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[OM] Re: olympus-digest V2 #511

Subject: [OM] Re: olympus-digest V2 #511
From: Joseph Albert <jalbert@xxxxxxx>
Date: Thu, 24 Sep 1998 04:23:38 -0600 (MDT)
someone wrote:

==========================
I am not very clear on the relationship between close focusing and angle of  
view (e.g. it is surely less use to be able to focus closer if the lens is   
wider angle - the subject will be smaller anyway?), but the 40/2 is          
certainly useful for going up close.                                         
==========================

wide-angle shots are most effective if there is a strong foreground
subject.  a wide lens is used to capture a larger amount of the background
setting of some foreground subject material.  in this way, the viewer
has their vision sweep from the foreground into the background.  Images
with wide-angles without a strong foreground subject generally are not 
very effective because the more distant subject is so de-magnified.

because of the de-magnifying effect of a wide lens, it must focus
closely so that the foreground subject is within acceptable depth of
acceptable focus, which, given a strong foreground subject is pretty
close even if hyperfocal focusing is used.  the 28-48/4 Zuiko is
certainly acceptable in this regard at 0.6m but the 28mm fixed focals
at 0.3m are even better.  The Nikon 28-50/3.5 is also a good zoom reaching
28mm, but there are many zooms that go down to 28 and 24mm that really don't
focus close enough to be useful as a wide-angle lens.

someone else asked about Mamiya 6x7 with tilt and swing.  the earlier
model Mamiya Press cameras (which really are 6x9 cameras but 6x7 backs
are also available) support rear tilt and swing.  These are
the Press Deluxe, Press G, Super 23 and Super G models.  
As medium format cameras go, these are astonishingly powerful
cameras in capabilities, but the tradeoff is that they aren't
overly convenient as they have no interlocks.  You can easily
fog the film, shoot blanks, or shoot double exposures if
you aren't careful and methodical.  They were intended to
compete with Speed and Crown Graphic cameras which are 4x5,
so the optics had to be quite sharp for the results to rival
4x5, and this goal was achieved.  the movements are limited,
however-- no front movements, no rear rise or fall, and the
rear movements are not on-axis and not completely independent.  this means
you have sometimes have to re-adjust tilt after swigns and vice versa,
but generally this is manageable with the design.  however, you will
have to refocus after tilt or swing on account of them not being
on-axis.  all but the most expensive 4x5 field cameras have similar
limitations.  a more serious limitation is that the only focal lengths
available with retractable lens mounts are 90mm and 100mm.  Because the
camera focuses by helicoid and uses rear back extension to accomplish
movements, you lose infinity focus when using rear movements on
lenses that are not retractable.  so for landscapes, only the 90mm and
100mm lenses are especially practical for using tilt.  still, 90mm is
equivalent to 38mm in 35mm format, and that is very useful for landscape
work.  I shoot landscapes at f/16 with tilt with these cameras whereas 
with 6x7 or 6x9 one would normally have to shoot at f/32, eg with Pentax 67.  
the resulting transparencies are noticeably sharper using a 35 year
old 90/3.5 Tessar that costs $100 than could be obtained with any 6x7 SLRs
on the market as a result, even with the latest in computer designed optics.

best of all, Mamiya Press cameras are quite inexpensive.

j. albert

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