Is there anywhere that I can get a not too technical description different LF le nse types? I would like to get a good general knowledge of different types of l enses, their advantages and disadvantages, the difference between a infinity apo chromatic and a flat-field apochromatic, what's an angulon, etc. etc.
Well if you supply us with your address we will send you the complete Rodenstock lens specs including coverage MTF, color curves and distortion curves.
If you ask Schneider they will also.
It will be harder to get this type of information for other manufacturers.
This might give you some information. http://www.hevanet.com/cperez/index.html http://www.graflex.org/lenses/lens-spec.html There is more information on lenses at the LF photography home page. http://www.cs.berkeley.edu/~qtluong/photography/lf/ Don't know exactly what you're looking for, but it's a start.
Schneider have lots of info on their web site: http://www.schneideroptics.com/. Some of it is rather technical, but they explain the terms in the white papers.
Both Calumet Photo and B&H have catalogs with general lens specs. They're free also. www.calumetphoto.com and I can't recall B&H's URL but you want their Professional Photographers Resource Guide (i.e. catalog). ALso, Ron Wisner has written articles about the various lens designs and their formulas, histories, etc. www.wisner.com has some of them.
If my memory is correct, A User's Guide to the View Camera by Jim Stone has a brief introduction of LF lens history. Check it out at a local library. Also check out a related thread at photo.net. I'll add more if I find any related book.
Over the past two years View Camera magazine has run a series of articles on lens designs from nearly the beginning of photography to the present time.
Steve Simmons in his book "Using the View Camera" provides an excellent general discussion of different lens types, coverage, focal lengths, focusing, DOF, relative strengths and weaknesses, etc.
The best bet for your purpose might be A History of the Photographic Lens (1989) by Rudolf Kingslake The part of the following book has mostly the same information as the one above. This book is a little bit more technical than that but still readable for a non-scientist. Applied Photographic Optics : Lenses & Optical Systems for Photography, Film, Video & Electronic Imaging (1996) 2nd Edition by Sidney F. Ray I've never seen the following book but probably very similar to the above without Flim, Video and Electronic sections. Photographic Lenses and Optics (1994) BY Sidney F. Ray
Here is <href ="http://www.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id=001EOj">another one</a>. The contribution by Pat is very helpful.
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