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LF lenses with MF sensor?

Given that a 22MP back at best will show something like 50 lp/mm, is there any reason why recent (last 20 yrs or so) LF lenses cannot be used with them?

I can appreciate that 30+ MP may be trying to overstretch their abilities, but are they up to the job of producing decent results @ 22MP, especially as they'll only be using a small part of the image circle?
 

Lars

Active member
I think you already figured out the answer to that, sort of - of course you can use older lenses but they are not designed to maximize resolution over a small image circle.

The one exception is wide-angle lenses. Some (most) digital sensors are sensitive to the angle of the light falling on the sensor. For this reason, traditional almost symmetrical lens design is not suitable for digital. Rather, a retrofocus design such as is used on SLR wideangle lenses is more appropriate.

Of course, to go really wide on a 6x4.5 cm sensor you would have to use a 40mm or so lens which would be somewhat hard to find.

I went the other way, am using a Schneider Digitar 5.6/120 on MF film. This particular digital lens has a very wide image circle (much wider that Schneider's specs), it almost covers 6x17. Except for a very slight focus plane curvature towards the very edge it is of course ridiculously sharp for such a format. but even the shorter APO-Symmars look good when scanned at 4000 dpi (~80 lp/mm) - I have a 5.6/100 APO-Symmar which is a little wonder of a lens when used on MF 6x9.

I know Jack has tested a bunch of LF lenses using his scanning back, perhaps he can chip in.
 
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