trouble with sharpness with the Schneider APO-Symmar-L 150mm/5.6?

[jason995511]

I'm new to large format photography and have a question about my shots using the Schneider APO-Symmar-L 150mm/5.6. I notice that I have a hard time getting the entire object I'm shooting to be sharp (think tree from top to bottom). I've figured the 150 wouldn't have much fall off and I'm shooting from 11-45 f-stop, so I'm not sure what I may be doing wrong?
Would love any help and advice.
thanks

[Bernice Loui]

How large is the entire object on the ground glass?

Is the image out of focus on the film or on the GG? If the image is out of focus on the film, could the alignment between the film holder/ground glass be off?

Is there a Fresnel lens involved with the GG?


Bernice

[Bob Salomon]

What happens when you shoot at f22?

[SergeiR]

Example might be another good idea :)

[ImSoNegative]

Ah, the ole learning curve : )

[E. von Hoegh]

http://www.largeformatphotography.info/how-to-focus.html

[David Lobato]

It helps to keep the tripod head level and the camera's front and back level (side-to-side and front-to-back) when you set it up. A tilted back or front standard will make it very hard to keep a tree in focus, assuming it's standing upright. Keep in mind the camera should be parallel to your subject before you begin to focus. Camera movements are then used, if necessary, from that initial reference.

[jason995511]

87825

so if you take a look at this image, it's extremely sharp near the bottom and middle, but loses sharpness near the top of the stand. I've tried making sure everything is level with front and back standards.
thanks all for the advice.

[Gem Singer]

Did you remove the index pin from the back of the shutter before you mounted it on the lens board?

If not, the shutter and lens could be slightly tilted even though the front and rear standards are squared up.

[Leigh]

Did you remove the index pin from the back of the shutter before you mounted it on the lens board?
The proper solution is to mill a clearance hole for the anti-rotation pin before mounting the shutter, and use the pin for its intended function.

- Leigh

[ImSoNegative]

were movements used at all in that image? i photographed a scene a while back using my 65mm lens, there was a big tree very close to the camera, thought i had it sharp till i checked the neg. there was a soft spot right near the top, a bit too much front tilt, of course if i had gone another stop or stop and a half down it would probably been sharp.