Its a decision that only you can make. We dont know how you shoot and what your minds eye is creating.
A typical 4x5 kit consists of a 90mm, a ~135mm or 150 and a 210. The ~135 was very popular among press photographers and is often paired with crown graphics and similar. I would suggest that first for reasons of economy and versatility. Depending on how your interests pull you after that, you could then go longer or wider. Or both.
Look out for a convertible Schneider 150; that is another great first lens.
true, but i hope i can hear peoples experiences, their regrets, ect to help me make a decision.
Well, long story short: the simple LF lens formulas permit design of lenses that can be shot with both lens groups or with one absent, thus amending the overall focal length.
I have several old convertible lenses.... before people shot in colour and did a lot of enlargement, they were quite popular. There are double and triple convertible LF lenses. The one I mention is 150 with both groups and 265 with the front element removed. Just google convertible lenses and you'll get the scoop. Plenty of great LF images have been shot through convertible lenses.
What I regetted was getting more lenses than I knew what to do with.
The Schneider Convertible Symmar is a great lens, perfectly good with color film, and is usually a bargain. The one caveat is that the shutter might need a CLA.
You can't really go wrong with any reasonably modern lens, although different types will have different coverage (image circle) in the same focal length.
I really like the 135mm Sironar S. It's certainly my favorite. I pair this frequently with a Nikon 200mm f/8 M and Nikon 300mm f/9 M as a lightweight backpacking system. The longer lenses don't need to be as fast in order to focus them, so the f/8 or f/9 minimum aperture isn't ever a problem for me. I also have a 90mm and 75mm, but I rarely miss them if I leave them at home (which, because of the weight I usually do). I do like the 90mm with a roll film back, especially for 6x17. It gives a normal feel for height, but is wide enough to feel wide horizontally.
I also have 210mm Nikon f/5.6, but I hardly ever use it since I got the f/8, again because of the weight.
I'm pretty much a fan of older lenses for my 4x5. Graflex Optar 90mm f/6.8, Graflex Optar 135mm f/4.7 and a really old Rapid Rectilinear 210mm f/8. Being on a retirement budget is my main reason for these lenses as they were very cheap.
A beat up Crown Graphic, now restored, and those 3 lenses were about $250 total. The restoration of the camera was done at home. Lens CLA's were done at home as well.
Do you have a recommendation of a shop or person that can overhaul old lenses? i have a couple that im not too sure about shutter speed wise.
hi pdjr1991
it all really boils down to your subject matter and style of shooting ...
i am not sure if you use a 35mm system, but if you do, and you have some favorite focal lengths
if you multiply the by around 3 it will give you a close proximity to the equiv. in a 4x5 lens ...
for example, if you like a 50mm, then a 150 will be about the same thing ...
if you like wide but not really wide, maybe a 127 tominon might work for you,
or a 90mm for wide - landscapey or environmental portraits ...
or a 10" tele optar for portraits, or a 15" teleoptar or symmar 210/370 for longer views ...
the tele optars are telephoto lenses and they were made for the graphic ( speed, crown &c ) and
if you have them in a shutter ( they were sometimes factory mounted in a alphax by wollensak )
they can easily double-duty with your rail camera ...
i would think about what you want to use the lenses to photograph, think about what you use to photograph these same
subjects in smaller formats, and think about getting around the same focal length for your large format camera.
all that said, sometimes it is a lot nicer just to get and use 1 lens and that way you don't have to change how you think.
happy new year + good luck !
john
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