good/best portrait lens for 5x7

[tenderobject]

happy new year guys! this will be my first post for 2011..

anyway, got my setup already. a few lenses now. 150 and 210 modern lenses but would like to try out close/portraiture. what would be the best focal length for this type of work? i have 300mm barrel lenses i need to test. maybe longer would do or 300mm would be fine? :) can you suggest good and affordable lenses that are good for this kind of work? old or modern lenses. if you can share your experience that would be awesome.

thank you!

[mdm]

210 should be ok for now.

[Jim Galli]

I think a 14" petzval would be perfect if you could find one small enough to fit your lens panels. I'm mis-behaving badly since I just put one in the classifieds :D:D. 300mm barrels would be the most logical place to begin. Slightly long for the format but with bellows room when you get in close up.

[tenderobject]

thanks mdm..

jim, i still need to test the 300mm barrel that i bought from you. will try to test it this week with paper negative. my first try wasn't successfull co's i forgot the bellows factor hahaha. will test the 210 symmar that i got last year as well.. tried the 150mm symmar and i was happy with the result.

thank you guys!

[Jim Galli]

thanks mdm..

jim, i still need to test the 300mm barrel that i bought from you. will try to test it this week with paper negative. my first try wasn't successfull co's i forgot the bellows factor hahaha. will test the 210 symmar that i got last year as well.. tried the 150mm symmar and i was happy with the result.

thank you guys!

Follow through on that because that old lens was somewhat flarey, which is not a bad thing in portraiture. A bit of flare can light up the shadows and add some mystery.

[tenderobject]

Follow through on that because that old lens was somewhat flarey, which is not a bad thing in portraiture. A bit of flare can light up the shadows and add some mystery.

will update you when im done testing it again! hope it all works! :)

[Paul Fitzgerald]

" can you suggest good and affordable lenses that are good for this kind of work? old or modern lenses. if you can share your experience that would be awesome."

IF you can find one in usable condition an:

Emil Busch / Rathenow
Busch-Bis-Teler Ser. II f/7 #3 16"

works very well for portraits, fits right in with the usual suspects, hard to find.
It's the original telephoto lens so it uses the same bellows extension as a 300mm.

[Jay Decker]

While portraits taken with modern sharp lenses are great; however, I tend to prefer the look of "vintage" lenses for portraiture. For 5x7, I've become rather fond of the 250mm f/4.5 Zeiss Tessar, 300mm f/4.5 Heliar, Dallymer 4D and Dallymer 3B. The Tessar is lovely for portraits and cost $45 for the lens in barrel.

[Frank Petronio]

There is a nice vintage 240/4.5 Xenar in the classifieds (no association w seller).

[jnantz]

i like to use something kind of longish for 5x7 portraits ( like 14" )
so you can get a nice crop and not be in the subject's face.

[Warren Clark]

Re: Cooke Portrait PS 945

Has anyone used this lens for 5x7 portraits ?
The image circle is listed as 190 mm at infinity.

Thanks,

Warren Clark

[David Aimone]

The Tessar is lovely for portraits and cost $45 for the lens in barrel.

Jay,

Where have you seen the Tessar for $45? I'd pick one up for that...
One on ebay right now for $150 in barrel.

David

[DrTang]

I'm using a 300mm, but if I get a 240 conv. symar..I'll check out both the 240 and 360 lengths of it..300 seems right for now...it's like a 75mm on a 35mm camera..I think..which is about perfect for what I shoot

[mdm]

i like to use something kind of longish for 5x7 portraits ( like 14" )
so you can get a nice crop and not be in the subject's face.

I dont. A looseish head and shoulders with a 210 is about
conversational distance and the photograph looks nice and natural.
Step back and you get some interesting context around the sitter. A
long lens will isolate you, make you an outsider, and do the same to
the sitter. For my taste 240 is long and 180 is wide, outside of those boundaries you are relying on gimmickry.

[Jim Galli]

I dont. A looseish head and shoulders with a 210 is about
conversational distance and the photograph looks nice and natural.
Step back and you get some interesting context around the sitter. A
long lens will isolate you, make you an outsider, and do the same to
the sitter. For my taste 240 is long and 180 is wide, outside of those boundaries you are relying on gimmickry.

gimmickry? Do tell. Abel's 'professional portrait lightings' would have you outvoted smartly. Most of the old pro's in the 1940's were still using 16's to 21's for 5X7 at that writing. A 12 or a 14 on 5X7 was rare then.

[mdm]

Oh well, thats what I think. I dont have or want lights. I just do what I think makes sense. Sometimes I change my mind. I supose they were also using head clamps and making glorified passport photos.

Why do people here recommend a 135mm on 4x5 for still life, did someone not make a lot of portraits on 5x7 with a 180mm. I agree because my limited experience supports that view.

And I will post some examples to back up my view, this afternoon when I have had time to do some scanning.

[Jim Noel]

The shortest lens I use for portraits on 5x7 is 12' (300mm). When space is available I prefer a 15" or 19" lens. I would feel far too close to the subject if I used a 210 mm.

[jnantz]

i worked for a portraitist for about a year ... she had a 14" lens
and shot 5x7 portraits with it for 60+ years ...
she was from an old tradition though trained in the 20s/30s ...
i don't know if i would call karshesque-style gimmickery ...

that said, traditions and rules are always meant to be broken.
if something else better suites your shooting style, by all means use that ...

[mdm]

Two simple examples of what a 210mm is born to do, on 5x7. Straight from the scanner.

This is how I see. If you use a wide angle or a long or telephoto lens, you are introducing distorted perspective. While every lens places something between the sitter and the viewer and could be decribed as gimmick, those at the extremes, that distort perspective or swirl or glow are much more gimmiky on the continuum of gimmickry.

[Jim Galli]

Long live gimmickry then.

[Ken Lee]

http://www.kenleegallery.com/images/forum/CheeseBuyerStrand.jpg
Cheese Buyer, Luzzara Italy
Paul Strand, 1953

At this point in his career, Paul Strand used only one lens: a 300mm Dagor.

It served as a normal lens on 8x10, and a "portrait" lens on his 5x6 camera (as above).

[mdm]

Cheese Buyer, Luzzara Italy
Paul Strand, 1953

At this point in his career, Paul Strand used only one lens: a 300mm Dagor.

It served as a normal lens on 8x10, and a "portrait" lens on his 5x6 camera (as above).

I was under the impression that it was a 5x7 graphlex. Anyway, you cant argue with the results.

In my opinion 'Wall Street' is the greatest photograph ever made because it changed the way we photograph and its subject is probably more relevant today than the day it was taken. Paul Strand is more Gurski than Gurski ever will be.

[Daniel Unkefer]

I have a barrel mounted Schneider 300mm Xenar, that I use for 5x7 portraiture on my Sinar Norma. And also a 360mm F5.6 Schneider Symmar.

[Ken Lee]

I was under the impression that it was a 5x7 graphlex.

Yes. It was masked to 5x6.

His 8x10 at that time was a Deardorff.

One lens, 2 cameras.

[Jay Decker]

Jay,

Where have you seen the Tessar for $45? I'd pick one up for that...
One on ebay right now for $150 in barrel.

David

David - purchased it on eBay. As I recall, the auction ended in the middle of a Wednesday afternoon. Threw a "fire and forget" bid of $50 at it and expected to be outbid by someone who would bid in last 6 seconds of the auction while I was at work. Got message that evening that I had "won" the auction. The sweet part was that wen the lens arrived, it is a nice condition for a $50 lens. Think that I also still have the 270mm f/4.5 Xenar that I picked up here in The Sale/Wanted forum for $65. Have a few of these lenses, now mounted on Sinar lensboards, that I need to disposition... anyway, keep looking and a good deal will pop for you.

[Acheron Photography]

I use a multicoated 300mm Symmar S on 5x7 for portraits and feel very good about it. It's a huge chunk of glass, and (to state what may be obvious) it needs quite a lot of bellows draw when shot close, but it is wonderfully sharp and contrasty if that is what you want. The high weight also means these lenses are typically fairly cheap second hand as they are not exactly the most backpack friendly 300mm.

David.

[tenderobject]

hey guys! thank you for all the answers in my inquiry! i should shoot more! we have an awful weather here lately :(

i think i will just use my lenses for now. 150, 180mm, 210, and 2 300mm lenses :)