which lenses are good for which format??

[Stijn]

Hi, I just bought myself a 13x18 (4.75" x 6.5") wooden field camera, with a old lens. right now I m looking for a lens for this format. how can I know which lenses are good for which camera format's, is there a general rule? or is it related withe the brand (quality?)

also if you answer, could you aswel concider other format's of LF camera's, please more information, thanks Stijn

[Pete Andrews]

That format is half-plate, and film is no longer available in that size. I'm sorry to say you've been sold a bit of a pup.Even adapting the camera to 5x4 won't be easy, since I don't believe you can buy a reducing back from half-plate to 5x4. The back of the camera would have to be permanently modified, and that's going to cost more than the camera's probably worth. It'll also ruin any collectible value that the camera has.I suppose you could cut down 5x7 sheet film, but I bet you don't even have any modern filmholders to fit the camera. Trying to find half-plate filmholders will be like looking for hen's teeth.IMHO buying any reasonable quality lens for that camera would just be throwing good money after bad.

[Bill Jefferson]

Hi,

Take a look at filmholders.com, they build wooden film holders.

Good luck

Bill

[Lukas Werth]

On a somewhat more optimistic note: another message below is about Banse & Grohmann, a German company: they cut film to size *in any quantity*. So much if you have film holders. If not, then the decision must indeed be between a new camera or modification. As for modification: Lotus view camera does such things, and, as I have heard, for very reasonable prices. Their website: http://www.lotusviewcamera.at/ But ask somebody, also the Lotus people, whether your camera is worth it. As for lenses: measure out the diameter of your ground glass and select those with an image circle larger than that.

[Stijn]

concerning this format, apperently in Europe (Belgium) I v seen cataloges printed in Jan. 2001 which sell inserts and back's for 13x18 from HAMA, but this was not realy the question, could someone answer me my question? thanks

[Mike Mahoney]

Stijn: You need to determine first which focal length lens you require. There are quite a number of charts and programs which compare the various formats and their approximate focal length equivalents. As a start, take a focal length and format you're familiar with, and convert to your 13X18. Then you know how long of a lens you want. Second determine how much coverage you're going to need. At the very least you need to cover the film area, and most likely a whole lot more if you're going to be using movements. As to which lenses are good, it depends on your requirements as to image quality, coverage, and lens speed. There are many comparisions of many lenses in the older threads.

[Struan Gray]

Last time I looked (admittedly a couple of years ago) 13x18 film was actually more available than 4x5, at least in Sweden and Germany.

Stijn, most of the lens information on the web has been compiled by Americans. They use a 5x7 inch format which is roughly the same size as 13x18 (modern holders in the two sizes are interchangable). This forum is associated with Tuan's large format page, which has a wealth of information about various lens types, including Tuan's own recommendations for 5x7:

http://www.cs.berkeley.edu/~qtluong/photography/lf/

[Stijn]

concerning my uses of the lenses; I mainly would shoot, Architecture (LF is easy for shifting), landscape and close up.

this brings me further to a other question, I heared that in general for focal lenght you should devide by 3 to get a compared lens in slr camera's. I never realy got into it as I never had to look for a LF lens befor. but I asume that a 180mm for a 4x5 is not the same as for a 8x10. how do I have to recalculate? (if it indeed is not the same)

for my 13x18cm format I was thinking for a 120 (landscape's) and maybe a 80mm for architecture. (will this be to small??) and a 300mm for close up.

thanks for the advice of everybody.

[fw]

Stijn, Here are some lense ideas ;

Nikkor SW120 f/8 ; on 5x7, will be close to a 24mm lense in 35mm format. Very sharp, if a bit large and heavy, 77mm filter size, but covers up to 8x10, so you will have lots of movement,

or as an alternative ;

Schneider 110mm XL ; I haven't used this lense, but it gets excellent reviews, and will cover 5x7 with movement.

For a longer lense on 5x7, a 300mm is a good choice, and it is difficult to do better than the Nikkor 300mm f/9, or the Fuji 300mm f/8.5, which are both very small and light (52mm filter size) ; I use the Nikkor, which again has coverage up to 8x10, and it is an excellent lense. Both of the Nikkors I have mentioned are readily available used at reasonable prices. I am sure that others will have alternative suggestions which are equally worth considering.

[Chris Partti]

To approximate 35mm lens length equivalents from 5x7 (or 13x18) divide by 5. So an 80mm lens on 5x7 would be about equal in angle of view to a 16mm in 35mm, a 120mm about equal to a 24mm, and a 300mm about equal to a 60mm.

A couple of thoughts: The 80mm is probably too wide, assuming you can even find one that covers the format. 120 would probably be a good architecture lens, and also good for landscapes if you like that wide a view. The modern plasmat lenses FW suggests are relatively large, heavy, and--given what you probably paid for your camera--expensive. But they do have good image quality and lots of coverage and will allow movement, which is often necessary for architecture (less so for landscape). Alternatives in the 120 range would be older wide angle lenses, such as the Angulons, which will just cover the format at this focal length.

210mm is considered the "normal" focal length in this format. If you like a slightly wide lens for landscapes (similar to a 35mm lens on 35mm format) you might look at a 165mm Angulon or a 159mm WA Wollensak both of which will cover 8x10 and therefore give lots of room for movement on 5x7. I get a lot of use out of a 165mm Angulon, but I don't have to be too picky about image quality since I only contact print that format.

Finally, for close-up work you probably want a shorter lens than 300mm since you need lots of bellows extension to get close ups with such a long lens. I would guess your old camera doesn't have enough extension. Shorter lenses are often more practical for closeup work in LF.