Has anyone tried the 72mm xl on 5x7? If so what were your opinions and experiences with this lens?

-- Emile de Leon (Knightpeople@msn.con), May 03, 2002

Answers

Greetings,

Not on 5x7, but I use it quite a bit on 4x5. It's a great lens. Extremely sharp with excellent contrast. It's a large piece of glass and can flare with extremely bright objects close to the lens, but just about any lens will do that.

Regards, Pete

-- Pete Caluori (pcaluori@hotmail.com), May 03, 2002.

I have tried one and it is really wide! There is enough image circle for some movement, this on a 5x7 Technika V. I also tried my 58XL on the same camera; obviously not a big enough image circle but there is plenty of focusing capability on the wide angle focusing track.

-- Jeffrey Scott (jscott@datavoice.net), May 03, 2002.

Yes! In fact, I've even used it on 8x10 with some very interesting results.

I have both the 5x7 and 8x10 backs for my Deardorff field camera. To focus at infinity, there is no movement available from the bellows being scrunched up tight. However, you still can use some front rise on the 'Dorff using the sliding lens stage without getting outside the image circle.

Best I can figure, on a 5x7 the angle of view is similar to a 17mm lens on 35mm format...Pretty wide.

If you slap on that 8x10 back, of course it won't cover the entire area, but there is enough to get about a 4x10 panorama somewhat darkened at each end due to light fallof. But for alot of subjects it works. BTW, the angle of view using it like this is pretty much its full 140º, making it comparable to about a 12mm on 35 format....Verrry wide!

A side benefit is the complete elimination of the possiblity of any bellows flare, so that highly corrected German glass shows everything it can do contrast-wise.

Here's a shot I did of a covered bridge near my home in rural Blount County, Alabama last year. The bridge is about 260 feet long and I'm less than 50 feet from it:

http://www.studioblountsprings.com/swann72.html

Bottom line: No matter what format, the 72XL's just a great lens!

-- David Haynes (studioblsp@mindspring.com), May 06, 2002.