Experience
teaches photographers to prefer precision German lenses for large
format cameras: Rodenstock and Schneider are the choice of professionals.
Recently
I returned to Munich, and visited the Rodenstock factory again.
They reviewed their new products for digital photography for me.
If you intend to use any lens for digital photography, be sure it
is a APOchromatic lens. Regular lenses do not focus the red, blue,
and green at the same point. Digital sensors will reveal this defect
when you enlarge the image.
Schneider
has been developing several exciting new products recently. A vacuum
film holder is the most interesting, since a vacuum film holder
would make it easier to use 4x5 film in the humid tropics. At Photokina
98 the Schneider representative gave an informative demonstration
of this new item of equipment.
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This
photograph features the Schneider macro lenses
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Both
Schneider and Rodenstock now make special lenses for digital photography.
You absolutely need a digital lens if you do 4x5 format work with
a high-end Phase One,
Dicomed or Better
Light. Why? Because older traditional lenses do not focus red,
blue, and green in the same plane. You notice the out-of-register
color banding when you do an extreme enlargement of a large format
digital image. Yes, normal lenses will function just fine for small
enlargements, but as you upgrade your equipment, trade in your old
lenses for the newer digital lenses.
Schneider
just sent FLAAR two new digital lenses to test, a macro
digital lens and a 47
ultra wide angle digital lens. Our photo crew is in Guatemala
now testing these lenses. Results will be posted shortly on www.digital-photography.org
Schneider
Keuznach, D-55513 Bad Kreuznach (photo shows the Schneider Macro
Symmar lens used to take all the circumferential rollout photos
in all four of the FLAAR web sites).
Rodenstock,
Precision Optics Division, Isartalstr. 43, D-80469 Munich, fax (49
89) 7202 164. Rodenstock lenses are imported to the USA by H.P.
MarketinG
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