Wide angle lenses... Implications for printing?

[Learner]

I suppose this question is in the "dumb question" department, but I don't know how shots taken via wide angle lenses (<35mm) appear when printed...

Are there black bands above and below the print?

Is "special" printing required with "panoramic" paper required?

I don't get it... Please help.

John

[asota]

Originally Posted by Learner

I suppose this question is in the "dumb question" department, but I don't know how shots taken via wide angle lenses (<35mm) appear when printed...

Are there black bands above and below the print?

Is "special" printing required with "panoramic" paper required?

I don't get it... Please help.

John

John, the only truly dumb questions are the ones that are not asked . Firstly, is your question related to film or digital photography in particular?

[Learner]

Thank you Asota.

In the near future, I'm thinking of hitching a Zeiss 25mm or an Elmarit 24mm to my M7.

Down the road, I may buy an M8 (M9?) and hope to use the 24mm or 25mm lens on it.

John

[asota]

Originally Posted by Learner

Thank you Asota.

In the near future, I'm thinking of hitching a Zeiss 25mm or an Elmarit 24mm to my M7.

Down the road, I may buy an M8 (M9?) and hope to use the 24mm or 25mm lens on it.

John

John, I can only comfortably comment on film (analogue) photography.

Printing images in a wet darkroom from negatives or positives shot with <35mm wide angles is as straightforward as with any other focal length. If you want the black "panoramic" bands as part of your image, you can either use a specific mask or your enlarger's masking blades (if available) to achieve this effect at the printing stage.

I hope I am not succeeding in making this sound complicated, because it simply isn't. Contact your darkroom supplier and explain what you wish to achieve - they should be able to provide the correct mask for this purpose.

Re: digital printing, type "panoramic" into the search field of this forum. You should come up with some interesting and informative options.

Hope this helps.

[Learner]

Thank you again.

What I was getting at is how picture ratio fit onto standard size prints at the local printshhop.

I would imagine that much of a landscape (wideangle) shot would be have to cropped to fit onto a 6X4 or even 7X5 paper.

Cropping the picture negates much of the point of using a wide-angle lens, no?

John

[asota]

Originally Posted by Learner

Thank you again.

What I was getting at is how picture ratio fit onto standard size prints at the local printshhop.

I would imagine that much of a landscape (wideangle) shot would be have to cropped to fit onto a 6X4 or even 7X5 paper.

Cropping the picture negates much of the point of using a wide-angle lens, no?

John

Sorry, I misunderstood the thrust of your question, John.

Wide angles lenses in 35mm film photography give you a broader view in 3:2 format which can then be printed (more or less full-frame) at your local printshop.

To get the full-frame image onto paper, the print size would have to correspond exactly with the 35mm's 3:2 aspect ratio. Yes, you are right, 7X5 prints do result in a slight degree of cropping (7.5X5 would be the ideal). 6X4 corresponds perfectly.

But then again, I doubt that any local printshops offer a true full-frame service, even with 6X4 prints that match the 35mm format. There is always some slight cropping.

Home or pro labs are a better option if you want true full-frame prints.

[rob_x2004]

John are you confusing "wide angle" with "panoramic"? Whether the lens is wide angle or not, it still has the same coverage aspect ratio (governed by the film gate or the sensor dimensions) and will print the same format as any other lens on that camera.

[tobey bilek]

Wide lenses make a little bigger image by a few mm on the film that you can capture if home printing, not commercially.