Right lens to shoot stills

[melissa_punch]

Hi! I am requesting info related to a stills shoot I have. I will be

shooting some books (various sizes, open, closed) with my 4x5.

I usually shoot them with a 135mm so I don't have to get on a

ladder. I have had a lot of trouble with vignetting with this lens.

Any suggestions on a different lens or to solve vignetting

problem?

Thank you!!

[domenico_foschi]

What causes the vignetting problem?

If it is the limited lens coverage , then you shoulg change the

lens.

I think a 150 mm. should do the trick. but has to cover 4 x 5 .

A symmar-s would be adequate, is corrected for a wide range of

magnifications, so it is going to give you good optical results.\

The vignetting problem coud also be given by the use of a quasi

wideangle ,but it is so moderate that makes me think it could be

my first assumption the cause.

Anyway a 250 mm. would be a good compromise......

[domenico_foschi]

i meant 150 mm.......

[dave_schneider]

What is causing the vignetting? I don't know which 135mm lens you are

using but if it has adequate coverage why would it vignette, are you

using extreme movements? I most often use the 150mm G-Claron for

still life subjects in this size range. It provides a good working

distance in my small studio space and has plenty of coverage.

Remember the image circle gets larger as the magnification increases,

at magnification of .1 there is plenty of coverage. I have used my

210 Symmar-S in these situations as well, puts me farther away from

the subject for the same magnification ratio. I have also used a

305mm lens but my studio is not long enough for magnification of any

less than about .15 when using this lens.

[armin_seeholzer]

Hi Melissa

 

<p>

 

Yes I know the normal 135 mm has not a large coverage take a 150mm

Rodenstock APO Sironar S and your problem should be gone.

What lens are you using?

Thats the reason why I not often use this lens for studio work.

I prever the 150mm and 210mm for it!

 

<p>

 

Good luck.

[charlie_strack]

A 180 lens usually provides a very large image circle, so that is

worth considering. Many 150's have limited image circles.

 

<p>

 

 

If you don't do a lot of close up work, consider using the 135 and

plan on cropping the 4x5, or use a 6x7 or 6x9 roll film back, where

the vignetting would be out of the image area.

 

<p>

 

For still lifes, though, the usual rule of thumb is to use a long

lens (say, 210 to 250 or even longer) to keep the perspective

rather "normal" looking. Using a short lens gives an exaggerated

perspective compared to how the eye interprets the scene. If your

studio is short on space this isn't a real alternative, though.

[melissa_punch]

Thanks! I do have a really small studio set up, so that's why I

initially went with a 135. It was a macro 135 too, recommended

by the rental place. Does that make a difference?

They told me it was great for close ups as well as what I was

shooting. I did try a 210 and it worked for the smaller books, but

the bigger books became a problem due to limited space. I will

try the 150 this time and see what happens! Thanks for all the

help!

[dmin-99]

Now the problem is obvious. A "macro" or "digital" 135mm probably

will not cover more than 6x12cm (I'm guessing) at infinity. It's

covering power is usually stated at 1:1, where it will cover 4x5 and

probably 5x7. Off the top of my head I can't think of a Macro 135mm

lens though - it almost sounds as if you were sold a medium format

lens. What lens did you get?

[pete_andrews]

The lens sounds suspect to me too. A Symmar or G-claron type of lens

should have more than enough coverage in a 135mm focal

length to do what you're asking.<br>Vignetting with a 135 at close

distances would mean that the lens only has a coverage angle of around

45 degrees. Any modern design ought to be better than that.<br>It's a

good job you only rented the lens, because it sounds totally wrong to

me.