Have I bought the wrong lens?

[nee_sung]

I just took delivery of a new Schneider 90/5.6 XL. I haven't put it on my 4X5

camera yet.

 

I was just going to the Schneider web site to see if there are any owner's

manual, etc (the box contained nothing but the lens and a QC certificate).

 

I noticed that the image circle is very small and that the movements range were

given for 120 films only! Is this lens suitable for 4X5?

 

Have I bought the wrong lens?

 

Thank you all in advance.

[j_rgen_loob]

Nee Sung .

A Schneider 90/5.6XL can only be a SUPER ANGULON . I had a look to the SCHNEIDER catalog

and did not find any other lens , but SUPER ANGULON . Now , that lens has an image circle of

201 mm and can be shifted 67mm vertical and 60mm horizontal . Therefore this lens is very

well siutable for a 4x5 camera .

[j_rgen_loob]

Nee

The image circle of the SUPER ANGULON XL5,6/90 is 201mm at f5,6 and 259mm at f22.

[capocheny]

Nee,

 

That lens is usable up to 5x7 so it'll have plenty of room for movements on a 4x5.

 

 

Cheers

[leonard_evens]

If the image circle is 201 mm, you can't shift the frame up 67 mm. In landscape mode, my calculations show that it can be shifted up about 32 mm.

 

The basic point is that you can't just subtract the diameter of the frame from the diameter of the image circle. At best you would only get half that amount and only along a diagonal if you shifted along that diagonal until a corner hit the edge of the image circle. To find out how far you can shift upward, you either can use simple geometry or you can cut out a carboard rectangle the size of the frame and see how it fits in a circle of the proper diameter.

[michael_briggs2]

My memory is that the 90 mm f5.6 Super-Angulon XL has the most coverage of any of the 90 mm LF lenses: 259 mm at f22 as stated by Jurgen. I predict that you will never run out of coverage with 4x5. This lens is almost excessive for 4x5, except perhaps for an architectural photographer. From http://www.schneideroptics.com/info/lit.htm#photo you can download a brochure ("Large Format Lenses Brochure") describing all of Schneider's current LF lenses. There is a table listing the possible shifts -- 67 and 60 mm for 4x5. (Unfortunately this brochure mistakenly labels the columns for "angle of coverage" as "angle of view".)

[j_rgen_loob]

Leonard

 

When using f22 , the image circle is 259mm . According to the SCHNEIDER technical data ,

you can shift a total amount of 67mm . Yes looking from the image center this makes

33,5mm . In all datasheets i know , the upshift and downshift are added together . Bigger

figures sound nicer , don't they .

[michael_briggs2]

Schneider's figures are correct and not exaggerated, assuming that the coverage diameter of

259 mm is correct. They have not exaggerated by adding the up and down shift. If the

coverage diameter is D and the format dimensions are L x W, the equation for the maximum

shift S in the W dimension is (D/2)**2 = (L/2)**2 + (W/2 + S)**2. You can derive this

equation by drawing a picture of the situation and using a little geometry. If you solve this

equation for S for the using usable image size of 4x5 (W=95 mm, L=120 mm), you get S=67

mm.

[j_rgen_loob]

Michael

 

I have been looking to the SCHNEIDER charts again. Yes , you are right . So this lens is a

great lens for 4x5 .

[keith_pitman]

A friend bought this lens and found that the rear element would not fit through the front standard of his 4x5 camera (an Ebony). It was certainly the wrong lens from his situation.

[jimsimmons]

I use the 90mm Super Angulon XL on my Arca-Swiss F Metric for architectural photography. I have yet to run out of image circle; Schneider states a 259mm image circel. It is my primary lens and I am very glad I chose it over the lesser-circle options. I use it for 4x5 and with a 6x7 roll film back. It is huge, so I have to use 100mm square Lee filters. It is also heavy, so you need to use it on a camera that can handle the weight.

[leonard_evens]

I agree that if you have an image circle of diameter 259 mm, then you can shift a 4 x 5 image in landscape mode vertically about 67 mm.

 

Michael's general formula is correct.

 

I find one of my previous stements was misleading. The maximum shift along the diagonal is always half the difference between the diameter of the image circle and the diagonal of the frame. But this can result in different vertical and/ or horizontal shifts depending on where in the image circle you place the frame.

[david_bishop4]

Nee:

You have purchased an outstanding lens, better than most of us used when we started out. It will be all the lens you will ever need in this focal length for the 4x5 format. It will never be the limiting factor in your photography. Use it and enjoy. The great thing about a lens is that the photons never wear it out. Properly cared for, you can take a zillion pictures with it. Go for it.

Cheers,

Dave B.

[nee_sung]

Keith:

 

>>A friend bought this lens and found that the rear element would not fit through the front standard of his 4x5 camera (an Ebony).<<

 

I have an Ebony, too. Please tell your friend that the rear element has got a ring which can be screwed off. It will then fit in nicely.

 

I would also like to thank all those who have replied. I guess there must be something wrong with the German Schneider site.