Topic: Alpa Lenses on P 65+ Coverage (Read 3196 times)

Murray Fredericks · « **on:** September 18, 2009, 03:27:46 am »

Hi All,

I assume there are a few on the forum using Alpa Systems with the P 65+ Back?

Can anyone provide real world examples of coverage on the P65 back? I realize the specs are published but i already get way more movement out of the lenses I currently use than is published...

I am currently shooting a Sinar 75LV back on the Alpa and am considering trading up to the P65 to finally replace/retire the 8"x10" film system I have been using for some work.

The coverage is a big consideration as I will still need around 10mm of rise min on most lenses at the least. Replacing those lenses will obviously add quite a bit to the cost of trading up...

I currently have:

24mm Schneider XL APO Digitar ( This won't cover at all I assume)

35mm Schneider XL APO Digitar

90mm Schneider APO Digitar

I am planning on picking up a new 47mm and possibly something longer anyway...

Cheers

Murray

narikin · « **Reply #1 on:** September 18, 2009, 09:56:46 am »

It seems we are being led a merry dance by the lens makers so we will buy new lenses:

our existing LF film lenses gave us nice image circles with movements for 6x9cm or 4x5" film cameras A

then MF digital came along and:
we had to buy new lenses with 'digital' resolution and minimal coverage for 645 sensors only B

then stitching MF digital cameras came along and:
we now have to buy digital lenses with bigger image circles to cover stitching C

some C lenses seem to be reheated A lenses, with very minor changes.
many B lenses offer almost no stitching range.

and companies like Alpa, wont allow you to get your own LF film A lenses mounted, forcing you to buy new C lenses, even though they are perfectly good, and very similar, except for the word 'digital' on the barrel !

Gary Ferguson · « **Reply #2 on:** September 18, 2009, 10:13:39 am »

With a P65+ on a Linhof M679cs and a 40mm Rodenstock Digaron W, I can comfortably stitch two frames together using the Linhof's sliding carriage, and even get a bit of movement as well.

The stitching alone implies an image circle of 95mm, add in the movements and I'd guess at about 100mm of useable image circle. This specs for this lens give the image circle at 90mm.

Optechs Digital · « **Reply #3 on:** September 18, 2009, 01:46:01 pm »

Hi Murray,

A few weeks ago i posted a few quick snapshot images on this forum taken with an Alpa SWA with 47mm and P65+ back with a full 25mm of front rise. The coverage of the 47 is amazing. At 25mm of rise there was only slight vignetting and image softness at the extreme edge of the image.

The 35mm and 90mm will also cover the P65 chip very well and will easily give you the 10mm+ movements you are looking for. If I can get some time soon I will try to post some examples of these lenses with movements as well. I know that I have shot some with the 72mm Schneider ( has the same coverage as your 90mm) and have shot with roughly 15mm rise at aperture f 16 with very good results.

I don't recall the thread topic where I posted the images but it was probably about 6 weeks ago. Maybe you can find it.

Best Regards,
Paul

rljones · « **Reply #4 on:** September 19, 2009, 08:43:42 pm »

I was quite happy with the 24XL on the Alpa with a Leaf 65 back. Now with the 65+, this lens seems almost useless. I agree with the earlier post about us having to buy the latest lens, etc. very annoying. I'd truly thought the 24XL would have covered the 65+ albeit without any shifts.

The 28mm Rodenstock is too large (and expensive) for me. Sigh.

schaubild · « **Reply #5 on:** September 20, 2009, 12:56:32 am »

Quote from: rljones

I was quite happy with the 24XL on the Alpa with a Leaf 65 back. Now with the 65+, this lens seems almost useless. I agree with the earlier post about us having to buy the latest lens, etc. very annoying. I'd truly thought the 24XL would have covered the 65+ albeit without any shifts.

The 28mm Rodenstock is too large (and expensive) for me. Sigh.

The image circle of the 24mm was always communicated very openly to me and it was made absolutely clear that with a 36x48 sensor there is no movement possible. From that it's very obvious that the lens wouldn't work with a larger sensor. Think before you buy, this is definitively not Alpa's problem.
Schneider and Rodenstock are changing their development strategy, they're willing to invest and adapt to new sensor developments. And it's not just relabelling older lenses as some really uninformed people think or in contrast to other manufacturers who still try to sell 50 year old russian lens calculations. Quality oriented manufacturers like Alpa or Cambo have no interest to put crappy glass on their cameras.

narikin · « **Reply #6 on:** September 21, 2009, 02:02:53 pm »

Quote from: schaubild

Quality oriented manufacturers like Alpa or Cambo have no interest to put crappy glass on their cameras.

zeiss is crappy?
apo-el-nikkor is crappy?
all Schneider and Rodenstock lenses before the word 'digital' or 'digitar' was crappy?

cmb · « **Reply #7 on:** September 25, 2009, 01:42:06 pm »

I know you are looking for real world examples but I have attached a data sheet concerning image circles and rise/fall/shift that was just recently added to the Alpa website, perhaps you have not seen this and it might be helpful.

[attachment=16811:ALPA_Len...rview_v2.pdf]

Author Topic: Alpa Lenses on P 65+ Coverage (Read 3196 times)