Looking to get a wider lens

Hi! I have a Canham DLC45 and currently own 3 lenses, 90, 135, and 210. While I absolutely love my Nikkor SW 90mm f/4.5, I have, on occasion, found need for something a bit wider. I have been looking at 75mm lenses like the Nikkor SW 75 f/4.5 and the Rodenstock Grandagon (MC?) 75 f/4.5. I'm sure lenses from the big 4 (Nikon, Rodenstock, Schneider, and Fuji) are all great lenses, my main concern is having to deal with those terribly expensive center filters. Are there any recommendations anyone can give me for a wide (and bright for focusing) lens in the 65 to 75mm range that the light falloff isn't so bad that a center filter is critical. To give you a good example of how I shoot, I usually shoot wide and up close, not architectural, but mostly landscapes and scenes such as old rusted cars, trees etc. I also find myself typically shooting between f/11 and f/22 most of the time with the occasional f/32 here and there, so shooting wide open isn't an issue.
Thanks for any advice you can provide,
Nathan Craver

Schneider 72mm SAXL.

Once you have this lens, you tend to forget the rest!!

It really depends on what you do. Shift movements in particular tend to need a centre filter as they displace the hotspot of the falloff so that it becomes glaringly obvious. Hence the recommendation of centre spots for architecture.

If you don't use much shift, you can often do without filter, if you know what you do. Your audience does indeed expect some edge darkening - they are trained on centre-filter free small format wide-angle photography, and perfectly centre-filtered wide shots are often suspect to be HDR or otherwise painted over...

Newish wider coverage lenses have less rude falloff, old lenses that must stretch hard to fill 4x5 will need the filter more urgently - with the filter price thrown in, getting a cheap old SA might not be the better deal any more...

Since you love your Nikon/Nikkor f4.5 90SW, you will feel the same about the Nikon/Nikkor f4.5 75SW.

The 75SW is the "little brother" to the 90SW. They make a great pair if wide angle lenses for 4x5.

When I owned a Canham DLC45, those where the two wide angle lenses that I used.

Never found the need for a center filter on either one.

B&w film or color? If color, slide or negative?

If you use Photoshop you don't need a center filter, light falloff (aka vignetting) is easy to fix in Photoshop. And even if you print in a darkroom or use a lab, I'd first make sure you really need a center filter before buying one. I used an 80mm SSXL and didn't find the need for a center filter with b&w or color negative film.

Are you sure that you NEED a wider lens?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Brian Ellis

B&w film or color? If color, slide or negative?

If you use Photoshop you don't need a center filter, light falloff (aka vignetting) is easy to fix in Photoshop. And even if you print in a darkroom or use a lab, I'd first make sure you really need a center filter before buying one. I used an 80mm SSXL and didn't find the need for a center filter with b&w or color negative film.

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Black and white, darkroom printing. I would like to do some color shots, but there is no one anywhere near me (northeast Georgia) that I know of that processes 4x5 color film.

How far are you from Atlanta?

http://www.e-sixlab.com/

Another vote for E-6 of Atlanta. Great work.

Cheers, Steve