How to decide for a set of three lenses for a Linhof Technika IV

[Corran]

Who can say what is "very strong" to you? A 75mm is wider than 90mm, so by definition it will have more fall-off, given the same or similar lens design. A 47mm will vignette a lot harder than that though!

The question is what you are doing with it and how you want the image to look. Also there are many, many variables with regard to film choice, contrast in the scene, indoor or outdoor photos, etc. that make it an impossible question.

Really though, get any 75mm or 90mm lens you can find at a good price and start working and see what you can get and what you find problematic. Rome wasn't built in a day.

[Ig Nacio]

Hello Pere,

Thank you for your message : ) !!!

Very interesting explanations and
also you gave me an idea for another
post.

Thank you again, kind regards!

[Ig Nacio]

Hello Arne,

Thank you for your message : ) !!!

I am considering a 1.5 factor: 90, 135, 180mm.
However, I may switch the 90 for a 75mm.

Thank you again, kind regards!

[LabRat]

A 75mm can cause you a headache on a folding camera, as the FS tends to sit between the front and rear rails to focus normally unless you get the special Linhof lens board ($$$) for it, and I think it is a recessed board that will be more of a chore to set shutter, and limit lens choices due to size...

A 90mm misses all these hurdles and allows a flat board with more lens choices...

Steve K

[Ig Nacio]

Hello Bernice,

Thank you for your message : ) !!!

The camera needs to be portable;
as compact as possible; and as
light as possible. I can't carry a
heavy camera.

I don't use telephotos. Neither in
the other formats. In large format,
I have almost ruled out any lens
longer than 210mm.

Is it possible to make 'architectural
landscapes' without many movements?
Imagine yourself standing on a street
with a field camera. These are the
streets where the photos would be
made:
http://www.lemonpage.de/Fotoseiten/potsdam-fotos.html

These photos would be for archival
purposes. I may not be able to
control all the movements in the
camera but I'll be able to record
and/or documents the buildings
as they stand today. I will not be
shooting buildings taller than three
or four storeys high.

Thank you again, kind regards!

[Corran]

Front rise

[Ig Nacio]

Hello Bryan,

Thank you for your message : ) !!!

Is it possible to make 'architectural
landscapes' without many movements?
Imagine yourself standing on a street
with a field camera. These are the
streets where the photos would be
made:
http://www.lemonpage.de/Fotoseiten/potsdam-fotos.html

These photos would be for archival
purposes. I may not be able to
control all the movements in the
camera but I'll be able to record
and/or documents the buildings
as they stand today. I will not be
shooting buildings taller than three
or four storeys high.

With regard to 'vignetting', I would
almost hate to see one third of the
picture being cropped out because
of vignetting. That, I mean, when
using a 75mm. lens when shooting
without any camera movements.

Thank you again, kind regards!

P.S. Very nice picture!

[LabRat]

But sometimes a longer lens is your friend when you can't get close enough, or when there are things in the way (like parked cars, poles etc) and you can get further away (like across the street) and use an edge to hide them, shoot over something etc...

I have a 280mm on my Tek I use a lot for architecture...

Steve K

[Ig Nacio]

Hello Steve,

Than you for your message : ) !!!

A 75mm can cause you a headache on a folding camera, as the FS tends to sit between the front and rear rails to focus normally unless you get the special Linhof lens board ($$$) for it, and I think it is a recessed board that will be more of a chore to set shutter, and limit lens choices due to size...

A 90mm misses all these hurdles and allows a flat board with more lens choices...

Steve K

Even with the 19 and 21mm. recessed boards sold on e-bay for Linhof Technikas?


How bad is vignetting on the 75mm. lens when not doing any movements?

As mentioned before:

Is it possible to make 'architectural
landscapes' without many movements?
Imagine yourself standing on a street
with a field camera. These are the
streets where the photos would be
made:
http://www.lemonpage.de/Fotoseiten/potsdam-fotos.html

These photos would be for archival
purposes. I may not be able to
control all the movements in the
camera but I'll be able to record
and/or documents the buildings
as they stand today. I will not be
shooting buildings taller than three
or four storeys high.

Thank you again, kind regards!

P.S. I'll consider the Tele for the future!

[Two23]

Hello Kent,


1. It seems to me, that you use your 90mm. lens
mostly as your wide angle of choice. Is that
because your 75mm. requires a center filter?

2. Could you please tell us when or why you may
use the 90mm. more often than your 75mm.?

3. Could you please tell how big is your 90mm.
and 75mm. lenses?

4. You mentioned: "Although the lens equivalents you calculated are close you're likely to find the format doesn't directly translate to 35mm."
Could you please tell a bit more? That could
help me more to decide between the 90mm. and
the 75mm.

1. No. I use the 90mm because I can do more lens movements with it, and I generally am photo'ing exteriors where I can simply back up to frame.

2. See above. I actually don't have a center filter, I just scan negs and use PS vignette removal.

3. It's big. Nikon 90mm f4.5 and Nikon 75mm f5.6. I want the speed of the f4.5. I'm also used to using really big 19th C. brass lenses such as my five pound Voigtlander Petzval. The 90mm is nothing. Still weighs less than the lenses I use for my Nikon D850.

4. I photo different things with LF, and often in a different way. I have some nice vintage 35mm cameras & lenses: 1984 Nikon F3T, 1954 Leica IIIf, 1942 Leica IIIc, 1929 Ansco Memo. I use each for different things. My lens set for the 35mm cameras is 28/50/105mm and my lenses for 4x5 are similar. There's really only a big difference when you start getting down to the wide end--in the middle not so much. A 75mm is noticeably wider than a 90mm, but in practice there isn't much difference between a 150 and 180mm.

I'll add, if you aren't going to use movements why bother with LF at all? That's the whole thing. I found them so useful that my most used lens on my D850 is the Nikon 24mm PC-E (shift lens.) Not sure what period you're talking about but cameras from about 1880 on did have movements and photographers certainly used them. My 1890s British field camera has similar movements to my 2010 Chamonix. Also, if wanting to photo like old time photographers why are we talking about modern Copal lenses? I am very interested in historical photography and use period correct lenses and shoot either dry plate (easy) or wet plate (a bit involved.)


Kent in SD