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View Full Version : need a wide angle lens reccomendation



stradibarrius
9-Mar-2014, 10:20
I have two 4x5's A Sinar F2 and a Crown Graphic. The widest I currently have is 90mm.
In my digital kit the widest I have is an 18mm (28mm equivalent 35mm). Recently at Horseshoe Bend I realized the 18mm was not wide enough.
In a 4x5 negative is something wider than 90mm needed very often? I imagne if I were doing interior shots A wider lens would probably come in hand but apart from interior shot what do some of you use?

Mark Stahlke
9-Mar-2014, 10:56
I often use my 75mm for landscape shots.

Bill_1856
9-Mar-2014, 11:02
Wide angle lenses aren't really necessary any more -- just take several shots and stitch them together.
In 60 years I've only once needed anything wider than 90mm, so I shot with a 150mm lens then trimmed and Scotch taped the prints together. Don't have to do that any more!

stradibarrius
9-Mar-2014, 11:11
I really do not want to digitally stitch shots together.

Huub
9-Mar-2014, 15:52
Next to my 90 mm i do have a 58 mm as my widest lens. I use it for both landscapes and interior shots. It comes in handy every now and then, when i need a realy wide shot. When this happens i am very glad i have that lens with me as it allows me shots i can't make in another way. But it is also my least used lens.

Also: these super wide lenses come with a few issues, like a dark focussing screen, a very noticable light fall off towards the corners and an image circle with allows only limited movements. All these problems can be solved of course, but it make susing the lens in dim areas not very easy.

Alan Gales
10-Mar-2014, 09:48
When I first got into large format I bought a Nikkor 75mm lens expecting it to be like my 25mm Zeiss on my old Contax 35mm camera. If felt too wide so I sold it and bought a 90mm which I am happy with.

Since I bought the 75mm at a good price when I sold it I got all or close to all my money back. Buy a wider lens and try it out. It's the only way you will really know if that focal length is for you. If you later sell it and lose a little money just figure it as a cheap rental fee.

Andrew
10-Mar-2014, 13:38
the original question was "In a 4x5 negative is something wider than 90mm needed very often?"
looking around the net you'd think the statistically correct answer is "no". That's partly that many people have trouble visualising in extreme wide angle, partly that you can always find an image that suits the lens you have with you and also that the really short focal length lenses get increasingly difficult to use because of mechanical camera limitations.

That said, there's clearly plenty of people who like extreme wide angle effects... so maybe it is for you?!

I think that going from 90 to 75 isn't a very big step so, if you already have a 90, you'd need to go to 65 or less to get a significantly different view...
but before you invest the dollars in a new lens, you'd need to investigate whether that focal length lens works well with your cameras eg would it mount onto your cameras with a flat board or would you need a recessed board, will the standards get close enough to focus, what would it do to your ability to use movements with the bellows compressed and the standards close together etc. Not all cameras are created equal.
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angusparker
10-Mar-2014, 15:00
When I first got into large format I bought a Nikkor 75mm lens expecting it to be like my 25mm Zeiss on my old Contax 35mm camera. If felt too wide so I sold it and bought a 90mm which I am happy with.

Since I bought the 75mm at a good price when I sold it I got all or close to all my money back. Buy a wider lens and try it out. It's the only way you will really know if that focal length is for you. If you later sell it and lose a little money just figure it as a cheap rental fee.

Wise advice. I did exactly the same thing - bought a 75mm, found it too wide, sold it, and settled on a 90mm as being my widest lens on 4x5. Now I actually find that 110mm is my go to widest lens and typically go out with 110/180/240 or 300. In the end, unless I have a specific image in mind, I leave the extremes behind (my 90, 350 and 450). I do find a faster aperture is a nice to have for wider lenses but this would be balanced against your filter set. The Schneider 110mm SSXL 5.6 is just about perfect IMHO.

EdSawyer
11-Mar-2014, 07:20
I have 47XL, 65, and 90 as my wides. They are a specialized tool but do have some unique uses. With the right shot, they can be very dramatic. Seeing through them on the ground glass, esp. the 47, is very difficult, even with a fresnel.