"Every man gets a narrower and narrower field of knowledge in which he must be an expert in order to compete with other people. The specialist knows more and more about less and less and finally knows everything about nothing."Originally Posted by Ken Lee
If I've learned anything on this forum, it's that nothing is all about anything
- Konrad Lorenz
To the OP: It's entirely possible that you may really hate the 150mm focal length in 4x5, in which case you'd be best served with a reasonably priced used lens that you can sell later. Alternately, it's entirely possible that you fall in love with the 150mm focal length, in which case you'd be best served with a reasonably priced used lens that you can trade in for a better one later once you're more familiar with LF and know more about the different lenses. In short, get a used 150 and decide later if you want more lenses.
Keh.com has several 150's for $300 and under. Even though I really like both of my Fujinon lenses, the two Fuji's they have today are both "Bargain" quality, which is usually just fine, but since Keh doesn't seem to test their LF shutters, if you don't have a shutter tester (to see how inaccurate the shutters are), you might be better off with the $300 Caltar or Nikkor.
I'm glad that I took a LF class back in college where the only lens I had was a 150, which is why when I bought my own LF, I started with a 120 and then got a 200. I always found 150 to be either too wide or not wide enough, and was never quite right for me, but you might really like it.
Drew
https://www.flickr.com/photos/drew_saunders/
This will probably be a repeat of what's been said here, so I'll try to be quick. As far as focal length, your best guide is the lenses you use most in other formats. Look at the horizontal angle of view ... that probably tells you most. Though maybe in architecture, the vertical angle of view is as important. Not sure.
Personally, I find 150 to be kind of neither-here, neither-there. I prefer longer or wider. On the other hand, you may see things completely differently than me. Also, i find that whatever lens you give me, once I start walking around with it, starts to strongly influence the way i see. So in that sense all focal lengths are good, and will teach you things.
I wouldn't sweat the brand. I say this hypocritically ... i spent years sweating these details. After hours on the phone with optical technicians, and ten times as many hours going blind over MTF charts, I chose Schneider. In the following years, after looking at friends' negs and prints made with Rodenstock and Nikon lenses, i can promise you that I'd do no better than a coin toss in guessing which brand of lens made which image. All these companies make great lenses. Factors like focus, vibration, wind, and depth of field will tend to obliterate any of the the subtle optical differences that actually exist.
To sum up:
Tomayto, Tomahto.
Bingo !If you can live with an approximation, it's about 5/8 of anything...
Brilliant !
Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding! This response wins the good sense award.
If you are starting with a Chamonix, then you are clearly concerned about value for the money. I think there are ways to buy quality so close to the two lenses you mention for far less than the price of a new one that it just makes no sense to spend the money unless you have very specific and mature requirements that can only be fulfilled by buying new glass.
Example: I recently bought a 210/5.6 Sinaron in a Copal shutter, already mounted in a board useful to me, and paid about $200 for it. The Sinaron is Sinar's house brand, and applies to a Rodenstock APO-Sironar-N. It probably dates from the late 90's and is multicoated with the latest Copal shutter.
There are also Caltar-branded Rodenstock lenses that usually get less money.
You won't be able to tell the difference between a Schneider and a Rodenstock lens. Both are first-quality plasmat designs. At this focal length, they are not too heavy.
The point about buying a used one is that it gives you a way to assess what you will actually do with the camera, and that will lead to much more specific and well-articulated requirements to fulfill with your additional purchases. When I started with large format, my first lens was an 8-1/2" (215mm) Ilex Paragon--a good lens of tessar design that usually sells for low prices. I have many other large-format lenses now, but I still have that Paragon--it's definitely good enough to be worth keeping especially with an f/4.5 maximum aperture. If I sold it, though, I would get what I paid for it (even in today's market) and thus it's like renting a lens for free with a 100% security deposit. The depreciation on new lenses is significant in today's market.
If you were to draw a curve relating current price to image quality, it would be nearly flat once the price reached the $200-300 range, for lenses in the 150-210 range. The newest XL Schneiders offer a larger image circle, but you need to know you'll need that before it's worth spending that kind of money. Unless, of course, you have enough money available that these price differences just aren't relevant to you.
Rick "not that much a fan of the 'normal' focal length and who would start with either a 210 or a 135" Denney
It has been suggested that I also consider an Ebony RW45
Would choosing the Ebony over the Chamonix influence lens choice? Or is the above directed at overall value rather than camera'lens combination?
Yes, that's right. In fact, post #30 was the one I referred to as "light-hearted". I found it quite easy to see the tongue-filled cheek in that one, but if there was any tongue-in-cheek in #31, I missed it.
Yep. Significantly. You will have a massive pain in the area around your hip pocket.
There is an old saying in Real Estate that you should "...buy the cheapest car that you can afford and the most expensive house you can afford".
In LF terms, this goes something like "...buy the cheapest camera you can afford and the most expensive lenses you can afford".
Buying an expensive camera will not show up in you shots like decent glass will.
Stick to a Chamomix or Shen Hao (pref 2nd hand) and put the savings into glass.
One other area to consider is the accessory side. Don't forget to budget for a loupe, decent meter, dark cloth, film holders, tripod etc (assuming you don't have these yet).
Lachlan.
You miss 100% of the shots you never take. -- Wayne Gretzky
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