Jeff,
I think the last post is right on. I would look for an older lens in the Xenar,Tessar or Heliar families (uncoated) and I would try shooting without using movements. My guess is that some of the 3D quality you refer to comes from the Autocord's inability to be corrected the way your Toyo can.
Good Luck
Another good Heliar type lens to try is the Ektar 105mm f3.7. Similar to the Medalist lens. Came with a lot of 2x3 Graphics and should be easy to find. Some are coated also.
My question is whether you are using a good loupe, focussing properly, and if your camera has been aligned properly and the roll film holder has been aligned with the camera back. Dedicated MF cameras such as autocords and mamiyas and hassy's are aligned at the factory. The lenses are aligned when built. And the different formats are made for different types of shooting. And we always have a liking for a certain camera and that usually colors how we see. If you are happy with your autocord then by all means get rid of the LF camera. Buy a second or third or forth autocord. More power to you. I don't see where there is even a question here. Sounds like your mind is already made up. No need to bash LF because you lean toward MF. But why were you using a large format field camera as a MF roll film camera with a lens that wasn't designed for field work? Obviously the quality wasn't there in the first place. But if you want to use the LF camera for what it designed to do, with a decent lens and use it with 4x5 film, then the autocord won't stand a chance at the same enlargement ratio as the LF. You are using the LF camera, with an inferior lens, with roll film. But that isn't a big deal. Get rid of the LF camera and stick to MF because that's what it sounds like you want to do anyway.
Hmmm ... the reason I shoot with a view camera is not to get a larger film size but to manipulate the plane of focus with movements. I use rollfilm instead of sheetfilm for a number of reasons and I don't see what my personal preference for shooting in a square format has to do with the question I asked. That said...
No, I don't use a loupe (I use a monocular viewer instead); Yes, I've verified that the relationship between the ground-glass and film back is correct and No, I'm not presently using inferior lenses. I bought the Toyo because 1) I got a very good deal on it and 2) I don't shoot just in the field but a little bit of everything.
As for my "bashing LF," I've reread my original question and frankly, I'm at a loss as to how you came to that conclusion. All I'm looking for is some information about what lens(es) might offer the same sort of image quality I've grown accustomed to getting from my Autocord...
Speaking of which, I appreciate the pointers from everyone else and I will check out the various lens suggestions as they become available to me.
Jeffrey,
Consider yourself lucky. You've found two things that work for you: your Minolta Autocord and your view camera. I can't imagine it would cost too much for Steve Grimes to mount an Autocord lens in a modern shutter and give you the best of both worlds. Good luck.
You have a point, but what's the benefit of using an Autocord lens on a view camera (as opposed to leaving it on the Autocord) if the image circle is so small as to preclude the use of any movements?
As best I can tell, the useful image circle of the Autocord's lens is ~2.5", which is fine for a 2.25" square image but not quite enough to permit much tilt or swing. :^(
Jeff, rear centered tilt/swing doesn't require more coverage and it will allow you those shots where everything is in focus. Yeah, rise will not be possible.
Correction, rear tilt/swing combined with a little shift will allow for a tilt/swing effect with no additional coverage required.
I meant :
Correction, rear forward or backward tilt or swing combined with a little fall or rise or shift will allow for a tilt/swing effect with no additional coverage required.
I'm having a bad day ... :-)
Yeah. I used a monocular viewer and it was no where near as sharp as when using a good loupe. And I'm just telling you how your question sounded to me. If autocords are your thing, what's the question? We usually see what we want so you probably are predispossed to believing the autocord lenses are better than a normal LF lens. No big there. I feel my LF images will blow most MF images of the paper they're printed on. And I've printed a lot of images over the years. Mine and a lot of others. I've pprinted Lieca images, mamiya images, Hassy images, Imagon images, Nikor images, Canikonolta images and I haven't seen 3d quality in any of them over the others. Sorry but that's my story and I'm stickin to it.
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