Testing a Schneider 72mm with a Cambo WRS & P65

2-image 15mm shift

I'm still in the learning stages of what my new P65 will give me and decided to test it with the Schneider 72mm lens. This test provided a dual purpose as I want to see what 15mm movements will give me in the field and I wanted to see if I could save some money.

I've been successfully using a trio of lenses for several years and wanted to see how they will perform to the new back as well as find out if it was time to introduce a new lens into the mix. I've been using Schneider lenses in 35mm, 72mm, and 120mm with the P45+ and by using movements was able to achieve a much wider perspective that what a single capture would give me.

center shot

I recently started thinking of adding a focal length somewhere in-between the 35 and 72mm and had thoughts of a 47mm.  So the question I had was could I save money using my 72mm at 15mm lateral movements.  The main question is how will the 72mm work in tight and semi-tight areas; inside slot canyons or a cliff dwelling.  Having no better place to test my theory I decided to use the courtyard to our house.  The length is approximately 30' with the width varying from 10 to 15'; sounds like a slot canyon to me.  I could have used 10mm movements however I had used 15mm with the P45+ and wanted to see what if any damage there'd be.

15mm right

15mm left

The testing I've done prior to this when I first started with the P45+ showed I can successfully shift my 35mm out to 10mm, the 72mm to 15 and the 120 all the way out to 20mm.

15mm right

15mm left

Now to the images themselves. I converted all to black and white to better show the corners. I also notice little to no color shifting with the movements however if I were shooting these movements for anything other than black & white I would shoot the standard LCC prior to each image capture.

The bottom line with this test is that I've become more accustom to the back and lens and feel I'll have no problems using it while I crawl around cliff dwellings or slot canyons. I also found I still don't really need that 4th lens as I can achieve the focal length desired using this method.

I plan to use this lens next week as I spend a couple days shooting in and around Anasazi ruins and slots canyons of southern Utah and northern Arizona.

I believe continually testing my equipment with the thought that the more I test the better I understand what it'll do for me in various circumstances; with that in mind stay tuned for more to come. Please contact me if there's a test you'd like to see that I haven't done yet.

Your comments and questions are always welcome.



Don