90 mm wide angle on Wista 4X5?

[William Sherman]

Are there any problems with mounting and shooting a 90 mm wide angle on a Wista 4x5? I would like to get the Rodenstock f4.5 but the price on the Fujinon f5.6 looks attractive. How do these two lenses compare? Thanks for any info on this subject.

Bill

[Darryl Baird]

you might wish for a bag bellows if you need more extreme vertical shifts... I love my 90mm fuji SWD and Nikkor f/8, but never owned but one Rodenstock (Apo-Grandagon 35mm) so I can't compare.

The price difference, for me, makes the Fuji a much better deal... giving up only 1/2 stop.

[William Sherman]

Thanks Darryl. When I bought my camera many years ago I was under the impression you could not use the 90 mm on the Wista so I got a Rodenstock 135 mm to use as a "wide angle". I use a Rodenstock 210 for a short tele. Now I would like to get a real wide angle.

Bill

[Darryl Baird]

Which model Wista do you have? My Wista is the metal technical (45) version that predates the current SP. Of all the options to put a wide angle lens on the camera, a flat lensboard with regular bellows has some limited functionality, a recessed lensboard is next, and a bag bellows with a special wide-angle adapter gives the most flexibility (though its a moderate pain in the arse to install and a bit pricey) and allows much shorter lenses.

With the 90 on a flat board, I can barely use the drop bed with backward tilt (to raise the sky) and still focus on infinity. Tight, but it works. A shorter lens would require one of the other options. I keep a 65 Nikkor permanently mounted in the wide-angle contraption with bag bellows, but it requires replacing the regular bellows.

[William Sherman]

I bought the camera used about 28 yrs. ago with no documentation. It is cherry wood and brass and I think it is a DX model but I'm not shure. The bellows are fixed. I looked on the web and found what looks like my camera. In the "features" it said it would take a 90 mm which is what got me to thinking about a wide angle.

Bill

[William Sherman]

This looks like a new version of what I have.




http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...x5_Wooden.html

[Gem Singer]

PM sent.

[Chuck Pere]

I have about the same age Wista Field 4x5. The 90 is a little tight but works fine for my landscape use. Using the smaller Nikon f8 model.