Lensboard and bellows

[acjtucson]

Once again, I call on the experience of Photo.Net readers. I am getting a Schneider Super Angulon XL 90mm f5.6

lens and I am not sure if I need to get the wide angle bellows and a recessed lensboard. From what I have read, it

seems the wide angle bellows is not essential but recommended. I could not find info about whether or not to use

a recessed lens board. My camera is an Arca Swiss 4x5 Field Classic Compact. Thanks for any suggestions.

[michael_briggs2]

On several 4x5 cameras that I have used, from approximately 100 mm and below, a wide-angle bellows has been useful. I doubt that you will be able to use all of the extreme coverage of the 90 mm SA-XL without a wide-angle bellows. But why not just try the lens and find out? Or you can simulate using the lens -- the Flange Focal Distance of the 90 mm SA-XL is 103.5 mm -- this is the distance from the back of the shutter (front of lensboard) to the image when focus on infinity. So position the standards so that the front of the lensboard is 103 mm in front of the front of the ground glass. Do the standards approach this close? If so, you probably don't need a recessed board. How flexible is the bellows when compressed to this length?

[leicaglow]

I don't believe an Arca Swiss would require a recessed lens board, but the 90mm f/5.6 SA has a lot of movement and you'd lose that capability without a WA bellows.

[acjtucson]

Thanks for the responses. I will go with the wide angle bellows and forego the recessed board. Thank heavens for

Photo.net!!!!!