75mm lens vignetting

[sergiofigliolia]

Hi all,
I own a Schneider Super Angulon 75mm f/5.6 which I use on my 4x5 camera.
Only lately I started photographing also in colour and noticed quite a bit of vignetting at f/22.
Can anyone suggest an alternative lens which shows less of it?
Honestly if I am to buy a center filter costing like a second hand lens I'd just buy another lens and get rid of this one...

How do the following perform to this respect?
Nikkor SW 75 f/4.5
Fuji Fujinon SWD 75 f/5.6
Rodenstock Grandagon N 75 f/4.5
Rodenstock Grandagon N 75 f/6.8
Schneider Super-Symmar XL 80 f.4.5

[neil poulsen]

Was there a reason that you didn't include the Schneider 72mm Super Angulon XL? It has the largest image circle of all the lenses that you included. While I've not used one, I believe that the center-filter has more to do with the focal length, versus the particular lens.

Take a look at the following two sites for lens comparisons:

LF Page:

http://www.largeformatphotography.in...s/LF4x5in.html

Ebony Camera Page:

http://www.ebonycamera.com/articles/lenses.html

The latter gives flange focal lengths, which can be helpful. That's the distance from rear of the shutter to the ground glass, when the lens is focused at infinity. Put another way, it's the minimum distance between the rear of the shutter and the ground glass for any image to be in focus on the ground glass.

[sergiofigliolia]

Was there a reason that you didn't include the Schneider 72mm Super Angulon XL?

The reason I excluded the 72 XL is it is huge and heavy.

[Emmanuel BIGLER]

Hi Sergio

Used for the 4"x5" format, all 75 mm lenses exhibit some natural vignetting. There is not much to do about that except adding a center filter to compensate. Or doing some digital post-processing of course.

I recommend to read this recent article by Dan Fromm, who makes a comprehensive inventory of center filters, you'll find there what you need.

http://www.galerie-photo.com/center-...at-lenses.html

Wide-angle lenses used for reflex cameras exhibit less natural vignetting , due to their assymetrical retrofocus design.
This is a reason why, in 35-mm and medium format, people using reflex cameras hardly ever use center filter with their WA lenses.

[xkaes]

Much depended on what you mean by "vignetting". Are you talking about #1 -- "light fall-off" (the edges of the negative gradually get lighter), #2 -- "resolution drop-off" (clarity decreases toward the edges of the film), or #3 -- "light cut-off" (the edges of the negative quickly get lighter)?



I'm not familiar with your lens, but I assume it is similar to my Fujinon SWD 75mm f5.6. I know my lens has a wide enough image circle to cover 4x5 film, and I assume all lenses in this focal length range suffer from #1 & #2. There are different ways to minimize #1. #2 can be modified somewhat by f-stop selection. #3 would be due to problems with using the wrong shutter, too many filters, rings, etc.

The more details you can provide, the more details we can provide.

[sergiofigliolia]

Much depended on what you mean by "vignetting".

I refer to light fall-off so #1.
I shoot at f/22. Shall I stop down even further?

[Bob Salomon]

I refer to light fall-off so #1.
I shoot at f/22. Shall I stop down even further?

No, then you will be in to diffraction.

[xkaes]

OK. There's been quite a bit of discussion about this on this forum lately -- as mentioned above. Some people buy the appropriate CND filter, others, like myself, don't see it as a bit deal. Stopping down more might help a little, but is not a solution. Others will have advice about this. Some like the effect of having slightly darker edges on the print because it draws the eye toward the subject. If you shoot with negative film, you can dodge the edges, but that's not easy, plus where there is less detail in the film, there is no way to "get it back". All that does is gives the edges more consistent tonality -- NOT detail. Some suggest using the enlarging lens open all the way -- where it has more light fall off and works in reverse. But, again, that just modifies the tonality, it does not bring back detail that is not there.

[Dan Fromm]

Thanks, Emmanuel, for directing the OP to my piece on center filters.

OP, with lenses for LF there's no way around cos^4. Live with it or buy a center filter.

However, as Emmanuel pointed out, a retrofocus lens might (great stress might) help you if one could be found. At least one Komura LF lens, the 75/6.3, has been reported to be retrofocus.

I have no idea whether it is retrofocus enough to make a difference, where you can find one, or how much you'll have to pay for one. Live with dark corners or buy a center filter.

Now that I think of it, f/4.5 Biogons (38, 45, 53, 60 and 75) have illumination that falls off with cos^3. A 75/4.5 Biogon centered on 4x5 will give corners that are 1.5 stops darker than the center. Big, heavy expensive lens. Live with your 75 SA's cos^4 or get a center filter.

[Neal Chaves]

Are you using a filter on the lens? If you must use a filter, use a larger size in a step-up ring.