I will be buying two lenses for 4x5 field landscape work. #1 Is the Schneider 11 0mm XL! so I'm looking for a 2nd lens to go with it. I had pretty much thought t he 180mm but now i'am thinking its not enough different. Just want one more grea t one! I been reading threads for days and can't find something that says YES! 180MM, 210MM, 240MM? 300? Appreciate any input from you landscape regulars. Steven Meyers
A 240mm Fujinon A would be a good companion
My most used lenses are 180 and 110 mm. I find them plenty different.
If you ever want another lens longer than the second that you are currently considering, the most popular choice would be one of the f9 300 mm models. In this case, you would probably find the 210 or 240 mm focal lengths too close to 300 mm. The 180 and 300 mm lenses are sufficiently different.
I dont know which lens, but I would consider one that has the same filter size as your 110, otherwise you will end up spending more money on filters than on lenses.....
Ditto Glenn C, Fuji 240A
I have the 121mm and the 180mm, and like both a lot. I find them substantially different, and think that the 180mm would be a good follow-up to the 110mm.
This is getting very helpful! I can add that I'am shooting on a Ebony RSW 4X5. So, If I go past 180mm I will need to buy accessories.(top hat) Not a big deal really. A trip comming up involves seascapes, black and white, with some 6x12. I always liked a little compression in my medium format landscapes! The Fuji 240 A does sound like a real winner! Looks like its out of production, and a little bit hard to find... I'm leaning a little towards my original choice, the 180mm. Seems I would be in a good position to add the 240 or 300 later! I could probably fix it so the 110 and 180 have the same filter size.. Now if I could just find some 4x5 XP2!Steve Meyers
If you're ONLY going to have two lenses (110 and ???), I'd go with either a 210 (APO Symmar or APO Sironar-S) or the 240 A that others have recommended. The 24 0 A has the advantage of being a LOT smaller and lighter (and it even has more c overage, although any of these lenses will have more than enough coverage for 4x 5 landscape use). Although it was officially discontinued in August, 1998, the 240mm Fujinon A is still avilable new through Badger Graphic for $750.
If you think you might eventually add a third lens, as others have suggested, th e 110, 180, 300 progression makes good sense. In a 180, my first choice would p robably be the APO Sironar-S (or APO Symmar), but if weight is a big factor, Fuj i also makes a 180mm Fujinon A that is absolutely tiny. Like the 240 A, it is s till available new from Badger Graphic. In a 300mm, my personal favorite for 4x 5 landscape use is the 300mm Nikkor M, but the 300mm Fujinon C would also be a g ood choice. Both are small, light, reasonably priced, readily available and off er excellent performance.
WRT to the filter size, just plan ahead a little to determine the biggest size y ou will need (at LEAST 67mm for the 110 XL). If you plan on getting a 210mm APO Symmar or APO Sironar-S, you can start with 72mm filters and add a 67 - 72 step -up ring for use with the 110. Or, if you already have a serious investment in 67mm filters, you can just do what I do with my 210mm APO Symmar - use a 72 - 67 step-down ring. In theory, I loose some coverage due to mechanical vignetting, but since this lens has way more coverage than I need for 4x5 landscapes, I hav e found this to be a non-issue in actual use. Likewise, if you get a 240 A, 300 C or M, all take 52mm filters, so a 52 - 67 step up ring is all you need to sha re filters with your 110.
It all comes down to personal shooting style. Fortunately, there are a lot of g reat lenses available in the 180, 210 and 240 focal lengths. So, ultimately, it comes down to which focal length you think you would use the most.
Kerry
Steven,
If you add a tophat longer than 60-70mm to the RSW front standard it might get a little shaky with a lot of weight so much off-center, due to the short bed of the RSW. It's really a camera for wideangles. On my SW23 I am using a 180 Apo-Symmar on a 35mm tophat, which works well, but the 210-240mm lenses in that series get a bit heavy. So if you are considering lenses in the 240-300 range then make sure they are really light. Once again, the 240mm Fuji is a good contender, but you will need 60mm tophat just to focus to inifinty, probably another 40mm for closer work. I am not quite sure that this is a good idea, the instability you get in the front standard will be similar to using the center column on you tripod - if you put a big weight on a long rod, it will be prone to oscillation. Nobody has mentioned the f8/200 Nikkor-M? Best regards, ?ke
A lens in the 210mm to 240mm range would do well as a second lens. Later you could always get one with a length somewhere in between to "fill the gap". A nice set might be your 110, a 180/190, and a 240.
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