Bronica SQ lenses for portrait photography

[monkeytumble]

For those tight head shots, which lens combo do you use? It appears that there are two basic options: 1) 180mm lens which focuses as close as 1 meter, or 2) a 150 to 250mm lenses with an 18mm extension ring.

Which do you prefer? Are there any example shots available?

Thanks,

Jay

 

[vdonovan]

Here are a couple with the 150. I shot the same subjects also with the extension ring, but can't post those until tomorrow.

 

[BobNewYork]

Those are truly beautiful images my friend. I put those in the category of "wish I'd done that'!

I've always used the 150mm w/o extension tubes. I've found that the distance between camera and subject is comfortable with this lens giving sufficient "room" for the subject without losing the intimacy of a portrait session.

Looking at these images though, I may well just toss the lot in the garbage!!!

Bob Hall

 

[monkeytumble]

Here are a couple with the 150. I shot the same subjects also with the extension ring, but can't post those until tomorrow.

Vince - those are splendid! And, it is great to meet a fellow traveler. I look forward to seeing the photographs you took using an extension ring. Thank you for posting.

Jay

 

[Cheryl Jacobs]

I'll confess to using my 75mm 2.8 for almost everything. My work depends on being physically close to my subjects, so a 150mm is just too long for me to make work.

 

[monkeytumble]

... Looking at these images though, I may well just toss the lot in the garbage!!!

Bob - I can empathize you... but, keep all your prints and keep working.

Sounds like you are where I was a few years ago. I have continued to improve incrementally, both in craft and artistically. I don't show anyone my old prints, but periodically (particularly when I think that I suck and that I am not going anywhere), I pull out the box of my old prints and go through them from the beginning. When I do this, it is clear that my photography has improved demonstrably. I am not as far down the path as Vince is, but I can see that far down my path now and feels like it is within my grasp, if I keep working, which is a good feeling.

Jay

 

[vdonovan]

Thanks for the nice compliments, friends, I'm glad you like those pictures. There's no magic to it, just keep shootin' and printin' until you get your groove. These images are part of a portrait project I did for some non-profits here in San Francisco. I took almost 250 portraits over two months. It was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life.

 

[dynachrome]

For my SQ-A cameras I have a 50/3.5 PS, an 80/2.8 S, an 80/2.8 PS and a 150/4 PS. I also have a 2X which I have used with an 80 before getting the 150. If I close down to f/5.6 or f/8 the quality is good and focusing distance is not a problem. The 150 is very sharp but by itself doesn't get as close as I would like. I have an S36 tube and that gets me too close. For my ETR cameras I have a 150/4 and a 150/3.5 but for portraits I use the 105/3.5. It has closer fousing but is still different enough from the 75 to make nice portraits. When I find a 105/3.5 S lens I think I will get it.

 

[vdonovan]

Here are a few with the 150 and the extension. This is getting as close as possible. Lens open to 5.6.

 

[vdonovan]

p.s. Cheryl Jacobs, I very much like your portraits, especially the first with extremely shallow DOF.

 

[monkeytumble]

Here are a few with the 150 and the extension. This is getting as close as possible. Lens open to 5.6.

Wow, powerful! Thanks Vince!

 

[Edwardv]

For my Bronica SQAi 6x6 I use a 180 mm lens and for the ETRSi 645 a 150 mm lens.

 

[BobNewYork]

Bob - I can empathize you... but, keep all your prints and keep working. Jay

Thanks Jay.
Yeah we all hit these plateaus where we think were getting worse. Funny, when I taught photography I used the analysis of learning guitar. You'd reach stages where you felt really good about your progress - then some bastard would play Clapton!! I think your tastes "evolve" also so that you're looking at different feels with different subjects - and you gotta start learning again.

I really do think that the day to give it up is when you feel you have nothing left to learn.

Appreciate the encouragement mate.

Bob H