which lens

[paul owen]

This may seem like a silly question but can anyone suggest a lens to accompany m y 110XL !! I was looking for something "wide" and have been considering the Schn eider 47XL or 58XL. From the literature both allow the same amount of movement b ut I would appreciate any info on these lenses from the people in the "know", ie you lot !! I intend using them with 5x4 and also a 6x12 back. I am a landscape fan and also like wide vistas!! Many thanks in advance. Paul

[Sergio Ortega]

Paul,

Here's one opinion: for 4x5 landscape work (with some 6x12), an excellent companion to the 110mm would be a 75mm. Schneider, Nikkor and Rodenstock all make wonderful 75's.

I use the 75mm Nikkor SW, along with a 90mm and 120mm. I'm thinking of replacing both the 90 and 120 with the 110XL; both to lighten things up in the field, and to find a better compromise between the 90 and 120.

Good luck in your choice, Sergio.

[William Marderness]

How about a 72mm XL? This will allow you some room for movements.

[Michael S. Briggs]

Do you want a lens that feels very wide, or one that feels VERY WIDE? In the first case a 65 to 75 mm would be a good choice, in the later case 47 or 58. In the first category, if you want the ability to do extreme movements, the 72 mm Super-Angulon XL should be considered. A 65 to 75 mm definitely has a different view than a 110 mm. The wider you go, the more likely that you will want to use a center filter.

[Paul Schilliger]

Paul, I also use a 6x12 back along with 4x5. The lens I use even more than the 1 10 is the 90 mm. Then, rarely a 65 and seldom not to say never, a 47mm. If you want to get only one, ge t a 75mm. But this is very subjective, depending on your photography style and the subject matter. For instance, David Muench in his book "Plateau Light", has several shots of canyons and rocks taken with a 47mm, but he uses mostly (and to my opinion with great success) a 75 mm. I am not in the business of photographying the wide wild side but rather the nice small preserved spot between two ugly high te nsion pylons, so my needs are perhaps different. However I would urge you not to get a 47mm before you can actually have a good idea of what kind of image you can get out of it. It really is a "special" lens, even with rollfilm in 6x12. In 6x9 however, the 65 and 47 are "at home".