Wista. I also have the 135mm Symmar S which is slightly wide angle. Good DOF with both of these lenses. I was told once by a great camera repairman that the Kodak 203mm Ektar lens that I picked up for a song was one of the best lenses ever made and not to part with it. I shot the same scene once with the Ektar and a 210mm Super Angulon on the field camera to compare lenses. I felt that the Ektar won out.

[nbg90455]

I think the "number one" wrong perception/decision that people make that are new to LF photography is that they think "wide" for their first LF lens (the second being that they think they need a lot of lenses). This is (IMHO) based on photography with smaller formats, where you use wide angle lenses to get good depth of field.

 

In LF photography with shift/tilt/swing etc., you control DOF regardless of focal length, so the best lens to start with 4x5 is actually a slightly long lens. If you have the money, get the best one out there -- the 210 Rodenstock Apo-Sironar S -- if you don't, get the Ektar 203 (as someone else already mentioned). Only after you practiced and are confortable with all the movements etc. get a wide angle lens (my recomndation would be 90mm). Unless you are heavily into macro photography, that's all you really need for 4x5 photography.

 

This recommendation is based on your desire to do landscapes (which I do as well). For other types (e.g. architecture in confined spaces), this may not work for you. Even in truely large spaces for landscapes (think Grand Canyon), you're more likely to get a satisfying shot with a 210 than with a 90...

 

Cheers,

Mike

[big toys are better]

I'd ponder what lenses you use in MF, and then translate that to 4x5. Calumet used to have a table available on their website and in their catalogs which did this for you. Knowing the angles of view will help.

 

My suggestions for what focal lengths to ponder include 90mm for wide angle, 150mm or 180mm for normal, and 210mm--300mm for your longer stuff. I think the 135 tends to be shy on coverage when movements are used (and good coverage is essential for a view camera), with the 150mm a good compromise, while the 180mm will excel for 4x5 since it's great for 5x7. A 300mm Nikon M is very light, not too expensive and nicely sharp and contrasty, but also a bit dark at f/9. However, it also covers 8x10.

 

One suggestion for novices-- CHECK OUT THE FILTERS YOU'LL WANT TO USE! Wideangles and faster lenses use larger filters, and the true wideangles tend to need center filters to provide even light across the film. My medium wideangles (Grandagons) use the same very big and expensive center filter, thus saving money and weight, but the next in line is still 105mm or more in diameter. The 300mm Nikon M uses a 52mm filter, and smaller filters (and less weight and size) are commmon to most process lenses (f/9 is a giveaway).

 

Go shooting with some other LFers to see how this all adds up....

[michael_briggs2]

Lens focal length equivalents between 6x7 cm and 4x5 inch are easy since the format

aspect ratios are nearly identical. (135 to 4x5 is problematic since the formats have rather

different aspect ratios.) The usable image area of 4x5 is about 95x120 mm. Guessing for

your Mamiya 7, probably about 56x68 mm. The diagonals are then 153 and 88 mm, so

the ratio of the two formats is 1.74. So to convert a focal length that you like on your

Mamiya 7 to a focal length for 4x5, multiply by 1.7.

 

But this doesn't perfectly answer the question, since you might end up with a different

style with the 4x5, and you can crop closer since 4x5 has precise ground glass viewing

and you will probably be using a tripod. Plus you can use tilts to alter the plane of best

focus. And as already pointed out, 135 lenses tend to be short of coverage. I normally

suggest a normal lens as the first lens. I think that a 90 mm is a bit harder to view on the

ground glass.

[mikestacey]

Eve, I also have a Mamiya 7 and I cannot focus to closer than about 4 feet if I want an infinite DOF using the 43m lens. I can highly recomend the Nikon LF lenses and I currently use the 90mm, 75mm and 65mm lenses. These are unbeatable in terms of value for money - don't like using that analogy as it implies "cheap". <a href='http://www.mikestacey.com'>www.mikestacey.com</a>

[d_g]

the must have in 4x5...

wide 80xl or 72 xl depends on how much IC do you need

moderate wide 110 XL

normal apo sironar S 150

While my favourite in therm of angle of view is the 110 Xl, the 150S remains the sharper

by a little margin !