Help With Lens for 8x10 Portraits

[Michael Finder]

My 8x10 camera has 17 inches maximum bellows extension. 300mm seems a normal lens. I need help working out which focal length I'll need for studio portraits. Camera to subject distance is eighteen feet allowing for some separation from a background. Cheers Michael.:confused:

 

[df cardwell]

Things are a bit different in 8x10 than small cameras. While the 'classic' portrait lens in 8x10 is around 480mm, you can easily work with 250mm to 600 mm to suit your limitations.

17" extension is pretty short, but you can do wonders with a 300 normal lens,
just think that you're filling the frame of a 5x7 piece of film, and then adding a generous setting !

You really can't go much longer than 12". It'll be great. A good old ektar would be excellent.

d

 

[David A. Goldfarb]

14" is a pretty common portrait length for 8x10", and what I usually use. Not sure you have enough extension for that, but 12" isn't bad at all. Ron Wisner wrote an article a while back explaining why you can get away with relatively shorter focal lengths with respect to "normal" as you go up in format. It used to be on his website, but I'm not sure it's there anymore. My Petzval seems to be around 10", and my usual use for that lens is 8x10" portraits, including my most recent gallery photo.

 

[Jim Bradley]

A simple Spreadsheet

Here is a simple spreadsheet that let's you "play" with different focal lengths, distances and image sizes. Enter data in the "yellow" cells. It's worth everything you paid for it :rolleyes:

JGB

 

[Craig Roberts]

Portrait on 8x10

I am a big fan of the 14-inch Ektar for 8x10. Craig

 

[Skorzen]

I think the 17 inches of extension might be a little short for head and shoulders type shots. With my 13in lens I ended up at about 22 inched of extension (don't forget the bellows factor).

 

[Curt]

I am a big fan of the 14-inch Ektar for 8x10

I second that.

 

[2F/2F]

A lens with approximately the same vertical AOV as a 50mm lens on a regular small format camera would be a 360mm AKA 14 inch. (The 50mm on small format has a vertical AOV of 27 degrees, and the 360 on 8x10 has a vertical AOV of 32 degrees.) A 300mm is about the same when comparing horizontal AOV.

I would say anything 300mm or longer will work for a general purpose portrait lens. You will be limited as to how close you can focus with only 17 inches of extension. If it gets to the point where you are going to have to significantly crop your picture because you can't focus close enough, you might as well shoot 5x7 or 4x5 to avoid waste.

I am unfamiliar with tele offerings for 8x10, but a tele would help.

Not that this matters, but I have enjoyed all of the following for portraits: 240mm, 360mm, 540mm. It all depends on the effect you want and the kind of portrait it is. I have not tried the 360mm converted yet, as I need another rail extension to do that, but I can see it working great for some things. What I eventually want for studio portraits is an 800.

 

[Michael Finder]

Jim, Many thanks for the spreadsheet. Great price and a useful item. Cheers Michael.

 

[Michael Finder]

Thanks for all the information. I knew I'd be a bit restricted because of my bellows. So size really is everything! I have my eye/s on a few offerings on Ebay-GASP!!!!!

 

[phfitz]

Michael,

with 17" of bellows you would normally be limited to 14'/360mm Ektar, Heliar, Dogmar, Verito, Vitax, ect. BUT when you get to lenses this large the front node is far enough forward of the lens board that it is possible to get a 16"/420mm down to 18'. The problem is the size of lens board and the sheer weight of the lens.

have fun with the GAS attack.

 

[Michael Finder]

My lens board is five and three-eighths by five and seven eighths. The camera is a light weight wooden field and would probably struggle under the burden.

 

[doughowk]

With portraits I'd get the brightest lens your camera can handle. Was using a nice 305mm Nikor but its f9 aperature was a pain to focus. Switched to an older 12" around f5, and its far more pleasureable to use.

 

[Paddy]

A concern, that hasn't been mentioned, is how far away from your subjects, do you want to be? I like to shoot very tight head shots, and with a 300mm lens, the front of the camera ends up just a few feet away from my sitter's face. This is quite close, and can sometimes feel intimidating for the subject. That's why I'm hunting for a 19" lens.

 

[dpurdy]

yet one more fan of a 14 inch lens. I used to you a 14 inch gold dot dagor, but now my favorite lens for all and especially waist up portraits is my 14 inch Red Dot Artar.
Dennis

 

[JosBurke]

Try a 300 mm if you have one already or try to beg or borrow one anywhere from 300-ish to 480 --ish......or longer or shorter !! I tend to prefer a longer lens for MF but in 8x10 I think a normal lens may please you....I use a Fuji 420 L f/8 as it is what I have.....though not the fastest it is incredibly sharp and the perspective is very pleasing to me! I agree that a faster lens is a big plus in 8x10 portraiture regarding focus.

 

[df cardwell]

Michael

Technique is more important than size. Learn to use what you've got.

What camera do you have ? More important, really, than maximum extension, is how secure the camera is. For instance, compare a 10" lens, a 12", an a 14".

A 10" lens, from 2 meters, needs 11 1/2" extension, and makes a full head (12") about 1.8" high on the film.

A 12" lens, from 2 meters, needs 13.8", and the head size is about 2 ".

A 14" lens, from 2 meters, needs 17.3", and you can't do it.
From 2.5 meters, you need 16 .5", and you get about a 2" head size.

I'd use the 12" in this case, for it would surely be more stable than the 14".

Whatever the choice, practise before loading up on gear.
8x10 portraiture is a different world than 120 portraiture.

s

 

[Michael Finder]

Thanks all for your comments. Much appreciated. My camera is a vintage Vageeswari teak 8x10 folding field camera with an 8x10 double plate holder and old wooden tripod and mount similar to Thornton Pickard. Seems it holds glass plate, metal plate and normal emulsions with a backing board. I have begun repairing and restoring the bellows. They will be sound enough. I have acquired an antique brass symmetrical lens which is due in a few days. Once I mount it I'll try it out first using photo paper. Here is a link: http://cgi.ebay.fr/15-x-6-5-Ultra-L...yZ627QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp1742.m153.l1262 - to a similar camera from the same maker: mine is identical apart from the format.