LF Portraits - Lens choice

[Michael Lloyd]

I'm new to LF. I've shot a few landscapes, destroyed a few sheets of film trying to develop it (with some success), and generally enjoyed every second of it I'm going to shoot a few portraits sometime this weekend and I got to thinking, "why not shoot some with the 4x5?" The only real question that i have at the moment is which lens do I use? 90mm, 110mm, 150mm, or 210mm. I was thinking of using the 210mm lens but I don't know if that's a good choice or not.

Lighting will be ambient (outdoors) plus one, maybe two, strobes into a softbox. I might gel the main strobe with a half cut of CTO depneding on the time of day (the time is set by a gaggle of 20 somthing girls so I'll be lucky if they get here before sundown). I've already tested the shutter / pocket wizard triggering and that works fine. I'll do the main shoot with digital since that's what I'm most familiar with but I would really like to use a couple of sheets of Delta 100 on this shoot (If I can get them to cooperate. It's pretty hot here today so I may be asking too much of the "models"). I have yet to shoot color film with the 4x5 but I have some Portra 160 that I wouldn't mind trying too. That'll depend on the "models".

[Steve M Hostetter]

a lot of guys like the 210mm on 4x5 for head & shoulders .. I also like a 180mm Petzval lens... 8x10" ppl like the 360mm for similar results ,, but I choose a 480mm.

[Ari]

All of the lenses you mention will work, but depending on the situation and circumstances, some lenses will work better.
See what looks good with your digital camera, and use roughly the same focal length on your 4x5 for starters.

[Ootsk]

I think the 210mm on your 4x5 is pretty close to a 60mm on your 35mm full frame.

[mandoman7]

The 210mm is a popular favorite, giving a nice depiction of facial dimensions along with a manageable depth of field. Longer lenses are more challenging to focus, shorter lenses will sometimes make faces round, but many shooters find those lenses to be just right for their vision. IMO, however, the bigger question is your shooting pace and style, and the look that you want in your portraits. I used to do a lot of portraiture in medium format, and liked to engage my subjects in conversation, along with trying different lighting and lenses while in the session, and when I used LF those practices didn't flow that well. Dealing with film holders and shutter settings can be a challenge when someone is sitting and getting more self-conscious by the minute. I would suggest starting with a semi wide for starters as an easier alternative, just to see if this medium works for you in this undertaking.

[lenser]

On medium format (6x6), 150mm is pretty much considered the "normal" portrait focal length for head shots. That translates to 240mm for 4x5. I usually use either my 210 Caltar II or for soft focus, my 250mm Wollensak Veritar. I seldom go down to a 165mm range unless it is at least a half length portrait, usually full length.

As with other formats, you get less depth of field (more isolation of the subject) with the longer lenses at wide open or only stopped down one or two stops.

[Leigh]

A common 35mm lens for portraits is 85mm. This represents about a 60% increase over the standard 50mm lens.

Extrapolating that to 4x5 with a standard lens of 150mm would argue for a 240mm lens for similar results.

As Tim mentioned, DoF can be an issue with 4x5 and larger formats.
To my mind this actually gives you more creative control than with smaller film.

- Leigh

[Ken Lee]

There's an old rule-of-thumb which states that the ideal portrait length for any format is the length + width of the film. For 4x5 inches, that's a 9 inch lens, roughly 229mm. There aren't many 9 inch lenses made, but one can shoot a 210mm lens and crop accordingly.

I had the opportunity to shoot an old 9 inch Kershaw portrait lens: soft-focus aside, I found the focal length to be ideal as promised.

If money were no object, I'd consider a Cooke Portrait PS945.

[JeRuFo]

The chances that you'll shoot the perfect portrait the first time around are pretty slim. Just try them out and see what works for you. The portrait lenses are of a certain length for a reason, but I've seen beautiful environmental portraits with a wide angle too. If you want to flatter(maybe a small pun intended) your subject, the 210 is probably the best bet.