Wide angle lens

[Dave miller]

Would anyone care to recommend a wide angle lens able to cover 10 x 8 with movements?

[Trevor Crone]

Would anyone care to recommend a wide angle lens able to cover 10 x 8 with movements?

Dave, how wide do you want to go?

I use two WA lenses;

1) 150 Super Symmar XL, image circle is very good at 386mm.
2) 240 Apo Sironar-S, image circle is also good at 372mm.

They are big lenses, the 150 is in a Copal 1 shutter but takes 95mm filters! And the 240 is in a Copal 3 shutter and takes 86mm filters.

I always thought the 210 is a nice focal length on the 8x10 format but I couldn't track one down that had a large enough image circle for my needs.

[Argentum]

These are modern ones cos I happen to have some brochures from a few years ago.

Schneider super symmar XL 150 F5.6
Schneider Super Angulon XL 165 F8

Rodenstock Grandagon N 155 F6.8

APO macro sironar 180 F5.6

APO Sironar S 240 F5.6

That'll do cos the banks won't give mortgages at the moment

[Argentum]

I would add that they were all selected because they have room for a reasonable amount of shift. There are others with minimal shift.

[Roy_H]

If only I had an 8x10 to try these out on - three Zeiss Protars in near perfect condition, shown here slightly smaller than life-size:

http://www.weepingash.co.uk/es/images/protars.jpg

They used to belong to the photographer Edwin Smith. Many of his classic photographs were made with these on an old Thornton Ruby camera. They came into my possession on the death of his wife, Olive Cook, in 2002.

The Zeiss 1921 catalogue lists them as follows:

Protar 85mm Lens for 3.25 x 4.25 inches format, image circle 8.5 inches
Protar 140mm Lens for 7.5 x 5 inches format, image circle 14 inches
Protar 320mm Lens for 14 x 10 inches format, image circle 31.5 inches [yes, that's 31.5 inches - 80cm!]

I guess the 140mm would be a bit tight on 8x10, but the 320mm would offer a bit of scope for movements - not a wide angle though Dave, sorry!

I keep meaning to fit them into a Sinar panel and try them out on 5x4, but somehow the longer lengths are crying out for an 8x10 neg.

They are f.18 and obviously have no shutter. Smith used to stop them down, take off the lens cap and count seconds as ...Cat One...Cat Two...Cat Three...etc., until he felt that the film had had enough. Needless to say, most of subjects were static architectural ones!

Date of manufacture approx. 1914-1918

(The Protar was first developed by Dr Paul Rudolph for Carl Zeiss in 1890. The front element was of standard rapid rectilinear construction but the rear was of newly formulated barium crown and flint glass types, like the Ross concentric.)

[Barry]

Interesting lenses Roy, I hope you get to try them.

[Trevor Crone]

The 140 would be a lovely wide angle on the 8x10 format, with some movements to boot.

The Nikkor SW 120 is I believe the widest modern lens that will cover 8x10, but with no movements.

[Tony lovell]

Dave

I regularly use a Nikon SW 120 and the Nikon SW 150, both are f8, and both are excellent lenses.

The 120 is an excellent small lens which I use all the time on 7x5 format but it is very tight on 10 x 8, such that I rarely use it unless I’m after a wide panoramic and trim off the top and bottom. The 120 is equivalent to about 17mm in 35mm format terms.

The 150mm Nikon is a huge lens, it ideally needs to be on a Sinar size panel. The front element is the same diameter as the Schneider 72mm Super Angulon XL. I only know this as I use the same Lee filter adapter. The screw in filter size is 95mm.
The front and back elements are the same size, which makes the lens a good deal heavier than the nearest equivalent which is the Schneider 150mm Super Symmar XL, but then it has a greater coverage, 400mm dia at f22.
Having said this, its one of the best lenses I own and I keep it permanently in the bag with my 10 x 8.

If you want this lens for architectural work you really need bag bellows to make the most of the coverage, I mostly use it on a 10 x 8 Wista and find the lens is fine for landscape work but the standard bellows bind if you need much in the way of front rise. The 150mm SW is equivalent to about 21mm in 35mm format terms.

Tony