Schneider S.A. 90mm XL f5.6 and Whole Plate Format

[RJ-]

For any whole plate format users, I've scribbled a few field notes together on using the Schneider Super Angulon 90mm XL f5.6 lens here:

http://groups.google.co.uk/group/wholeplate/web/3-1-brief-field-report-schneider-super-angulon-90mm-xl-f5-6

Hope this is helpful.

Kind regards,

RJ

Whole Plate Column (http://groups.google.co.uk/group/wholeplate)

[Peter K]

"Groundglass viewing is very limited without darkcloth coverage in daylight."

A groundglass isn't an LCD-screen, so a darkcloth is always needed. Specialy with short focal-lenghts the brightness decreases rapidly.

[RJ-]

Hi Peter,

Thank you for your thoughts. I don't know about LCDs since I never view my laptop with a darkcloth.

With respect to the Wista bright screen with a 65mm f4 Nikkor W lens combination, a darkcloth is not required, even in 1/30th f8 conditions. The construction of the Wista groundglass and fresnel screen is exceptionally bright (along with the Nikkor - the brightest wide-angle lens available for 5x4" format).

With a Silvestri extra-bright Beattie fresnel screen coupled with the groundglass, the ultra-wide 47mm XL f5.6 lens reveals a large central image spot, usable for rough focussing on 4x5" format without a darkcloth. The brightness does show rapid sagittal deterioration of brightness as you describe. The new Maxwell wide-angle fresnel and Ebony groundglass combination would probably improve on light dispersal, facilitating near daylight viewing with a mere groundglass hood however I've yet to try this out.

Again, a Sinar F2 with a standard Horseman/Sinar fresnel and ground glass combination and the Schneider 90mm XL lens enables the focal length to be focussed without the use of a darkcloth in bright f16 1/125 conditions.

It is possible, that the Chamonix groundglass brightness is relatively limited for the application of an ultra wide-angle 90mm XL lens on whole plate format; users will be aware that there is no fresnel screen to disperse the light evenly as with most 4x5" groundglass combinations. With a standard Chamonix groundglass, I've found that a standard (+) 300mm f10 lens enables the rough focus of the focal length on whole plate without a darkcloth on the groundglass set-up with the Chamonix. It is perhaps not the brightest screen, however as a sole groundglass construction, it should be more than satisfactory for most focal lengths, except those who use ultra-wide angle lenses.

Kind regards,

RJ

[Peter K]

Hi RJ,

what's the problem to use a darkcloth with a LF-Camera? It's much cheaper as all the fresnel/gg-combinations and there is the adventage to check the image sharpness with loupes.

Possible it's a coincidence that a bright groundglass is an item since the time LCD's where in use. If one goes back in literatur about photography groundglasses where only an item to focus easily and exactly.

Cheers,

Peter K

[gflanslo]

RJ - thanks for the article. I've just 'upgraded' to a whole plate camera and have been wondering what lenses I need.

[RJ-]

Hi RJ,

what's the problem to use a darkcloth with a LF-Camera? It's much cheaper as all the fresnel/gg-combinations and there is the adventage to check the image sharpness with loupes.

Possible it's a coincidence that a bright groundglass is an item since the time LCD's where in use. If one goes back in literatur about photography groundglasses where only an item to focus easily and exactly.

Cheers,

Peter K


Hi Peter,

There's no problem at all: I use a darkcloth all the time. I just don't use a darkcloth to set up a camera. The field notes are for newcomers to whole plate format.

There is a dearth of information on the use ultra-wide angle lens with 110 degree coverage like the Goerz Hypergon or the Schneider Super Angulon 90mm XL f5.6 lens for whole plate format in historical literature. It's possible that the designs of various vintage whole plate cameras posed a challenge for a 60mm focal length, or that such ultra-wide practice was just too uncommon to remark on.

It's also certainly possible that the development of the 'bright' groundglass screen combination arose at the time of LCD screen refinement; possibly too, as a result of increasingly sophisticated ultrawide angle lens designs, such as the Schneider Super Angulon 38mm XL, 47mm XL, 58mm XL and 90mm XL, and the limitation for regular ultra-wide angle photographers, particularly for night imaging..


RJ - thanks for the article. I've just 'upgraded' to a whole plate camera and have been wondering what lenses I need.

Hi Geoffrey,

No problem - I've just been very slow trying to work out the editing software for articles and field notes.

This is a list of the lenses which we have some collective experience of:

http://groups.google.co.uk/group/wholeplate/web/lenses (http://groups.google.co.uk/group/wholeplate/web/lenses)

One of the understated attractions about the whole plate format for me relates to its intercompatibility with current 4x5" lenses. The 90mm, 180mm, 300mm lenses in this list, which I've been using for the smaller 4x5" format, all cover whole plate format. In that respect, it's easier to start with the lenses you might already possess, until the expiration of coverage from these lenses forces an upgrade.

Kind regards,

RJ

Whole Plate Column (http://groups.google.co.uk/group/wholeplate)

[Peter K]

Hi RJ,

the vintage Super-Angulon lenses from 120mm up also cover at least 266mm.

The Super-Angulon 120mm f8 has an circle of coverage at f/16 of 290mm, specially if used with center-filter IV in combination with step-up ring 77mm to 82mm.

The SA 165mm f8 covers 300mm at f/16 and the SA 210mm 500mm. The last two are hughe lenses with 1400 gr. resp. 2200 gr., so not every camera can be used with.

Regards,

Peter K

[RJ-]

Hi Peter,

many thanks for the information on the Super Angulon series of lenses.

Another whole plate user will be testing out the 120mm Nikkor lens shortly. I've just finished testing the Apo-Sironar S 180mm f5.6 lens which covers whole plate (as predicted from its 276mm coverage) with a modest 17mm shift at f22. It is a substantially lighter lens at a fraction weight of the SA 165mm f8.

Nevertheless, I'll try and collate a separate reference page for anyone wishing to prioritise covering power over size/weight issues for whole plate lenses.

The SA 165mm f8 would offer substantially more movements than the 180mm Sironar S f5.6 for anyone wishing to shoot architectural work on whole plate format.

Kind regards,

RJ


Whole Plate Column (http://groups.google.co.uk/group/wholeplate/web)