Arca Swiss bellows lens combo

[eric fernette]

I am new to 4x5 and recently purchased a used 4X5 Arca Swiss F-line Field camera. It came with a 30cm collapsible rail, a 25cm extension rail, as well as a 24cm bag bellows and a 50cm long bellows.

The information I have found on this camera is sketchy and varied as follows for the bag bellows:

Bag Bellows focus length----- B&H 43mm - 240mm.........thefstop f=35mm-150mm.........Badger f=35mm-150mm......... Arca Swiss brochure f=35mm-210mm........

If I read a recent large format email string on camera selection correctly, an individual suggested that one could focus a 210mm lens and another suggested that a 180mm lens was probably the max.

My dilemma is I have a 120mm Super SymmarHM and would like to pair it with a lens that is as long as I can use with the bag bellows. Depending on which length of lens I can really focus on my bag bellows, my choices would vary from a 180mm Fujinon A, a 200mm Nikkor M, or a 210 Apo Symmar. Any help on the real length of lens the bag bellows will focus, and any input my 2nd lens choice would be greatly appreciated (landscape & general photography).

Thanks to all of you who freely post your expertise and experiences on this board and on your own websites. Your sharing has been invaluable to me and has guided me up to his point in my equipment purchases, book selections and other large format reference materials.

[tim atherton]

which bag bellows? the 'bag" bag bellows or the leather pleated bag bellows? The latter give you more extension.

I am pretty sure I can use my 210 with the leather bag bellows - I'll check int he next day or so

[Henry Ambrose]

Eric, install the bag bellows, move the standards as far apart as they will go and measure from the ground glass forward to the lensboard. That is how long a lens you can use but you will want some extra extension to focus closer than infinity. How much depends on how close your subject is from the camera. With the standard camera and bag bellows a 180 works well and you have enough extension left to comfortably focus kinda close (I don't remember exactly). You can probably focus a 210 but you'll be pulling the bellows pretty tight and maybe only focus near infinity and might have trouble using movements. But you have the field version so you'd best measure it yourself.

[eric fernette]

Henry,

Measuring through the inside of the bellows, from the ground glass to the lens board, the maximum extention the bag & rail allow is 29cm with all movements zeroed out. At this extention I have a front tilt of 15 and rear tilt of 7. A front and rear swing of 15. Front rise and fall are not restricted but the rear rise and fall are limited to about 30% of maximum.

At 21cm of extention I have front and back tilt and swing of 30 or more and use of full rise and fall

Tim, The bag bellows are pleated leather and listed as being 24 cm by Arca Swiss and all vendors I have checked.

I hope this info helps makes sense of what I have and can provide the right info for determining what what lens options I have and the trades offs associated with each lens.

Thanks

[Mike H.]

Eric, I've used the ARCA-SWISS 4X5 Field Camera for the past two years. I also have the Rodenstock 75' Apo-Sironar-S, 1:5.6, f=210 lens. (Only have one other lens, an f=115 Grandagon-N.) I use both the bag bellows and the longer bellows with the rail extention. With the 210 I can get in to 42" lens to subject distance with the bag bellows and 30cm rail. I can do closeups with the other bellows and the extention (although DOF isn't the F/64 ish stuff I'd like). I really love the arrangement and the flexibility.

[neil poulsen]

Then there's the 240mm telephoto that covers 4x5.