Moving on to 8x10

[alex gard]

this one?

Looks like getting into 8x10 is going to be a tricky/expensive process.

ANd yeah I agree with the soft focus argument, I'd much rather have critically sharp images.

[Lachlan717]

Yep. Spot on. Good price, although not in a shutter. I can always help with aperture scales if you decide to go down this path. These hit their straps at f22 onwards, so you might not need to shutter it (black cap it instead).

[Lachlan717]

I have a shot of a wharf taken with the 355mm on my 7x17". The neg clearly shows fishing line 15-20m away. Just amazingly sharp.

[Oscar]

Just thought I'd speak up and mention that I'm finding this thread quite interesting and helpful; like the thread starter, I'm also looking at moving from 4x5 (printed in an enlarger) to 8x10 (contact printed). Keep the helpful information coming, one day I'll find an 8x10 setup for a sane price

[Walter Glover]

I guess a lot to do with lens choice will come down to what you want to convey in your images and how you want to convey it.

A favourite of mine which I regret having sold was a 1947 built Kodak Commercial Portrait lens — 305mm 1:4.8.

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Kodak-Portra ... 9ea&_uhb=1

I had other optics for the 8x10 but this gave the most rewarding images for contact printing.

What I am suggesting is, keep your options open and seek what joy is to be found in straying from the path of normality.

[alex gard]

Thanks a lot Walter. I guess I'm not quite schooled enough in LF to really know what I'm going for, but as I said, since moving to 4x5 from medium format & DSLR full frame 35mm, I have found a nice sweet spot at 210mm on 4x5. This has been my favourite focal length for both landscapes and my (shitty) attempts at portraiture.

I have a Schneider 90mm 5.6 that I use only in exceptional circumstances. Before I got the 210mm I was using 150mm quite a bit.

At this stage contact printing or even printing in general is still some way off for me, as I said the main incentive to get into 8x10 is to start doing wet plates or tintypes (one of a kind shots I can frame as they come out of the camera), and no doubt printing will be not far after that.

I've found more enjoyment out of using longer focal lengths in landscapes lately (150mm on my Hasselblad is getting a lot more use than, say, the 50mm or 80mm lenses). Probably from the constant saturation of seeing landscapes shot in grand, wide-angle cliche's has kind of put me off it a little bit. I dunno what 210mm is on 4x5 but I've found it's my sweet spot.

So at this stage I guess my wisest options are that 355mm G Claron and Nikkor-M 450mm (although not sure if such a short step-up in focal length is economical...) . Wider field of view is something I'll probably look at later down the track, perhaps as I get the hang of 8x10 and find my feet in it, a bit nervous about the process and wondering if I'm getting in way over my head.

Most likely my use of 8x10 will be 'contemporary/traditional' landscapes (whatever that means) and stumbling attempts at portraiture. I have a silly little dream of getting a german shepherd, quitting my job on the ships and setting up a pop-up studio in a hi-ace van and travelling around the various "alt lifestyle" festivals and doing portraits of the wacky characters you meet at those events. Just need to get good at doing portraits first!

[Lachlan717]

So at this stage I guess my wisest options are that 355mm G Claron and Nikkor-M 450mm (although not sure if such a short step-up in focal length is economical...) .

Perhaps look in the 480mm/19" or the 510mm/20" arena? Mainly the domain of the Process lens, but still great quality.

[alex gard]

I'm a bit worried that venturing too 'long' will be a bit restrictive. I got the 300mm on 4x5 in the mindset that I was enjoying tighter focal lengths in landscapes, only to find that I didn't use it anywhere near as much as I'd hoped....

looking at the table on the Toyo website, 420-450 is roughly where I *THINK* I'd like to be starting out...

[Lachlan717]

Here's something to consider:

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Fuji-420mm-f ... 937&_uhb=1

Not this particular one; a little bit too expensive IMO. They don't come up too often (maybe once every 6 weeks or so? Maybe more). Single coated, which really isn't an issue in all but very harsh conditions.

To get an idea of these single coated Fujinons' quality, just do some research on the Fujinon 250mm f6.7 (the one with the writing inside the ring, and NOT the f6.3 version with the writing on the barrel).

If you're up in Melbourne, I can show you both the 355mm G Claron and the 450mm Nikkor.

[Lachlan717]

By the way - I would suggest avoiding the convertible lenses that end up in the 420mm range. Noticeable performance drop with these designs of lenses.

Which reminded me: have you tried your 210mm lens as a convertible to see what it's like? Try it without the front element. I've done this with many lenses. Some good, some not so good.