Wanted: macro lens for 4x5

Mick Fagan
Posts: 412
Joined: 24 Sep 2015, 21:20
Location: Melbourne

Re: Wanted: macro lens for 4x5

Postby Mick Fagan » 22 Oct 2015, 18:15

Because aberrations in enlarging lenses are minimised for short object distances, a good enlarger lens can be used on a view camera as a high quality close-up or macro lens – providing that a means for controlling the exposure time is available.

View Camera Technique, by Leslie Stroebel, 7th edition, Enlarger Lenses, page 99.

This may give you another avenue if you have an enlarger lens designed to enlarge at the very least, a 9x13cm negative.

There is one other way that I know of to get extreme depth of sharpness, however being able to do it in a home environment could be a bit iffy. That said Jaycar have squillions of funny things that can and are modified to do unbelievable things.

Movement of the camera along with movement in unison, of some kind of strip lighting, is another way. The idea being that the object remains stationary and is lit by a sliver of light. The entire studio (room) is in total darkness when actually exposing say a 3mm sliver of the object, the camera and lights are then dropped 3mm, with a second exposure done and so on.

To celebrate 150 years of photography, the Deutsche Museum in Munich had an incredible exhibition to celebrate the invention of photography. I was lucky enough to attend and spent about six hours walking around that single exhibition.

To overcome lens restrictions, as well as the reasonably poor lighting available at the time, think late 1890’s, a German photographer built such a device to take brilliant photographs of small objects at very close distances. Mostly the photographs were of small objects, like jewellery. But there were a couple of prints of flowers, they really were pretty amazing considering their age and the innovation of the photographer.

Mick.

Lachlan717
Posts: 505
Joined: 03 Aug 2012, 16:49

Re: Wanted: macro lens for 4x5

Postby Lachlan717 » 23 Oct 2015, 08:01

Mick,

Ellie Young at Gold Street Studios is a master of this infinite focus process.

Some of her macros using the process you described are amazing. They challenge you is so much as you get used to seeing limited DoF macros, and then you see one with total focus!

She is a master not only of the technique, but also composition.

PatrickCM
Posts: 11
Joined: 29 May 2014, 08:48

Re: Wanted: macro lens for 4x5

Postby PatrickCM » 24 Oct 2015, 15:25

Thanks again Mick and Lachlan. Lots of good info.

Mick Fagan
Posts: 412
Joined: 24 Sep 2015, 21:20
Location: Melbourne

Re: Wanted: macro lens for 4x5

Postby Mick Fagan » 24 Oct 2015, 18:27

Lachlan, I didn't know that about Ellie, next time I drop in to buy some more Bergger film, I may see if she has something to show on hand.

Mick.


Return to “For Sale/Wanted”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 21 guests

cron