Focal length vs. field of view?

[Leigh]

I would guess that most portraits in 4x5 are shot with a 210mm which is around the 70mm mark in 35mm terms. This is because if you used a 300mm...

Tobias,

How did we get from 210mm to 300mm ? ? ?

I have 4x5 lenses in 240mm and 250mm.
Some of these take filters as small as 52mm.

- Leigh

[Tobias Key]

Tobias,

How did we get from 210mm to 300mm ? ? ?

I have 4x5 lenses in 240mm and 250mm.
Some of these take filters as small as 52mm.

- Leigh

Because 100mm is a common portrait length for 35mm and its equivalent is about 300mm in 4x5. If you are shooting portraits you'll probably want a f5.6 lens and modern plasmats are big. A 210mm plasmat is much easier to use on most cameras and is a much more common choice even though it is only 65-70 (depending on how you calculate it) in 35mm terms. Just trying to illustrate the point that lens selection is a bit more complicated in 4x5 because of the twin issues of bellows extension and weight. You really need a monorail to shoot fast long lenses in 4x5.

[Bob Salomon]

Because 100mm is a common portrait length for 35mm and its equivalent is about 300mm in 4x5. If you are shooting portraits you'll probably want a f5.6 lens and modern plasmats are big. A 210mm plasmat is much easier to use on most cameras and is a much more common choice even though it is only 65-70 (depending on how you calculate it) in 35mm terms. Just trying to illustrate the point that lens selection is a bit more complicated in 4x5 because of the twin issues of bellows extension and weight. You really need a monorail to shoot fast long lenses in 4x5.

You should also consider that 35mm produces a 1x1.5” negative which is a totally different proportion to 4x5”.

[Leigh]

Because 100mm is a common portrait length for 35mm...

I've always considered 85mm as the standard portrait lens for 35mm.

But I've only been shooting those for 60+ years, so maybe I'm wrong.

- Leigh

[Corran]

Good Lord you guys

[duff photographer]

Good Lord you guys

Hah! I pulled up a sofa and ripped open a bag of crisps (chips). Need to get a soda before the next round starts.



(I hope it hasn't put 6x6TLL off too much )

[Willie]

Another thing to consider is the Image Circle of the lens in use and what film size you are working with.

A lens that throws an image circle of 325mm just covers 8x10 film and can cause problems with smaller formats at times. The larger image circle may cause light bouncing off the inside of the bellows. Using a lens with a smaller image circle will generally see few problems with this. See the Fuji 210 lenses. One covers 8x10 while the newer versions throw a smaller image circle. Some have found light bounce problem with the bigger image circle, solved by moving to the newer lens with a smaller image circle. Possibly the newer coatings help as well?

[Bob Salomon]

Another thing to consider is the Image Circle of the lens in use and what film size you are working with.

A lens that throws an image circle of 325mm just covers 8x10 film and can cause problems with smaller formats at times. The larger image circle may cause light bouncing off the inside of the bellows. Using a lens with a smaller image circle will generally see few problems with this. See the Fuji 210 lenses. One covers 8x10 while the newer versions throw a smaller image circle. Some have found light bounce problem with the bigger image circle, solved by moving to the newer lens with a smaller image circle. Possibly the newer coatings help as well?

I started using LF in 1962. I have used an old Ansco, Sinar 45 to 810 and Linhof when I had my studio. I have sold Sinar as a rep for EPOI and was Product Manager and Sales Manager for Linhof from 1979 to 2015 and for Wista from 1990 to 2015 and for Rodenstock from 1986 to 2015.

In all that time, using, managing and selling LF your perceived problem never occurred. Not once!

The use of proper material to make a bellows and the pleats in the bellows and the proper finish inside the camera makes this a folk tale!

What is correct in your post is the image circle is of equal importance as fov and, if you use direct or indirect displacements, even more important!

[Pere Casals]

The use of proper material to make a bellows and the pleats in the bellows and the proper finish inside the camera makes this a folk tale!

Not always, but light bouncing in the bellows can add very significative flare in some conditions. For example when sun is not in the framing but it's in the image circle, or when bellows are compressed, in that case the internal bends are very good reflectors.

[faberryman]

duplicate