Sure, but if contact printing is in his future, the difference is HUGE. Since you were alluding to alt. process as well...
However 5x4 is very economical, With very “close “ attribution to 10x8.
Looking at the big picture. Someone (the op) is looking to do 10x8, and that’s a good thing, however the person gets there. There are many lenses that are quite wonderful. Try them all!!!
Wait a minute, I think someone who has used a smaller format. Who has experience with head shots, would do the the math with scale ing the lens. If you like the results of 6x4.5 with a 150mm lens , then try a 600mm with a 10x8. Is you shoot with a 75mm on a 35mm then try a 420mm on 10x8.
Wait a minute, I think someone who has used a smaller format. Who has experience with head shots, would do the the math with scale ing the lens. If you like the results of 6x4.5 with a 150mm lens , then try a 600mm with a 10x8. Is you shoot with a 75mm on a 35mm then try a 420mm on 10x8.
The op never stated what he is shooting with now, and whether he likes his/ her results
I often see this advice, just scale up.
8x10 is different. I am not aware of a portrait lens made that’s 600mm made for 8x10. The most common lenses made or used for portraits are 14”-16” in 8x10 format.
14" Commercial Ektar...worked for Yousef Karsh.... if you like that sort of thing
You're going to need lots of bellows draw and a big room to use a 600mm.....
You're going to need lots of bellows draw and a big room to use a 600mm.....
My first studio was in a warehouse building on the ninth floor in the garment district in St. Louis in 1990. It was over a hundred feet long. Great light, too bad every body started flocking in. The rent went through the roof in 3 years.
I don’t own or have used anything long then a 420, but some 10x8 have 36” of bellows.I think a 600 could be used.
Yes, my Agfa Ansco Commercial View, with its extension rail, has 36½" bellows extension, my Universal View is only 26½". I do have a 20" (508mm) f8 Rapid Rectilinear
Jim Galli mentioned various 10x8 portrait lenses and they fall between 360mm to 400mm. But when we think of 35mm portrait lenses they tend to be 75mm to 105mm, however with LF and particularly 10x8 we start running into Focal lengths with shallow depth of field, and also increasing bellows extension.
I've just tried the 20" RR on my Agfa Ansco and actually a head & shoulders sot is not as difficult as I'd assumed, maybe 12 to15ft lens to subject and 22" extension. bought the lens from a Polish seller, however it's probably British made as it's a standard RPS 3" threaded flange. The RPS standard flanges were adopted by some companies in 1881, by around 1890 Ross, TT&H, Wray and I think Dallmeyer, used these flanges.
Ian
I'm finally diving head-first into large format after I was gifted an old field camera by my father. 20-25 years ago, I made thousands of photographs with an old fully-manual 35mm Nikon camera that I loved, so I have a fairly functional understanding of the dynamics of film exposure. But this camera is a bit different, given that it is outfitted with a Kodak No. 35 F-4.5 Anastigmat 10" lens and a Packard #5 Shutter (aside: does that 10" label mean this is effectively a ~254mm focal length lens?). That Packard shutter is driven by a pneumatic tube with a bulb; it does not have any sort of timing mechanism (it is not the style of packard shutter with an insertable pin to provide a ~1/25 timed shutter). So I am essentially restricted to making ~1/3s or longer photographs since that's about all I can do by hand. So far, I've been able to work with that, but I'm getting eager to get more precise with my timing than what my hand allows. I've made a couple dozen photographs (developing both negatives and prints myself) with the camera over the last few of months and really enjoyed it. I'd like to get a bit more refined.
In particular, I'd like to take some solid family portraits. Individual head/shoulder shots. I don't have any flash equipment, nor do I desire any at the moment; I'd like to work with available light, either indoors or out.
To that end, I've been scouting some other lens options that would be well-suited for portrait photography, including ones that come with a (timed) shutter.
So my questions are:
1. What is the most widely-recommended focal length for a view camera (8x10") lens for portrait photgraphy?
2. With that focal length in mind, what are some reliably solid lenses that are available today (new or used)?
3. For instance, I've found a 210mm F/5.6 Nikon lens with a Copal 1 shutter seems to be available on the used market for a price that doesn't shock me (around $300). Is that a good option?
4. Anything else I should be considering?
Thank you in advance.
Ian, thank you for sharing some names of older lenses, and their history. I only have modern lenses in shutter ( Fujinon, and Schneider) . Because of this thread, I’m gonna start looking (research)for some older. Lenses . Maybe a rapid rectilinear, or an unsymmetrical doublet. Or Dallmeyer triple achromatic. Something earlier than an anastigmat.
Wait a minute, I think someone who has used a smaller format. Who has experience with head shots, would do the the math with scale ing the lens. If you like the results of 6x4.5 with a 150mm lens , then try a 600mm with a 10x8. Is you shoot with a 75mm on a 35mm then try a 420mm on 10x8.
The op never stated what he is shooting with now, and whether he likes his/ her results
That rule doesn't quite apply once you get into bigger formats. At 8x10, a tight headshot is about a 1.5:1 reproduction ratio. On 11x14, it's 1:1. On bigger formats, like 14x17 or 16x20, head and shoulders are 1:1. Once you get into that range, lenses will behave more like you would expect of a longer lens. You don't see many people shooting ULF with 48" lenses. The bellows draw would be insane!
You're asking, what's the best exotic italian sports car available in my $12,000 budget. Zero. The best advice is to find a long out of print book by Charles Abel called Professional Portrait Lightings (they do turn up on ebay) and read what the long time users of those cameras were doing when the original industry was still alive. It was published in 1948 and those cameras were still out on the ground, in the studios, in common use. It has a single portrait that shows what each lens / format / lighting scheme can accomplish. The book is mesmerizing (that's why its expensive) and you can look up each lens that made each portrait on ebay and get a sense of what they go for these days. Beware though. A 14" Heliar is an entry level lens in that world.
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