Poll: How many lenses in your 4x5 field kit?

[Ron Marshall]

How many lenses do you normally take when you shoot with your 4x5?

My kit is usually four: 90-135-200-300, sometimes 55-90-135-200.

[Ash]

One :)

I have a 150mm on the Razzle, a 180mm on the Korona, and a 10inch barrel on the stripped Speed-Graphic. I only ever really use the Razzle, but the other two are there if I want something different ;)

[Walter Calahan]

Why do you need to know all this stuff?

My LF lens count is way to high, and if I tell you, my wife will kill me.

Just counting in my head the number of 4x5 lenses, it is over 15, which at any given time can go into the field, since I never shoot in a studio. Then there's the 8x10 kit. I've never actually taken all the lenses into the field at once, but I do have a 3-wheeled jogging stroller to push all this crap around, so I can if I go temporarily insane.

[darr]

I have Rodenstocks: 65, 90, 120 macro, 135, 180; Docter 240, & Cooke 229 (PS945).
I only seem to use the Docter, Cooke and macro -- I keep telling myself to let go of the excess, but I am too lazy to sell. :(

[Preston]

I carry four lenses for my 4x5...

135 and 180 Fujinon
90 and 300 Nikkor

I'd like to get 210 someday.

-PB

[Richard M. Coda]

Since I always carry the 4x5 Field (with additional long bellows) AND the 8x10 F Metric (Arcas both) I usually carry all my lenses, which are:

Nikon 120 Macro
Fuji 75, 150, 210, 300A, 450

I have a 105 that I only used once and is sitting in my darkroom somewhere.

[Ralph Barker]

Too many, or not enough - depending on how I feel that day. ;)

[Glenn Thoreson]

You don't honestly expect me to count all those things, do you? Not enough fingers and toes. What purpose does this serve anyhoo?

[Ole Tjugen]

Last time I was out with a 4x5" camera it was the Speed Graphic. And since that was the camera I used, I had several pockets full of assorted lenses: A 3 1/4" WA rectilinear, a 12cm WW Aristostigmat, a 135mm Zeiss Tessar (coated, the only one), a 150mm Zeiss Doppel-Amatar, a 18cm Goertz Dagor, one casket set with three front and two rear cells for a total of 8 focal lengths, and a complete Vade Mecum set with 7 cells and WA spacers - 36length/coverage combinations of which not all can be used on a Speed Graphic. So that's either 7 or 49...

If I yse "the other camera", the one without a focal plane shutter, the pack is more modest: 65mm, 90mm, 120mm, 135mm, 150mm, 165mm, 210mm, 240mm, 355mm. And maybe a second 90mm, or a 240mm or maybe a 300mm, depending on space, weight, subject and distance from the car/home.

[Andrew O'Neill]

10 lenses...because I always shoot 4x5 and 8x10 when I go out. 8x10 camera with 4x5 reducer. I get my friend John to carry them for me. :)

[David A. Goldfarb]

On a usual 4x5" outing, I typically take around 5 lenses, but it varies with what I'm shooting. If it's more architecture, I'll lean toward the wide end, or otherwise I might have a range like 75/90/150/210/360. Sometimes add another ultrawide (55 or 65), or I might just carry one lens for handheld work (135 or 150), or if I'm going light but want options I'll take my compact 90 and 135 with the possibility of using the 135 as a convertible.

[BOB BERESFORD]

Since I always carry the 4x5 Field (with additional long bellows) AND the 8x10 F Metric (Arcas both) I usually carry all my lenses, which are:

Nikon 120 Macro
Fuji 75, 150, 210, 300A, 450

I have a 105 that I only used once and is sitting in my darkroom somewhere.

How does the Nikon 120 AM Macro lens- with ED glass- perform on landscape ? Any visible difference ( it must be corrected for close focus ). Anyone else compared ?

[Ron Marshall]

How does the Nikon 120 AM Macro lens- with ED glass- perform on landscape ? Any visible difference ( it must be corrected for close focus ). Anyone else compared ?

It doesn't cover 4x5 at infinity. If I remember correctly, the image circle is about 120mm, so it is only useful for macro shots. But between 1:3 and 3:1 it is noticably sharper than non-macro lenses.

[audioexcels]

One :)

I have a 150mm on the Razzle, a 180mm on the Korona, and a 10inch barrel on the stripped Speed-Graphic. I only ever really use the Razzle, but the other two are there if I want something different ;)

Simple is best...

[audioexcels]

10 lenses...because I always shoot 4x5 and 8x10 when I go out. 8x10 camera with 4x5 reducer. I get my friend John to carry them for me. :)

How do you compose with a 4X5 GG after composing with an 8X10 one? Do you have a 5X7 or anything in between that you shoot with as a reduction back? Only curious why you shoot 4X5 with an 8X10 camera instead of buying a $300 Nagaoka and having a 10lb 4X5 kit?

Cheers!

[Kirk Keyes]

I have 6 - a 75, 90, 125, 150, 210 that I almost always carry, and then a 355 for those special occasions that I think I'll need it.

[Jan Pedersen]

6 is the magic number for me to but i don't shoot much 4x5 anymore.
90, 120, 150, 210, 240 and 300mm is the standard assortment.

[Texian]

Three, 90mm Angulon (Linhof variety), 135mm Sironar S, 240mm Fujinon. The 90mm is able to be stored on the camera, while the 135mm and the 240mm are carried in a Photobackpacker cell.
---Ed

[Sheldon N]

Four lenses.... 90 Nikkor, 150 APO Sironar-S, 240A Fuji, 360A Fuji.


The next poll/thread needs to be...

"How much does your LF kit (pack + camera + lenses + Tripod + Film) weigh?"

followed by...

"How far do you typically carry your LF kit?"

followed by...

"How much do YOU weigh?"

:)

[vann webb]

90, 135, 180, 210. Thinking hard about adding one more to the gaggle.

[Maretzo]

Modern: 75/4.5 Grandagon; 90/8.0 Nikkor SW; 150/5.6 Sironar-N; G-Claron 210/9; 240/5.6 Nikkor;
Old: 90/6.3 Angulon; Leitmeyer 90/6.8; Zeiss Tessar 13.5cm/4.5; B&L 165/4.5; Kodak Ektar 7.5in/4.5; Zeiss Tessar 210/4.5;

In my bag, I usually take 75, 150, 210 and 240.

[Bill_1856]

The Staeble Polyplast casket set yields a 105, 135, 165, 195, and 220mm according to the combination of elements (all in a single tiny little Compound shutter). With my Nagaoka it's still less than 3 pounds!

[mrladewig]

I answered 3. That is all I'll take with to go into the field even though I have more lenses.

[Laurent]

Five and counting... I definitely miss something on the long side.
At the moment it's 75 SA, 90 SA, 120 Angulon, 150 Apo Symmar and 210 Xenar.
The 120 gets little use but is light and folds inside the Tachihara.

[Louie Powell]

Like many here, I started out in the 35mm format. When my first SLR died, I looked into the bag and found that I had a bunch of lenses that had no value (all screw-mount), so I made a conscious intention to be more reasonable about accumulating lenses for the replacement SLR. And I'm proud to say that I think I did reasonably well. But even so, the bag containing my 35mm kit is still awfully heavy!

So when I made the move to 4x5, I vowed to be even more frugal. I started out with one lens - 210mm. The sage advice I read iin Popular Photography (Ralph Hattersley, I believe) was that sneakers were less expensive than lenses - if the focal length wasn't right, just alk closer to the subject, or further away.

That worked extremely well for a few years, but eventually I found that the appeal of architectural interiors was forcing me to think wider. Fortunately, I found a 90mm super angulon (with a Caltar label) on evil-bay that met that need.

And that's going to be it unless and until I move to a different format. There's no room in the backpack for another lens.

[Mattg]

I wish I could have voted but I don't have a 4x5 field kit:(

The number of lenses that a lot of people own is astounding to someone who has one lens and one camera (partly because that's all I want to have to carry and partly because a new lens comes a little way down my current photo priorities list). Obviously people have taken many years to accumulate them.

How long does it take to become comfortable with the field of view of different lenses when composing a photo in your head? How does having a range of lenses available change the way you compose and place the camera?

[Nick_3536]

3 or 4.

A wide,150,210 and maybe the 450. My 300s are heavier then am I so I'm not hauling them for the 4x5 -)

[Ron Marshall]

I wish I could have voted but I don't have a 4x5 field kit:(

The number of lenses that a lot of people own is astounding to someone who has one lens and one camera (partly because that's all I want to have to carry and partly because a new lens comes a little way down my current photo priorities list). Obviously people have taken many years to accumulate them.

How long does it take to become comfortable with the field of view of different lenses when composing a photo in your head? How does having a range of lenses available change the way you compose and place the camera?

It took me a good year after starting LF to get a feel for the three focal lengths I had at the time. Of course it depends on how much one shoots. After three years I decided I preferred other focal lengths and rearranged my kit.

Having a few focal lengths available gives you more flexibility when choosing subject matter and reduces the number of times you have to move your tripod when composing.

But I strongly advise buying a 135 or a 150, no matter how cheap; with a large neg you will get good results. Then get out and shoot lots of film to get a feel for it.

Good luck!

[Laszlo]

75 and 90 (Calumet / Rodenstock)
135 (Rod Apo Sir S)
240 (Docter)

[Don Boyd]

75 Nikkor, 90 Fuji F/8, 120 Nikkor Macro, 150 Rodenstock Sironar-S (my favorite for its sharpness), 200 M Nikkor, 300 M Nikkor, 450 Fuji C. I use them all from time to time but will be selling the 120 Nikkor soon as I will be using a dslr for macro work.

[Andrew O'Neill]

How do you compose with a 4X5 GG after composing with an 8X10 one? Do you have a 5X7 or anything in between that you shoot with as a reduction back? Only curious why you shoot 4X5 with an 8X10 camera instead of buying a $300 Nagaoka and having a 10lb 4X5 kit?


I use a Canham Light Weight 8x10. I don't shoot 5x7. I used to have a Linhof master tech but got rid of it as it just sat unused.

[George Stewart]

90 Angulon, 150 G-Claron, 300 Fujinon C, and becuase I got it for a great price, 500mm Osaka tele.

[BradS]

90mm - 135mm - 210mm

[Alan Davenport]

Three: 90mm, 150mm and 254mm. The ten inch lens is too darn heavy, but I use it often enough that I can't imagine leaving it at home.

[Stomie]

90% of my 4x5 field use is Architecture & of that 75% is interiors, so a 65 & a 90 is all I need to lug around. For exteriors I will sometimes take a 135, but that's about it. I usually know what's needed from being briefed & then scouting the location & subject prior to the photography.

In short, usually just two wides.

[Brad Rippe]

For local day hiking, which I do the most, I carry 5 lenses:

120- Schneider Apo-L
150- Rodenstock Sironar-N
200- Nikkor-M
300- Nikkor-M
450- Fuji-C

For Backpacking, multiday trips:

135- Rodenstock Sironar-S (Don't own my own yet, next purchase)
240- Fuji-A

[Brian K]

On my current trip:

65mm Grandagon
90mm Grandagon
120mm Sironar- N
150mm Sironar-S
200mm Nikkor M
270mm Nikkor T-ED
360mm Nikkor T-ED
500mm rear element for Nikkor T-ED

[KenM]

58,75,110,150,210,250,305,500

I also have a 400, but since getting the 500, I don't carry it anymore. Good lens, tho. There have been times when I wish I had it, since the 500 was just a bit too much.

Regarding one poster's questions:

How much does your pack weight: Don't wanna know.
How much do I weight: 220 lbs
How far have I hiked with it: 35 miles over 6 days is the longest.

Manufacturers:

Roddenstock: 75, 150
Nikon: 210, 500
Schneider: 58, 110, 305
Fuji: 250, 400

[Neal Shields]

Is a pin hole a lens? I carry a lens board with a pin hole in it also. Not counting that 5.
75-90-135-270-360

[David A. Goldfarb]

Yesterday I went to a free workshop and get-together with my usual 4x5" Tech V 5-lens kit (75/90/150/210/360). The bag with all the camera stuff in it weighed 25 lbs, and my tripod was 10 lbs. I could have saved three lbs by switching to a lighter tripod head, but I like the convenience of the bigger head, and I wasn't doing any strenuous hiking. I was only shooting for an hour or two, and since it was a workshop setting, I spent more time talking with other people than exposing film, so I exposed three sheets of film on two setups, using the 150mm and 360mm lenses.

[mrladewig]

I carry only 2 or 3 lenses for 4X5 with me hiking/backpacking and indicated as such in the poll. I selected my camera based on weight and try to keep my entire kit as light as I can. I usually try to chose the lenses by estimating needs in a topo map program. I do landscape photography and very much try to pre-visualize the shots I'm going to try to get. But for general close to home stuff, I just choose three. I am taking a road trip (technically an off-road trip) in a couple of months and will likely take all 5 on that trip since I'll have the jeep.

My kit consists of
65/8 Super Angulon
75/8 Super Angulon
125/5.6 -NW Fuji
150/5.6 Symmar-S
210/5.6 -NW Fuji

Eventually I might add a 90, 180 and a compact 300mm like a Nikkor M or Fuji A.

[Brian K]

On my current trip:

65mm Grandagon
90mm Grandagon
120mm Sironar- N
150mm Sironar-S
200mm Nikkor M
270mm Nikkor T-ED
360mm Nikkor T-ED
500mm rear element for Nikkor T-ED

Pack weight? With a Linhof MT3000, 2 Sinar Zooms, Polaroid back, meters, filters, etc, about 45 pounds. The tripod adds another 8 and the vest, filled with more meters, swarovski laser monocular, linhof universal viewfinder, flash lights, loupes, more filters, etc weigh about 10 pounds. So I end up hiking with about 63 pounds of gear attached to me. This is why my hikes are getting shorter and my drives are getting longer.

[mrladewig]

In contrast I can haul my Tachihara, 3 lenses, Quickload holder, 20 sheets, GND filters and such. I use a digital slr as my meter and for snapshots on trail. It happens to be a Rebel XT, which is a light body coupled to either a 17-40 or even lighter 10-22. Its roughly 15 pounds all together including tripod.

With 2 liters of water, jacket, food etc, my day pack usually weighs 30 pounds. I'm hoping to keep my backpacking trips below 65 pounds this summer. My winter backpacking trip with the 4X5 tipped the scales at 65 pounds and I wasn't carrying the tent or stove.

[Darren Kruger]

90mm f8 Super Angulon
150mm Symmar
210mm Symmar
Chrome all the way.

I might be adding my 300mm APO-Germinar to the mix though.

-Darren

[ljb0904]

I'll either take a 3 lens kit (for the light days)
75-135-240
or I'll take a 5 lens kit (general days)
75-135-180-240-400

I think I'm gonna trade the 135 for a 120

[tgtaylor]

7: 75 Grandagon, 90 Grandagon, 120 Nikkor SW, 120 Nikkor Micro, 150 Rodenstock Apo Sirona S, 210 Schneider, and 300 Nikkor-M.

For multiple day backpacks, the 150mm Rodenstock which fits attached in a Toyo 45CF and the 300 Nikkor-M.

For day hikes I pack whatever lens combination I think I might possibly need but rarely, if ever, all seven.

A few years ago, when I was getting into LF, I was privately critical of Jack Dykinga - whose photograhy I greatly admired - when I read that he owned 6 LF lens. Three lens are all you need I had reasoned at the time: A wide, normal, and long lens. Now I find myself owning more than he did at the time!

But, like Jack, I use all of my lens and that's what counts.

Thomas

[Wilbur Wong]

All Nikkor, each 50% longer than the last generally. Starts at 65, 90, 135, 210, 300, 500 (tele).

Lightness, the 210 is a W 5.6, will eventually be replace with a M 200. The 90 is an 4.5SW, it may eventually be an 8.0.

I do carry them all (I'm a couple of years past 6th decade, I don't know how much longer that I will keep that up!)