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3x normal

rdeloe

rdeloe

Well-known member
I'm curious to know what lenses people are using for 3x normal focal length on their technical cameras. On my setup, I'm calling "normal" 55-60mm. I have 2x normal covered nicely with an Apo-Sironar Digital. I'd like to know some options for 3x normal that allow for shifting 15mm or more. What are you using, or what have you used with good results?

I favour lighter and smaller. And I'm wide-open to non-standard, unorthodox options. I can adapt just about anything to my setup (a Fuji GFX 50R on the back of a Toyo VX23D). Custom mount solutions are easy because I have access to a good machine shop.
 
O

onasj

Active member
For 54x40 mm sensors, offerings are thin around 150 mm focal lengths. The Rodenstock 180/5.6 is an optical masterpiece in my opinion, but is pricey, hard to find if you want a copal shutter pre-installed, and allows shifting of about 10 mm on a 54x40 mm sensor. Pretty good, but not quite as shiftable as you wanted.

rdeloe said:
I'm curious to know what lenses people are using for 3x normal focal length on their technical cameras. On my setup, I'm calling "normal" 55-60mm. I have 2x normal covered nicely with an Apo-Sironar Digital. I'd like to know some options for 3x normal that allow for shifting 15mm or more. What are you using, or what have you used with good results?

I favour lighter and smaller. And I'm wide-open to non-standard, unorthodox options. I can adapt just about anything to my setup (a Fuji GFX 50R on the back of a Toyo VX23D). Custom mount solutions are easy because I have access to a good machine shop.
Click to expand...
 
rdeloe

rdeloe

Well-known member
Do you mean the 180mm HR Digaron-S with the 80mm image circle? That would work in a pinch because my sensor is 33mm x 44mm. If it's good over that whole image circle I could get 15mm shift (which would do). As you say though, it's hard to find in a Copal shutter.


onasj said:
For 54x40 mm sensors, offerings are thin around 150 mm focal lengths. The Rodenstock 180/5.6 is an optical masterpiece in my opinion, but is pricey, hard to find if you want a copal shutter pre-installed, and allows shifting of about 10 mm on a 54x40 mm sensor. Pretty good, but not quite as shiftable as you wanted.
Click to expand...
 
dchew

dchew

Well-known member
rdeloe said:
Do you mean the 180mm HR Digaron-S with the 80mm image circle? That would work in a pinch because my sensor is 33mm x 44mm. If it's good over that whole image circle I could get 15mm shift (which would do). As you say though, it's hard to find in a Copal shutter.
Click to expand...
Yeah that is the lens I was going to recommend. I don't have it, but Steve Hendrix recently started a thread about it here:
https://www.getdpi.com/forum/medium...-180mm-hr-s-custom-cambo-mount-iq4-150-a.html

Dave
 
rdeloe

rdeloe

Well-known member
I would definitely consider that one Paul. My 2x normal (OK, 2.25x normal!) is the Apo-Sironar Digital 135mm f/5.6, so the 210 would complement that nicely.

These are solid "digital" options. I wonder if anyone's using some non-digital lenses with good results. I'm curious because I had the chance to shoot my old Fujinon-W 125mm f/5.6 alongside the Rodenstock Apo-Sironar Digital 135mm f/5.6 recently. On my 50MP sensor -- Fuji GFX 50R -- the Fujinon put in a very respectable performance. I don't mean "good enough". I mean it held its own against the much more expensive Rodenstock, which was really surprising to me. This has made me more open-minded about other potentially good "analogue" lenses. (I'm kicking myself for having just sold my Fujinon-W 180mm and 210mm lenses as part of my 4x5 clearout -- I could have checked for myself! Bah.)
 
J

jng

Well-known member
If by "unorthodox" you're willing to include old school and can accommodate a Hasselblad V system mount, you might also consider the Hasselblad Zeiss 150/4 and 180/4. They are not exactly compact but are quite sharp, easy to find on the used market and relatively inexpensive (I've found that KEH is a good source). I recently did some testing of the 150 on my IQ3100 (40x54mm sensor), and found that at f/11 I could shift to +/-15mm with very good/excellent sharpness at the edges. There's a bit of chromatic aberration that Capture One easily handles. The SK150 is probably a bit sharper (judging from the published MTF charts at least - I haven't done a direct comparison test) but the Schneiders are getting hard to find. YMMV, of course...

John
 
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rdeloe

rdeloe

Well-known member
John, "unorthodox" definitely includes medium format lenses.

At the 35mm end I'm already using a SMC Pentax-A 35mm f/3.5. I had to fabricate a custom mounting panel to use it, but it works quite well. My Plan C for 3x normal is to use a 200mm Pentax-A 645 lens, or possibly the Pentax 67 200mm; that's Plan C because these are both larger and heavier than I wanted.

To demonstrate my open-mindedness about this... at 60mm, I'm going to try a Rodenstock Rodagon-WA 60mm enlarging lens; it has the necessary image circle and at least one person out there in the wild has reported good results on a Fuji GFX camera (no lens cast with shifts out to 10mm, decent infinity performance, and excellent closer performance).

I've heard good things about Hasselblad V system lenses but haven't tried any yet. Thanks for the tip on those two.


jng said:
If by "unorthodox" you're willing to include old school and can accommodate a Hasselblad V system mount, you might also consider the Hasselblad Zeiss 150/4 and 180/4. They are not exactly compact but are quite sharp, easy to find on the used market and relatively inexpensive (I've found that KEH is a good source). I recently did some testing of the 150 on my IQ3100 (40x54mm sensor), and found that at f/11 I could shift to +/-15mm with cery good/excellent sharpness at the edges. There's a bit of chromatic aberration that Capture One easily handles. The SK150 is probably a bit sharper (judging from the published MTF charts at least - I haven't done a direct comparison test) but the Schneiders are getting hard to find. YMMV, of course...

John
Click to expand...
 
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