The problem with UWA lenses is that when shooting at standard eye level camera heights, they tend to show too much of the foreground (sidewalks etc) as the camera sees more of that, while the background or center of interest stuff starts looking very far away... Shooting architecture and interiors ment that the camera was mounted on a ladder to avoid the foregrounds (shooting a 65mm)...
And there is little to no front rise to steer away from it, and greater falloff to deal with...
But good FL'S if one plans to major crop to pano formats etc...
Use a 75 or 90mm for now, and see if it does the trick for you (probably will) and save $$$ on something you might never use much...
Steve K
I owned a 72, 58 and 47 XL’s. All three were fantastic but I found the 72 to be the most useful but really used my 90 Nikkor SW more than the three put together. Some people visualize in an ultra wide perspective and others of us like more moderate perspectives.
The 47 was my least used lens on film. It was really really wide but it and the 58 had marginal amounts of rise and fall. It’s been a few years since I owned them but it seems like they only had 10 or so mm of movement. Sorry if I’m confusing the numbers but there was very little usable movement. I owned and felt a center filter was necessary with the 47 & 58. The 72 on 4x5 though had enormous coverage and falloff wasn’t an issue. The 72 was an exceptional lens. The downside of the 72 though is it’s quite large.
The 47 and 58 found their use on my Technikardan 69 along with a 35mm apo Grandagon along with my digital back. They were all quite sharp and very useful for the architectural work I was doing at the time.
I’m mostly retired now and sold the kit but retain all my film gear. My wides for 4x5 now are a 75mm Caltar (Grandagon) 6.8, 90 4.5 Nikkor SW and 115 Caltar (Grandagon) 6.8. They’re very sharp and the little 75 allows for adequate movement for my subject matter. If I were going to add something weed I’d look for a 65 f4 Nikkor SW. I owned one several years ago and it was a jewel and very bright to focus. Actually pretty much any of the later super angulons, Nikkor SW, Fuji wides and Rodenstock are excellent.
Since you own the 90mm, next one down for me would be either the 75mm or the 72mm. (Both, f5.6.)
Even for architecture, wider than either of these lenses becomes special purpose. But for landscape, the 90mm would be a bit wide. (In my view.) That said, David Muench has done some very nice landscape work (e.g. near to far) with a 75mm lens.
I have both a 47mm SA XL and the 58mm. But, I use them for medium format. Rarely, if at all, would I use either of these lenses for 4x5. Again, it would only be for a special purpose.
By the way, some very nice images in this thread.
Some shots of mine from my holliday in France last summer. The pictures were shot in the Abbaye d'Hambye and the Abbaye de la Lucerne, both in the Normandy. Lenses were the 58mm SA XL and a 75mm Nikon SWA. I often prefer the 75 mm as it allows for more movements, but sometimes the situation is just very cramped and then the 58mm comes in nicely. The first two shots were made with the 58mm, the other two with the 75mm. The scans are from prints on Foma velvet paper made on a chaep all purpose office scanner / printer, so the quality is not optimal.
I do not have any pictures handly, but I have used all of these. If you are using the movements on the 90XL, then 72XL is the logical much wider step. The 58 is more like the 47 - you are pretty close to point, focus, and shoot. If you did not bond with the 47, you are not likely to love the 58. For me, when I go wider than 72 - or really 80, since I have the 80ss for caring around, I find I go directly to the 47.
Ed Richards
http://www.epr-art.com
Took this yesterday with the 58mm XL
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