Lenses create an image circle that is projected onto the film at the back of the camera. A lens for a 35mm camera creates an image about 2" in diameter and would not "cover" a piece of 4x5 film. You need a large format camera lens to do this and they are widely available, both new and used. Shutterbug Magazine is a good place to hunt for a lens. There are numerous places that have large, double page ads with microscopic type and listings of lenses. Call some of them ....and ask a lot of questions....
- Will it cover 4x5 (or 8x10) with enough room to spare for movements?
- Does it have a shutter? What are the speeds?
- What is the maximum/minimum aperture?
- Does it have a flash sync? (Do you need one?)
- If it's used, does it still have the retaining ring on the threaded portion?
- What's the focal length?
This brings up the focal length question...
What length lens should you buy. .....Here are some rules of thumb:
A 150mm lens is "Normal" on a 4x5. 300mm is "Normal" on an 8x10. Anything les than normal is "wide angle", anything greater than normal is "telephoto", right? So, what do you want, telephoto, normal or wide angle? It really is a subjective choice. Many people prefer something slightly longer than normal for portaiture (a 210mm or 215mm lens on a 4x5) and something a little wider for scenics or architectural work (say a 90mm on a 4x5). Bear in mind that short focal length lenses require the use of a bag bellows because the pleats of the standard bellows get so compressed at the short focal distances as to hinder your ability to use view camera movements.
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