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Thread: 250mm portrait lens advice

  1. #1
    the nuts
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    250mm portrait lens advice

    HI all,
    I'm looking for a very good quality lens, 250mm focal to use for portraits.
    I will mount the lens on a 250mm cone/helical mount for a 4x5 camera (Dayi), which are your suggestion for a very sharp lens?
    Not too expensive, Rodenstock, Scheneider, Fuji, or what?
    Thanks for your help.
    Giorgio

  2. #2

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    Re: 250mm portrait lens advice

    Since this lens is primarily targeted for portraiture, then a huge image circle is not critical. Any of the aforementioned would be suitable. Personally, I'd go with a 10" Commercial Ektar for that purpose. Very nice lens with creamy tones.
    Michael W. Graves
    Michael's Pub

    If it ain't broke....don't fix it!

  3. #3
    the nuts
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    Re: 250mm portrait lens advice

    HI Michael,
    thanks for your advice.
    I'm interested in this lens, but the conditions seems not so good from the pics, what do you think about it?
    http://www.ebay.it/itm/220841549245?...84.m1423.l2649
    Thanks.

  4. #4
    O.K.
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    Re: 250mm portrait lens advice

    Dear Giorgio,

    Not knowing whether you already own a Dayi 4x5 or not, I would like comment a little bit on your plans.

    Regarding portrait work i would always love to have tilts on my camera. Assuming a slanted angle of view, (which is mostly the case if you are not shooting for passport etc) it is really difficult to place both eyes in the same focus plane especially when shooting wide apertures to emphasise background bokeh. So being able to tilt the lens a little bit helps a lot.

    Regarding the lens you are interested, I don't think it is one of the sharpest lenses of that focal length. It is not coated, a tele design (shorter bellows draw but big rear cell compared to non tele design) so you should check the rear cell dimension to see if it fits the helical cone that you mention.
    The hardest thing in the world to understand is the income tax. Albert Einstein

  5. #5
    the nuts
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    Re: 250mm portrait lens advice

    HI Redu,
    thanks.
    I know what you are saying but I have another 4x5 camera with bellow and tilt&shift movement so no problem.
    My interest is primary in point&shoot camera, I'm building one and the Dayi is a good compromise.
    Yes, the rear cell dimension needs to check carefully, so I think I will choose the lens once bought the helical mount.
    Other advices about good lenses?
    Thanks
    Giorgio

  6. #6
    Unwitting Thread Killer Ari's Avatar
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    Re: 250mm portrait lens advice

    The Fuji 250mm f6.3 is smaller, lighter than its f6.7 counterpart, and is a modern multi-coated lens in a Copal 1 shutter.
    They're selling for cheap these days, because everyone wants the f6.7 and its gigantic image circle.

  7. #7

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    Re: 250mm portrait lens advice

    Quote Originally Posted by ghe67 View Post
    HI Michael,
    thanks for your advice.
    I'm interested in this lens, but the conditions seems not so good from the pics, what do you think about it?
    http://www.ebay.it/itm/220841549245?...84.m1423.l2649
    Thanks.
    I agree with Redu that this is not a prime choice if maximum sharpness is the goal. I, on the other hand question sharpness as the defining quality for a lens used for portraiture. Seeing every hair growing out of each mole on Cousin Izzy's face is not how I want to remember him by. Still, diffusion techniques can make a sharp lens fuzzy. Nothing can make a fuzzy lens sharp. I happen to have one of those Tele-Xenar lenses in my Speed Graphic collection. It isn't bad, but it doesn't yeild as sharp an image as several of my other lenses. For 4x5 portraiture, I nearly always pull out my 10" Ektar.
    Michael W. Graves
    Michael's Pub

    If it ain't broke....don't fix it!

  8. #8
    Scott Davis
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    Re: 250mm portrait lens advice

    Another vote for the 10" Commercial Ektar. It's also small enough to fit in a Copal 3, I think, so you could have it re-mounted in a modern shutter with a PC flash connection instead of the bipost flash. You could also look around for a 240mm Heliar, although those are pretty big and when you can find them in a shutter it's a Compound #4.

  9. #9

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    Re: 250mm portrait lens advice

    I concur with the Commercial Ektar advise (although I prefer a 12 inch).

    Also consider a soft focus lens, like the Fujinon SF 250. Capable of producing both sharp and soft (in varying degrees of softness) images. Can be found relatively affordably too.

  10. #10

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    Re: 250mm portrait lens advice

    I agree with you that 250 is a great length for portraits on 4x5 film.

    I use a 250mm Carl Zeiss Jena Tessar. It opens to f/4.5, and gets real sharp by f/8, where it still manages to give lovely blur in the distance. It has an almost circular diaphragm. For whatever reason, it has a "creamy" rendition of tones. It's my favorite lens for taking photos of people.

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