Wide Lenses for Cambo

[Arash]

New to large format here!

I've bought a 4x5 Cambo without any lenses, have been looking around for recommendations but have found nothing satisfying yet, so here i am asking you guys for help.
I need a wide lens for cambo that would have a similar coverage to 50mm on 6x6 middle format or 28mm on 135. what do you guys recommend? (I also have a dumb question, is it possible to change the lens plate on a sinar lens and use it on cambo?)

Color MTF data doesn't matter to me, i plan to only shoot BW, of course anything sharp and reasonably priced can do it for me!

Regards,
Arash

[Bob Salomon]

MTF applies to any medium, black and white, or not. So do distortion curves and fall-off curves. So why wouldn't you want to have that information?

[Ian Greenhalgh]

A 90mm I suppose is closest to the fov you want. There are many that cover 4x5, primarily the Angulon and Super Angulon from Schneider and the Grandagon from Rodenstock. Which one depends on budget, they are pretty common lenses.

[Arash]

Bob: Obviously since i don't care about inequality of mtf in different wavelengths which might result in Chromatic aberration or such imperfections that are mostly visible in a color photograph.
Ian: Thanks a lot! So can i buy an Angulon 90 that is currently on a Linhof or Plaubel plate and adopt it into a Cambo plate?

[Bob Salomon]

Bob: Obviously since i don't care about inequality of mtf in different wavelengths which might result in Chromatic aberration or such imperfections that are mostly visible in a color photograph.
Ian: Thanks a lot! So can i buy an Angulon 90 that is currently on a Linhof or Plaubel plate and adopt it into a Cambo plate?

That isn't what you look at MTF curves for. Why not read about it before you decide?

Any view camera lens on a lens board can be remounted on another board for a different camera. But you should be aware that the 90mm Angulon does not fully cover 4x5.

[Arash]

Thanks Dear Bob for your help!

however I did never say that MTF chart of the lens doesn't matter to me, but I tried to trigger the brain of my potential readers that i don't care about color imperfections, you see, there might be an old cheap lens with very good contrast reproduction that wasn't designed with color in mind, so has a not so perfect MTF result in let's say red(700nm) for example, but monochrome MTF chart for example in 500nm would be respectable(which is what i care about) (many companies never release such a detailed chart anyways).

And thanks about mentioning coverage of Angulon. Would you recommend any lens other than that? I see that Rodenstock Grandagon 90/6.8 has a 221mm circle, which is more than sufficient, have you worked with this one? does it have fall off in the corners etc? I don't need anything faster than f6 or 7, plan to use it in a studio, but don't want to use any central filters.

So maybe i can sum it up like this, A 90mm lens without noticeable vignetting and full coverage of 4x5.

[Dan Fromm]

Bob: Obviously since i don't care about inequality of mtf in different wavelengths which might result in Chromatic aberration or such imperfections that are mostly visible in a color photograph.
Ian: Thanks a lot! So can i buy an Angulon 90 that is currently on a Linhof or Plaubel plate and adopt it into a Cambo plate?

Arash, chromatic aberration reduces resolution in b/w as well as in color work. The color fringing I suspect you're familiar with is used by some "soft focus" lenses, e.g., Berthiot Nebulor/Color and Boyer Opale, to produce the soft focus effect. These lenses can be used only with b/w film, on color film the results they give consistently fail to please. If you want good sharpness with b/w, you must use a lens that's well corrected for color.

Understand that direct comparisons of focal lengths between nominal 6x6 (actual size 57 x 57), 24x36 and nominal 4x5 (roughly 90 x 120) is impossible because the formats have different aspect ratios. A 50 mm lens on 6x6 sees the same horizontal angle of view as a 105 mm lens on 4x5. A 28 mm lens on 24 x 36 sees the same horizontal angle of view as a 93 mm lens on 4x5. I leave making the comparisons for vertical angles of view and for the formats' diagonals as an exercise for you.

Lenses can be switched fairly freely from board to board. They don't care what they're attached to. The boards must, however, be bored appropriately for the shuttter.

[Arash]

Dan i tried to explain in my previous comment(which you have not read it yet probably, since we were writing at the same time) why I wouldn't mind an imperfect mtf in longer wavelengths(which is not visible to non-IR BW film)
And you're totally right, maybe i should have used the word "feeling", We all know the numbers, however for me 50mm in 6x6 has roughly the same feeling as 28mm on 135.
I'm very happy about this new discovery! It is indeed a very democratic format.
Do you have any specific recommendations for me? I'm looking to start this project asap and also as wise as possible. I seem to be at the right place here for advise.
Right now i have this candidates:
Rodenstock Grandagon 90/6.8 or 4.5
Nikkor SW 90
Schneider 90mm f/8 (with 215mm circle, not the 6.8 version)

[Dan Fromm]

Arash, the four lenses you listed are all good ones. There are two 90 SW Nikkors, f/4.5 and f/8. None of them would be a bad mistake.

You should care a lot about whether your lenses are well-corrected for color. Everyone else does. And it hard to find a relatively modern LF lens that is not well corrected for color.

[jackpie]

Arash welcome to large format photography and to this forum.

Have a look at the general information on the home page of this website and specifically the list of lenses for 4x5: http://www.largeformatphotography.in...s/LF4x5in.html

You will find any of the modern (60s onwards) 90mm wide angle lenses made by Schneider/Rodenstock/Nikon/Fuji will be more than acceptable. Pay more for more modern designs like XLs, more coverage (more movements), better coatings (more contrast), and faster lenses (brighter to view on the ground glass, but usually larger and heavier).