macro vs. telephoto

[rolf_g._katzenstein]

I have a 6X9 camera and I like to use it for extreme close-up work with flowers. Currently, I'm using a Rodenstock Apo-Macro-Sironar f5.6/120mm. Would I be better served by using a telephoto or compact telephoto lens. My camera is an Ebony SV23 and the bellows min/max75mm/420mm. I want to get 1:1 to 2:1,

[bob_salomon]

The lens you have is designed for what you want to do. The

others would not give as good a result as you will lose

resolution and contrast.

 

<p>

 

At the same time an Apo macro Sironar is not designed for

infinity work.

 

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To get to 1:1 with the 120 you have plenty of bellows. You will

have about enough with 420mm of extension to reach 2:1.

[dick roadnight cotswolds]

I think you know that you have the best tool for the job, and that

you are just trying to make the rest of us jealous - if you do not

appreciate your Macro-Sinaron, I would gladly give you a few pounds

for it!

 

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If the camera is the problem, get another camera.

[mikhail_arkhipov1]

You may also try to get 2-element diopters from Canon (250D) or Nikon

for 58mm or 52mm and get 49-58mm step-up ring for the Sironar. Two

element diopters are very good. I have been using them on 35mm and

just began using them with exactly the same setup like you have

(except my camera is Arca-Swiss 69F)

[ole_tjugen]

Lucky you, to have a REAL macro lens. I have to swap the front and

rear elements on a 300mm/f4.5 Xenar (the only lens I have with the

same mounting thread on front and rear elements), which means I'll

need the big 5x7" Technika - because the lens is too big to fit on

smaller lensboards, which again gives me just a hair better than 1:1

(61cm bellows).

 

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Do I bother?

No. I use a Linhof Color, whatever lens give the ratio I want at a

reasonable distance, stop down a lot, and shoot.

 

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If you want huge reproduction ratios with 420mm bellows, get a short

lens. It doesn't have to cover your negative size - try a 28mm lens

for 35mm camera!

[neil_poulsen1]

Could one use a Componon-S for this type of photography, one that's

mounted in a shutter. I know that one can mount a 100mm and 150mm in

standard Copal shutters, I'm wondering if that's possible with a 75mm

or an 80mm?

 

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With that said, there was a macro M-Componon just on ebay that would

have been ideal for this purpose. It looked like a neat lens, and was

designed for greater than 1:1 enlargement. It was front mounted on a

Copal 0 shutter. At 1:2, it would probably cover even 4x5, and

definitely 6x9. With an 80mm, one is obtaining a depth of field

advantage.

[emmanuel_bigler]

If you already have a true macro lens, you will not

get a better image with a telephoto, on the contrary.

 

A LF macro lens is symmetric and thus yields best results around the

1:1 ratio.

 

On the contrary, a telephoto is asymmetric and optimized

for infinity->focus images. Its advantage is a shorter lens to film distance than a regular view camera lens.

 

Now if you mean : a longer focal length with a symmetric or

quasi-symmetric lens, then there is an advantage to be further away from the subject, and around 1:1 the depth of field is independant

from the focal length.

 

Beware however that you'll need a bellows extension E=M.f where E is the required extension vs. the infinity-focus position and f the focal length, M being the magnification. for M=1 the extension is equal to f whatever the lens design might be.

 

If you use a telephoto, the formula is unchanged ; simply you'll start from a a shorter lens-to-film distance at infinity, but the extension E will be the same.

 

So with a 250 telephoto like the tele arton, you'll start with a lens

to film distance of, say 200 mm becasue it is a telephoto, but at 1:1 you'll have to add 250mm to this ; eventually you'll get 450mm of total lens-to-film distance at 1:1 instead of 500 mm.

 

So the advantage of a telephoto not taking image quality into account is not so interesting when you come to 1:1 ratio.

[emmanuel_bigler]

Yes you can use a componon enlarging lens for macro work. Optically

an enlarger lens is not optimized for 1:1 but around 1:5 (from 1:2 to 1:10). So it is a good lens for close-up if not excellent for 1:1. Stopped down to the diffraction limit (f/16 or so) you'll be able to use it at 1:1 with a very useable image quality where the image circle is doubled from the nominal one at infinity : a 80mm enlarger lens will cover 80mm at infinity, but will cover a circle of 160mm at 1:1 ratio ; so it will just cover 4"x5". at 1:5 it will probably cover 6x9 cm.

 

I have ordered a custom-made step-up ring that allows me to screw a M39 enlarger lens (compnon-S 80mm) to the front of a #1 shutter. This works fine. I've ordered this from SRB film service, UK.

 

Scheider has on catalog focus mounts to adapt to enlarging lenses. THis is no very useful for a view camera but I think there are some threaded ring accessories that could be useful.