Choosing A Large Format Lens For Your View Camera

Even as small digicams are claiming increasing attention and resources from the majority of the big camera companies, the height of quality and fine detail in a photograph is still a thing extremely sought-after by many professionals and some persistent hobbyists.  And even now, a nearly ten years into the new century, that degree of quality is provided by film and a large format camera.  But having the big camera itself, you’re only halfway there.  You also need a big piece of glass , or lens, to go on the front of it.

Lately it’s getting progressively difficult to find some large format lenses, especially those for the  large cameras due to the fact that fewer manufacturers continue to make them.  New lenses are still being made in some brand names, however it’s certainly worth keeping in mind that auctions and used sections of camera stores are often the best allies of those looking for this sort of lens.  Currently there are three major manufacturers still producing these kinds of lenses.  Known, appropriately, as “The Big 3″ they are Rodesntock, Fuji and Schneider.  As recently as three years ago there was a 4th, Nikon, but regrettably they discontinued their line of large format lenses.  Products from the other three companies can often be difficult to get new in the United States.

If you have come to the conclusion that large format is the way to go  and you’re currently thinking of purchasing a lens then there are several considerations you will need to keep in mind.

The format of the camera would be the most apparent first.  Most people get into larger cameras by beginning with a 4×5 .   Above that there’s 5×7, 8×10 and all the way up to 20×24 inch formats with various custom and panoramic formats in between.  The reason you need to consider your camera format is the fact that it will impact how a lens of a certain focal length behaves.  As an illustration:  A lens that makes an image that isn’t “long” or “wide” but looks much like the way our eyes naturally see is known as “normal”  A normal lens on a 35mm camera would be around 50mm.  A 50mm lens on a 4×5 camera would be incredibly and obviously wide.  On a 5×7 or larger camera it would be useless.  A normal lens for a 4×5 camera is  between 180mm and 150mm.

Another thing that is quite important, in particular when considering very large formats -8×10 and even bigger – is the lens coverage.  The measurement for this is usually presented as the image circle of a lens. For instance, if you had to expose a sheet of film about 30 cm from corner to corner, then you would need to make sure that the lens you want to use could produce an image circle of at least 300mm. To make sure that you will not be leaving parts of your film unexposed you’ll need to take this factor into serious consideration, and keep in mind that the image circle can change depending on bellows extension and the distance you are focusing on.  

There are other things to consider, some of which are not in the scope of this writing.  But the web has plenty of pertainant information and great resources on the issue. Whatever the case, congratulations on your interest in this amazing and fulfilling area of photography and good luck with determining and obtaining the right large format lens for you.