8x10 Wide Angle Options - 150mm SSXL?

[duckarrowtypes]

I want to go wiiiiiiide on my dags. Mostly I'm shooting 4x5" dags inside of the 8x10 but sometimes I go with 6.5x8.5" plates.

If I wanted to get, say, a 100° or greater of view on 4x5" plates, what lenses should I look for?

I think that if I get the 150 SSXL that I'll be able to make nice wide-angle shots on the larger plates but the 4x5 plates will have a narrower field of view because of the large image circle, is that correct?

So if you are to get the maximum 105° field of view out of the 150 SSXL, do you need to be using 8x10 film? I'm confused... obviously.

[Ralph Barker]

Yes, the 150mm SSXL will seem quite wide on 8x10, but "normal" on 4x5. Better to think in terms of what is "wide" for the format being used, and then compare that to the minimum bellows extension available on the camera. You'll most likely have to switch to a different camera with less bellows (or a bag bellows) to get the wide look on the smaller formats.

[David A. Goldfarb]

105 degrees refers here to the angle of coverage, not the angle of view.

The angle of view only depends on the focal length and the format size.

All 150mm lenses have the same angle of view on 4x5", presuming they have a sufficient angle of coverage to cover the format.

[Jason Greenberg Motamedi]

As mentioned above a 150mm lens is wide for 8x10 but not 4x5. Your best bet for a wide, fast and sharp lens for 4x5 is the 75mm Biogon. Failing this (ie; you don't have $1500 to spend) I think either the Rodenstock or the Nikon 75mm f4.5 would serve well, but probably not perform as well open wide.

PS: Is this Jonathan?

[Bruce Watson]

I want to go wiiiiiiide on my dags. Mostly I'm shooting 4x5" dags inside of the 8x10 but sometimes I go with 6.5x8.5" plates.

If I wanted to get, say, a 100° or greater of view on 4x5" plates, what lenses should I look for?

First, angle-of-coverage and angle-of-view are not the same thing at all.

Last time I did the math, I remember that a 60mm lens will give an angle-of-view of about 90 degrees across five inches. So to get your 100 degree angle-of-view, you'll have to go shorter than that. And lenses that short have serious problems in terms of being able to focus, requiring wide angle bellows, and being able to cover the film completely.

That said, the Schneider 47mm SA-XL should be pretty close to what you want.

Good luck with it!

[John O'Connell]

The 75mm Biogon is variously stated as covering either 153mm or 165mm. In either case, it has less coverage than any modern ~75mm lens. If you want to use any movements on your big old Calumet, you might want to save some money by getting a more modern lens.

[Jason Greenberg Motamedi]

The advantage to the Biogon is that it performs better open wide than modern lenses. I assume that the OP will be shooting wide-open or close to it.

But a more important question: does your camera even focus at 75mm?

[duckarrowtypes]

Wow, great information! Thanks!

Yes, Jason, I am Jonathan. Pam told me about your mercury workshop and I want to go. Where can I find more info? Also, do you have a resource for plate holders? I'm getting sick of taping my plates to the septum of film holders.

I don't know if my camera focuses at 75mm. Do you mean does the front standard compact down to 75mm from the rear standard?

I guess I need to decide on a single plate size and then pick a lens to match. I'd love to make 10" wide dags with a really wide angle lens but I suppose I might just accomplish that feat with contact prints. To that end, I think that I'll look for a wide angle that will cover 4x5.

I was planning to shoot wide open because my exposures are in the minutes already at f/6.3 on my 14" lens.

-J

[Paul Droluk]

A 75mm lens on 4x5 will render a 80 degree horizontal angle of view, same as a 150mm lens on 8x10. A 55mm lens on 4x5 will render a 98mm horizontal angle of view, same as a 110mm on 8x10. A 60mm lens on 4x5 will render a 93mm horizontal angle of view, same as a 120mm on 8x10.

[John O'Connell]

I believe Sean Yates claimed that a 50mm lens can be focused at infinity on the C1 by moving the rear standard all the way forward. I assume that he measured that using the 8x10 back and not the 4x5 back.