Calling all experts!

[E_just_E]

Wow! That is incredible info, but just parousing it, would an 80mm lens left to right range be affected by the distance it was moved from the plate? I mean, would the number of degrees change as it was extended or retracted to or from the plate?

Yeah. That is what happens with those cameras. The bellows act kinda like a zoom. But zooming causes distortion. This has none.

 

[E_just_E]

How would it affect things if the picture was cropped? Say a full plate was printed and then the paper print trimmed down to 5"x7"? I know it's possible to compose perfectly on the glass, but there was an advantage to trimming off the edges where an older lens showed some distortion, and this image seems cropped quite close with no distortion. But if it was taken later, technology might have changed--not sure when adjustable apertures came in--and distortion wouldn't be a concern. Still, there might be cropping for aesthetic reasons.

Certainly, thus the size of the picture is really important

 

[gunny]

Certainly, thus the size of the picture is really important

Awesome. It is a very clear picture, so if it turns out to be the large plate, is there a graph or any such table that might give the number of degrees in the field of view?