Anyone know of a wider camera?

[David Mitchell]

Its mainly the extra expense if i'm honest,, shooting a roll of 120 or 35mm is a tad cheaper than a 4x5 sheet, the lens my speed graphic has is a 135mm I think, so that's a 45mm lens if it were on a small format camera. I think the speed graphic can take a slightly wider lens but not as wide as the crown graphic due to the focal plane shutter.

I would rather get a camera that takes 120 roll or 35mm film, I guess you could get a very wide 35mm shot due to the smaller size negative vs the larger 120 roll. If only that FT2 was easier to load lol might just try and find a widelux at some point. Im not really in any rush though, i've got lots to play with at the moment. I think what I might do is find a scene I like, take out the D3100 with the 18-55 lens and find out what focal length is shooting at for a composition I like - I can then decide if I need a panoramic camera or just a wide lens on a 35mm SLR.

 

[Pete Askew]

And, just to prove the point, here is a Speed Graphic with a Rodenstock 55mm Apo Gradagon f1:4.5 mounted (Copal 0). This gives a 110º field of view and so is equivalent to a 15mm lens on 35mm film / sensor. Normally you'd fit a centre ND filter to balance the vignetting that results but I left if off as this would have produced a very dim image even at maximum aperture.

Here's the lens mounted (although you's struggle to fit the release arm and you would be better off using either a cable release or just tripping it on the lens). Even with the front panel dropped down you can just see the rails in landscape view at this focus distance (ca 1m).

Here's the 'setup'.

Don't buy one of the helicopters! The cheaper ones are much easier to control!

Here is the view of the screen. As you can see, the 1 m rule occupies about 50% of the field of view.

All shot with my trust Ricoh GR Digital III. PP in LR.

 

[David Mitchell]

Whoa thats mental, I thought the smallest focal length lens you could fit on one of those was something around a 90mm, but I guess that is with a lens which has part of it going past the flange and therefore interfering with the focal plane shutter?

Could I fit a smaller format lens directly onto the board eg a normal 55mm lens (I have a 55mm f1.4 with the front element being 55mm as well). Or would the image circle be too small for the 4x5?

 

[Pete Askew]

Actually, a lot of this lens sticks out the back (Apo-Grandagon) but is still far enough away from the focal plane shutter! Your small format 55mm would not cover the negative as its image circle is probably only about 20% larger than the longest diameter of 35mm film.

 

[Hamish Gill]

far to small and the back focal length far to short (surely?)

 

[David Mitchell]

Its ok, I was having a blonde moment lol 35mm camera lenses are just good enough to cover a 35mm strip of film lol I know you can get recessed lens board.

I am tempted by a 6x12 roll back though, it means I get a rear 'live view' so to speak on the speed graphic, I will have a think, it might just be the case that I just get a 28mm AI Nikon lens or indeed a decent M42 or PK mount SLR specifically for shooting the cheaper wider glass those mounts offer.

 

[Larry Bolch]

Its ok, I was having a blonde moment lol 35mm camera lenses are just good enough to cover a 35mm strip of film lol I know you can get recessed lens board.

I am tempted by a 6x12 roll back though, it means I get a rear 'live view' so to speak on the speed graphic, I will have a think, it might just be the case that I just get a 28mm AI Nikon lens or indeed a decent M42 or PK mount SLR specifically for shooting the cheaper wider glass those mounts offer.

There is another very interesting superwide camera, the Hasselblad XPan.

A typical Fujifilm design, and was sold as a Fuji in Japan. In the rest of the world, it was a Hasselblad. Standard 35mm film, but dual formats. It could be switched back and forth between standard 24×36mm and superwide 24×65mm in mid roll. Interchangeable lenses, rangefinder focusing. 30mm, 45mm and 90mm compact lenses were available, making it a highly portable camera of moderate size. It went out of production in 2005. There has been speculation that Fuji would revive it as an X-camera, but I strongly doubt that since it would require a custom 24×65mm sensor which would probably put such a specialized camera out of range. I have no idea how available or what prices they would be on the used market, but it is a very tasty film camera. More at

Hasselblad Xpan II

 

[David Mitchell]

Current cheapest Xpan II is about £1,100 lol

 

[Larry Bolch]

Current cheapest Xpan II is about £1,100 lol

WOW! That does make it tempting, but I know I would not go back to film. I have most of my film equipment, but it has been years since I used it. Like with the XPan being so cheap, it is hardly worth making the effort to sell it now.

 

[Davie Hudson]

WOW! That does make it tempting, but I know I would not go back to film.

the very reason i never bought one a couple of months ago, I liked the idea of the xPan but going back to film put me off... The corresponding Japanese model ..The TX-1 is better looking with wooden handles

 

[Pete Askew]

far to small and the back focal length far to short (surely?)

Yes, although could mount it on a recessed panel. There would be little point though as the coverage is so small.

 

[David Mitchell]

Yes, although could mount it on a recessed panel. There would be little point though as the coverage is so small.

Indeed, hmm sounds like I am going to try a wide 28mm lens on my FM2n but then might go with either one of those widelux cameras or indeed a wide angle pinhole camera or something like that.

 

[Larry Bolch]

Of course, you can stitch with any camera to get great width. More difficult with film cameras, but still possible. Very easy with a WideLuxe, since it is already in panoramic perspective. All you need is a small amount of overlap and simple layering. This was done with the WideLuxe and is approaching 270°. You may notice a pair of "identical twins".

 

[Hamish Gill]

Indeed, hmm sounds like I am going to try a wide 28mm lens on my FM2n but then might go with either one of those widelux cameras or indeed a wide angle pinhole camera or something like that.

If your just looking for wide angle, why not look for a 17mm tamron sp lens ... They are adaptall 2 mount so you could get a Nikon mount and a m42 (I think tey did m42) mount for it and try it on the Nikon and fuji! Great lens, bit flarey on digital, but nice on film ... You can pick them up for £100-£150. Then just crop the top an bottom I you feel the urge?

 

[David Mitchell]

I will have a look into it, I have heard of a Sigma 10-20 lens being pretty good for the money, my current options for lenses are currently:

DX 18-55 Nikon kit lens (27-82.5mm equivalent)
Pre AI Nikon 28mm
Helios M42 44mm
Schneider 135mm LF lens (45mm equivilent)
AI Nikon 50mm
Cosina M42 55mm
Fujica M42 55mm
Tair M42 300mm
Tair M42 300mm + 2x tele convertor + Crop Nikon DSLR (900mm equivalent)

Added to various different compact cameras, I think the widest is 45mm but they are all fixed lenses.

As I am doing a hybrid method of shooting with scanning negatives in, could I try perhaps using a fish eye lens and then 'defish' the image in LR? I have seen someone on here 'defish' it with good effect ie making the image look like it was shot on a normal wide lens.

I'm not too worried about the mount the lens has as I would either mount it on the Sony NEX when I get it or just use an M42 camera - either the Fujica or just get myself a Pentax K1000 body to open up lots of other lenses and not need to worry about adapters to focus to infinity on the Nikon.

 

[Larry Bolch]

There was a joke a couple of decades back: "Save the Whales—collect the whole set."

Now I would be the last to rain on your parade, but I would suggest you find an inn in a picturesque village with a cozy public house licensed to sell beer and spirits. Sleep, feast upon local atrocities washed down with the best of heady malt bubbly at which your isle excels, and in the sentient moments in between, seek to define your objectives. Chart a course, where most bits work with most other bits, lest you end up with loads of obscure items that make it near impossible to create an acceptable image.

Never lose site of the fact that cameras, no matter how interesting in themselves, have a singular purpose. I would urge you to focus your acquisitions upon that purpose. Go for functionality—not bulk. Above all, use what you collect and share freely what you photograph. In shops, it is all about cameras. With photographers, it is all about the images. One great body, one great lens, will give you more pride than a pawnshop-window full of dusty, cheap discarded-junk. Acquisition is fun, photography is glorious.

 

[David Mitchell]

I don't drink but I get it lol its not about the actual kit I own but how its used, all of those lenses are from various cameras I have collected for various reasons lol excluding the FM2n and the Speed graphic the total spend on everything is probably around £200 lol Ironically because I don't drink I save quite a bit of cash which originally I used to spend on various automotive drag racing parts but then decided to sell everything and got interested in photography - my collection fits on a shelf not a whole garage lol.

I like obscure items as I find it a bit more fun to use something that is either uncommon or used for something it wasn't originally made for. Examples being the Sputnik stereographic camera or that Widelux or FT2. All of the equipment I own is fully functioning and it will be used at some point.

Its more of the case that if I am going to invest in anything of value it will be lenses, bodies change, functions change, light will always behave the same way through a lens so won't become obsolete. I have the fab film body being the FM2n but just need to find a fab lens to fit on it, the E series 50mm does well but I just need something a tad wider. I actually enjoy the shooting of the cameras a lot, and just happen to also end up with some nice photos at the end of it lol probably completely different to everyone else on the forum lol

 

[David Mitchell]

Hmm I have seen a good looking Nikon E series 28mm F2.8 AI lens (so will mean I can use it on the FM2n) i'm tempted by it as it means I have a wide 28mm and normal 50mm. Are there any issues with this lens?