My reading suggests that most field cameras don't work well with a wide angle lens due to bellows or lens, distance to film. If this is so, is there any reason to purchase a Nikon 90mm-SW lens over a 105mm-W lens? The 90mm-SW image circle is 235mm the coverage is 105, the 105mm-W image circle is 155mm the coverage is 73. If you can't use movement why buy the 90mm-SW?

-- tim kimbler (starman2@gte.net), December 08, 1998

Answers

Which camera are you planning on using? Can you stand the lack of image circle for movements. Most field designs will work fine with a 90mm lens.

-- Ellis (evphoto@insync.net), December 08, 1998.

I have a Tachihara 4X5 I am selling. I'm still reading, but have allmost settled on a Wisner Technical or Deardorff. I will be using 4X5 film.

-- tim kimbler (starman2@gte.net), December 08, 1998.

I use the Nikon 90 f/8 SW with the Tachihara. Shift, rise & fall can pretty much reach the limits of coverage of the lens. With the 105W you won't need to worry about movements anyway, you won't have enough image circle for any.

-- Gary Frost (gfrost@nospam.home.com), December 08, 1998.

I have a 4x5 Wisner Expedition camera and my most used lens is a 75mm. I have only used my bag bellows once over a period of two years. The Wisner bellows are made of kid leather and black China silk, and thus, have greater flexibility and longevity than equivalent bellows made out of synthetic materials. The standard bellows on the camera can easily handle all the tilt that can possibly be applied to a 75mm lens. I can also handle most of the shifts and rises as well. If I need more than I can move the tripod accordingly which is a lot faster than switching to a bag bellows. Mountain light can change very fast. Of course if you do architectural photography you may not be able to move the tripod which will require you to use the bag bellows more often.

-- Stephen Willard (willard@lvld.hp.com), December 09, 1998.