lens choice for 69 roll film in 45 camera

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hi, after literature search in this site, i get a used sinar f1, but questions come again: 1/ i am now looking for my first lens, i am used to the Fuji 690GWII (focal length 90mm) in landscape ,and portrait, it's really nice , sharp ,and good contrast.i also would like to take macro photos sometimes, not by Fuji 69. In looking the lens in my sinar, should i also get the 90mm lens too? will 90mm in 45 view camera a reasonable choice in doing macro? (the rail in sinar f1 is 12 inches) 2/ if so, will schneider SA 90/5.6 or rodenstock grandagon N 90/ f4.5 a good choice? or others? 3/ will the 90mm in 45 camera with 69 film holder, just the same equivalent focal length in 135 format as the 69 rangefinder,and.. plus movements? (i think so) thanks

-- benz (wchiping@hotmail.com), February 19, 2002

Answers

First, the Fuji camera produces excellent results, so you will not get "better" results with any 90mm lens on the Sinar. As (I hope :-) you've noticed the Sinar and the Fuji are extremely different and they are at their best in very different areas.

Now, if you've got a 69 filmholder, a 90m lens will give you the same perspective as the Fuji, as long as you don't use any shifts on the Sinar. But you will have plenty of movement capability on the Sinar as well. Most modern 90mm wideangles just covers 5X7" and the Super Angulon 90XL covers more than that.

You are quite right about choosing a short focal length for macro work. It makes things simpler. (I.e. shorter bellows draw.) But the wideangles in particular are corrected for shooting at infinity, so a wideangle 90mm isn't at its best in the macro range. Now, having said that, the results are probably "good enough". The 90mm wideangle is very common, and you will not do anything wrong if you buy one as you quite probably will have very good use for it.

Which brand you choose is of less importance. There are two categories (or three if you put the SA 90XL in its own category). They are the f/8 and the f/4.5-5.6 category. The f/8 category lenses are a bit smaller and usually covers 100 deg. The f/4.5-5.6 category are larger and heavier and more expensive. They are somewhat easier to focus due to the extra f/stop. Again, which brand doesn't really matter. Apart from the Schneiders and the Rodenstocks there's also the Nikkors and the Fuji lenses. They all perform about the same apart from very tiny variations in color rendition. If you want to save in weight, the Nikkor 90 f/8 is the smallest one in size and weight, but it is still a very good performer. If you have got strong arms and back plus a "strong" wallet, you could opt for the best, i.e. the Schneider Super Angulon 90XL. But it costs lots more. And in normal conditions neither you nor anyone else could tell the difference in between that lens and anyone else mentioned.

-- Björn Nilsson (b.w.nilsson@telia.com), February 19, 2002.


bens:

Traditional wide angle designs aren't great for macro work... lots of field curvature and often focus shift. Some of the newer aspherical designs hold up better, but are very expensive (Schneider 110XL). It sounds like macro is a relatively small part of your work. I suspect that if you get a 90mm, you would find something like a 135-150mm useful for landscape work and also a better lens for your macro work. With a 150mm, you will still be able to go to 1:1 with your bellows draw, even close with a 135mm.

-- Glenn C. Kroeger (gkroeger@trinity.edu), February 19, 2002.


Which enlarger lens do you have? Another option would be to use a Componon-S 100mm for your macro work. It fits into one of the Copal shutters, either a "0" or a "00". (I forget which. One can check with Schneider.) You would also need to put tape over the portion of the lens that illuminates the dial.

It doesn't provide the same view as the 90mm, but you will get first rate results from this lens, better than good enough. Depending on whether or not the image or the object is larger, you may want to reverse the lense in the shutter. I used a 150mm Componon-S lens to photograph some paintings, and I was very impressed with the sharpness of the resulting transparencies.

While the Super Angulon can double as a super wide angle lens, I'm wondering if another lens to consider is the Rodenstock Geronar 90mm lens. (Bob?) This is a double-gauss lens, a formula that is frequently used for wide-field copy work. (e.g. the Wide-field copy Ektars.)

-- neil poulsen (neil.fg@att.net), February 19, 2002.


Benz:

Just reread your post and realized you are going to be using 6x9. With that format, I wouldn't recommend a 90mm at all. They are big and slow and/or bigger and very expensive. A 100mm plasmat (Apo- Sironar, Apo-Symmar, Nikkor-W or Fujinon CM-W) would all be similar, much better for macro work, lighter weight, sharper and more affordable.

-- Glenn C. Kroeger (gkroeger@trinity.edu), February 19, 2002.


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