Fern gully, Toolangi

[mark.darragh]

Toolangi ferns

Arca-Swiss F-Line 8x10, Schneider Super Symmar XL 110mm, Schneider Centre Filter IIIc
Ilford FP4+ rated at 64; 15-second exposure

[Maris]

Oh yes! In a situation where you can't see the forest for the trees an ultra-wide lens does its best work and the Schneider Super Symmar XL 110mm could just be the finest one ever made. Officially the XL 110 with the centre filter doesn't cover 8x10 but mark.darragh proves how eloquently it does what it does.

[Barry Kirsten]

One of my favourite forest types and beautifully seen and executed by you, Mark. This is why we do LF B&W.

[RoganJosh]

Very well organised scene. Any idea what 110mm equates to on 35mm?

[Walter Glover]

This is a wonderfully embracing experience of not just 'being there' but of being surrounded and enticed into a fantaasy eorld like children's book in which tree trunks have caricature grimaces.
A question for you Mark: does the centre filter clear the front element of the Super Symmar XL 110mm ? I used to use a 67mm to 72mm step-up ring to fudge filters forward a tad to prevent abrasion,
Immensely rewarding and brings regret that I divested myself of my 110mm. What a goose!

[Mick Fagan]

Really good, makes me think I'll head there next week if isolation restrictions are loosened.

In this instance the darkening of the corners enhances the image, just. The overall evenness is brilliantly handled, with the central fern tree very well placed; so nice to see something like this.

Rogan Josh, somewhere around 16-17mm in 135 format is my guestimation. Look at it this way, it is wider than 65mm on 4x5" format, which is approximately 18mm in 135 format.

[mark.darragh]

Thank you all for your kind thoughts.

I rarely use the 110mm on 8x10 but this was an instance where it was go wide or keep walking. Without the CF it would have been a struggle to hold any detail in the shadows at the bottom of the frame given the brightness in the top right.

Walter, Schneider recommends the IIIb CF with the 110mm and 80mm SS XLs and design does keep it well clear of the front elements. Both great lenses, although I do find the light falloff more pronounced than more traditional WA designs so a CF is often needed for colour transparency work.

Now that COVID restrictions have eased I hope to see some more photos from Victoria. Otherwise, we’ll have to keep getting our fix from Maris’ prodigious output!