16" Goerz Celor equivalent 35mm lens

Gents,

With the exorbitant cost of 10 x 8 sheet film these days, I don't know about you, but I can't afford much trial and error at film stage.

I plan to shoot portraits in 10 x 8 using a 16" Celor on an Agfa Ansco. Lighting is completely hot and fresnelled. Through the glass and to the naked eye, it all looks Hollywood, but as yet, I haven't committed to film.

Now, the days of affordable Polaroid backs/prints for checking/testing have gone. So, I wondered about the viability of setting up a 35mm digital SLR on a tripod, as near as dammit beneath the 10x8 for angle as I can get it, linked to a laptop - and voila! instant tests.

However, when I start googling to try and find a best-match (not perfect match I know) lens for 35mm equivalent to the Celor, I get in a muddle. Can any of you help me out here or suggest potential flaws in my cunning plan?

Obviously, the digital route offers another positive – you can test quickly before your model/actor/actress dies in the heat!

Many thanks
PB

Use a zoom lens, set it to "match" the 16 1/2" Celor as compared on the GG. You won't find a lens for 35 of the same construction as the Celor (a Dialyt type lens).

Use an incident meter, allow for bellows factor if you're getting very close and your exposures will be fine. You can't really test with a DSLR if the exposure is very critical, they are not calibrated to ISO standards.

[QUOTE=E. von Hoegh;1026620]Use a zoom lens, set it to "match" the 16 1/2" Celor as compared on the GG. You won't find a lens for 35 of the same construction as the Celor (a Dialyt type lens).

Apologies, I perhaps didn't explain myself very well. I am looking for advice on which focal length 35mm lens would give me a similar crop through the viewfinder as the 16 1/2" Celor would on the GG, while positioning the 35mm directly next to the 8x10 to give a near-as-dammit view for lighting.

Hope that clears it up a little.

Nothing quite matches up, not least due to the difference in the two format's proportions. Try a 60mm lens, or the 70mm end of a zoom.

Consider also changing the aspect ratio on your dSLR to match the 8x10 format shape, or masking the display.

I do this all the time with a short zoom and a D800 has 5/4 format which is the same as 10/8.

Poor man's giant TLR

I think the actual image area of 8x10" film is 196x247mm, but I couldn't find the exact dimensions online, so I'm sure someone will correct me. You'll have to mask your 24x36mm image, film or digital, down to a 4:5 ratio, or 24x30mm. As mentioned above, if your camera can't crop for you, you could always put a mask on your LCD. Anyway, 196/24 = 8.167, so you're looking at a (16x25.4)/8.167 or 49.76mm. I imagine a 50mm lens will do just fine. Yes, this is considered "normal" for 24x36, while 16" is "long" for 8x10, but you're cropping the 24x36, and 50mm is a "long normal" when compared to the 43mm diagonal anyway.

The answer you are looking for is 68.75mm , but unfortunately , this focal length is not available in 35mm .The closest you will find is 70mm , so , just move your DSLR back a little bit .