Advice on dipping into buying a wide angle lens

[newmoon2night]

I'm thinking of buying a lens around the 75mm area purely for 4x5 use.
It would be for landscape use only - not for architectural. Anticipate virtualy always in the F/16 to F/32 aperture range.
I have used 35mm format lenses in the 14mm to 24mm range previously.
My widest lens at the moment is a Schneider 110mm XL.
It doesn't make sense, and I can't afford at the moment, to go down the route of a Schneider 72mm XL, and similarly with a new Schneider 80mm lens.
I'm in the UK.
So the current options are:
A used Fujinon 75mm SWD F/5.6 - looks unmarked condition apart from one slight gash or paint scrape on the outside of the front element filter thread (doesn't stop filters being fitted). The asking price is £420 and this lens is in the UK.
A used Nikon 75mm F/4.5 SW on at mint - in the US at $595, so by the time I've paid postage and import duty this will stand me around £575.
Or be a bit patient and wait for a minty Schneider SA 75mm or a Rodenstock (not sure which) lens comes up somewhere, which would probably end up costing £600 or so I reckon.
If I import from US or elsewhere the $ price roughly equates to the £ price agter postage and customs duties.
My absolute upper price limit is £700 including a centre filter if needed.
I know the general advice is probably 'you won't notice any real difference in any modern coated lens'.
But taking into account cost and the use purely for landscapes which would you go for?
Finally if the particular lens is going to need a centre filter then I need to take that into account in costs also. With the usage there are likely to be occasions when there is a long stretch of blue sky in the shot - though rather rare in the UK!
And if anyone is selling something that might fit the job please let me know!
Thanks.

[anchored]

Honestly I doubt if you'll see much in the way of variations between any of the lenses you've mentioned. However, I would say that the faster the better... at least for the benefit of brightness for focusing.

You haven't mentioned whether you'll be shooting primarily color or B&W, but if color, a centering filter will be highly desirable if not mandatory for any lens of this length or shorter. I'd either figure it in the budget or assume you'll need to buy one relatively soon (unless you like vignetting). If you look at the prices of new centering filters you'll be amazed at how expensive they are (nearly $500 for Rodenstock), so if you find a lens with the filter included that should be a big plus.

I use a Rodenstock 75mm f4.5 with Rodenstock centering filter... it's as sharp as a tack. The centering filter is always used (except when composing or focusing in less-than-bright light).

[newmoon2night]

Thanks Glen.
I will be using colour transparency primarily, though do use B&W sometimes, and would like to start using more, though not sure whether I would with this sort of wide angle lens.
Take on board what you say about centre filter - the only combo of lens and filter I see for sale at the moment is a Schneider Super Angulon 5.6/58mm XL Lens and filter - which is right at the top of my budget.
The camera body will take down to 47mm on a flat panel, but 58mm is getting pretty wide - around 17mm in 35mm format, and I haven't checked how much leeway this lens has on 4x5.

[Ron Marshall]

With transparencies you will probably feel the need for a center filter.

[Mike1234]

Cripes, man... that 110 SS XL is far more lens than you'll ever need for 4x5.

You could sell it to fund the purchases of both 75mm and 120mm SA's in mint-ish condition.

If you're really considering the purchase of a 58mm... that CF also works with your 110 SS XL. ALso, should you decide to buy a 80mm SS XL, the same CF works with all three!!

So... 58mm. 80mm, 110mm then up from there. Not a bad WA setup, IMO. And you save tons of money by sharing the one CF.

That said, since I love WA so dearly, I would opt for a 47mm SA XL as my widest lens rather than the 58. This, of course, means only the 80 and 110 would share a CF.

[newmoon2night]

Cripes, man... that 110 SS XL is far more lens than you'll ever need for 4x5.

You could sell it to fund the purchases of both 75mm and 120mm SA's in mint-ish condition.

If you're really considering the purchase of a 58mm... that CF also works with your 110 SS XL. ALso, should you decide to buy a 80mm SS XL, the same CF works with all three!!

So... 58mm. 80mm, 110mm then up from there. Not a bad WA setup, IMO. And you save tons of money by sharing the one CF.

That said, since I love WA so dearly, I would opt for a 47mm SA XL as my widest lens rather than the 58. This, of course, means only the 80 and 110 would share a CF.

Thanks Mike
Well the 110mm would fund other lenses but it's not going anywhere ... even if the money would be useful!
I was thinking of a 75mm lens, but the 58mm looks in very nice condition and DOES have the centre filter, so had me thinking. On the downside it is getting VERY wide (though 47mm is even wider). Having said that I had the chance to use a Nikon 14-24mm zoom in 35mm format a few months ago and enjoyed using the lens.
Have you any experience of the 58mm lens?

[Mike1234]

I have no experience with the 58 yet. I'm still building my system and I'm opting for 4x10 or 5x12 format anyway. I did buy a 72 SA XL for my widest lens for this system. I do realize the 72 will only cover 5x10 or so.

I have 38 and 58 SA XL's reserved for a small/lightweight 4x5 for dedicated 6x12cm roll film shooting but have shot with neither lens. Yes, it's a sin.

The above stated, I shot 4x5 may years ago with a 65mm as my widest lens and loved it. However, there were a few times I would have liked a bit wider. Since 58mm isn't that much wider than 65mm I'm sure only a 47mm SA XL would have made me fully content. Again though, I can be a bit of a WA freak.

[domaz]

I don't know how you plan on processing/printing your images but if you are doing it digitally there is a program that simulates a center filter. It might be worth a try before you worry about buying a center filter.

[Doug Dolde]

Isn't that program Linux only ?

[Mike1234]

I wouldn't bother with a dedicated program to emulate a CF for two very important reasons...

1: It can easily be done in PS with existing controls.

2: There is no substitute for a CF because film only has so much lattitude and as exposure slides up or down the gamma curve this affects overall and (more importantly) local contrast.

For a one stop differential shooting relatively low contrast negative film a one stop differential isn't an issue but with more severe differences in exposure and with chromes or high contrast negative films the problem becomes more apparent. I'm aware that some CF's cause minor color shift on color film but this is more easily dealt with than extreme exposure differences which can also cause color shift in addition to loss of detail and variable contrast issues.