• Welcome to Photrio!
    Registration is fast and free. Join today to unlock search, see fewer ads, and access all forum features.
    Click here to sign up

35mm SLR back on 4x5

crabby

Member
Allowing Ads
Joined
Aug 15, 2007
Messages
80
Format
35mm
I see backs available on Ebay (UK) for about $100 including shipping. I could mount Nikon SLR's and DSLR's on my 4x5.

The only advantage I can see is closeup photography. My widest lens is a 90mm f6.8. I assume I would need a super-expensive wide angle to obtain a normal view with 35mm.

Anyone using a 35mm SLR back, either store bought or home-made?
 
The other use for these is that you could attach your SLR to the back of a view camera, then using either the sliding function on the adapter, if it has one, or the rear rise/fall and shift movements, you could take several photographs of a larger area, print them, line them up on a light table and cut them with a straightedge and an X-acto knife so they butt together perfectly, and mount them together. At least that's the analogue way of doing it, but it seems much easier just to use a sheet of 4x5" film, if you've got a 4x5" camera.
 
The only reason to obtain such a back is for extreme macro if you don't want to buy a bellows for your (D)SLR and have the 4x5 anyway.
For 35 I would no go that way, for Hasselblad (6x6cm) I can imagine for close-ups and macro or even photo's with shift and tilt.
Your 90mm is a standard length for 6x6, or close to it.
 
Bear in mind that the resolution of large format lenses is not that great compared to 35mm. They don't have to be that high in resolution - a 4x5 negative or positive simply doesn't need much enlargement to give a good image size. 35mm negatives, however, require major enlargement so resolution is very, very important.
 
Another hard way to do something is use the camera with a lens head. Since most long telephotos have the elements at the front you could split the optic apart & attach them to the front standard. I did something similar once with a 135mm Tessar on a Nikon but just used a Nikon bellows. Used the shutter with the lens for exposures.
 
i used a recomar 35 ( kodachrome ) back on my 35mm for a while
because i was using old brass, single cell, &C lenses that i couldn't fit on my
35mm. it was a lot of fun!
 
I think I saw one that allowed you to move the SLR around in the 4x5 plane.

I think the idea was that you could then stitch 25 or so APS size images into a 4x5 composite. More work than I want to do, but it would let you get a 4x5 image with 250 megapixels on the cheap.

Chuck
 
On further thought(?) your 90 would be a portrait length for the 35mm body and should focus to infinity and beyond! I think you're going to be hard pressed to find anything in a shorter fl that would allow inf. focus.
An extreme WA is still going to have to get within it's fl to make infinity. Just because the format changes, a 90 is still a 90 the coverage would have to change as you go between formats.
 
Mounting a 35mm SLR on a view camera isn't practical for most photography. However, it isn't difficult for most cameras. I mounted an old T-Mount to plywood cut and rabbeted to fit my view cameras. It does permit me to use lenses mounted on LF lens boards.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Menu
Log in
Register