Widest angle lens available for 11x14

[Ole]

I don't use 11x14", but I do occasionally drag the 12x16" out to the car and take it for a ride...

An old 210mm f:6.8 Schneider Angulon just covers at very small stops; or at least it covers well enough for me. That is 500mm image circle, somewhat more than Schneider state for that lens. A 210mm Super Angulon has a nominal image circle of 500mm, yet it would be less usable on the 12x16" since it has a much sharper cutoff at the edge of coverage. it's easier to get away with a little blur than with a black corner.

John Z - back movements (other than rise/fall and shift) don't need more image circle. Front movements do, but you can often use a combination of front drop and tilt to get everything within the image circle - and emphasise the foreground at the same time. Then again my camera doesn't have front swing or tilt, only rise/fall and shift on the lens board. All tilt and swing is on the back, which makes it easier when the lenses just barely cover.

Underhill - I believe he must have used a Hypergon. Notice the evenness of illumination! It's either a Hypergon with propeller, or a Protar V with center filter. It was probably a "skyscraper" camera too.

A propos "skyscraper": Argentum Cameras make a similar one, for the same purpose. If I need really ridiculously wide I'll pop a 150mm WA Aplanat on my 9.5x12" tailboard camera - the camera can handle down to 50mm lenses with full movements, but I have nothing shorter than 150mm that covers the necessary 360mm image circle.

[Mark Sawyer]

I don't know if the original posters are following this thread anymore, but Lens and Repro is currently offering a "135mm Goerz Hypergon, Rapax shutter (!) with 3 filters" for $1500. Bit I'd get more info on the lens before buying. The Hypergons had their front and rear elements spaced extremely close together, and there wouldnt be room for separate shutter and aperture blades between them. The aperture on a Rapax wouldn't close down that far anyways, so maybe it was removed...

I have a 75mm Hypergon with the fan on an 8x10, and it's a trip to use. All exposures must be at least 1 to 2 seconds long to give enough time to use the fan, and the time the fan is used varies because of changes in the reciprocity curve. Composition is best done by looking at the scene outside the camera, as focusing is at about f/22 in the center, and maybe f/50 at the corners due to fall-off. And one must be very careful about leveling the camera. I must have bumped this one very slightly after leveling it...

[argus]

What an interesting thread! I, for years have wondered with what camera and lens did Irving Underhill use for the following photograph.

New York 1920 Exchange Court Building 52 Broadway & Exchange Place.

This link may get you there to see it.
www.shorpy.com/node/1318?size=_original

I suspect it MIGHT have been an 11x14 with a Hypergon. I don't know, DOES ANYONE HERE KNOW FOR SURE WHAT HE USED?

I've been fascinated with Underhills work since I was a child, reading and looking at the pictures in "The Book of Knowledge".

Oles thought about the Hypergon covering 130+ degrees is also just about the maximum angle one can obtain from a pinhole. Since I'll likely never be able to find or purchase a propeller driven Hypergon or an 11x14 camera, this thread has excited me to the point of wanting to get my 8x10 out and make some pinholes to experiment with! Hmm, bet I could make a 11x14 pinhole box camera.
All the best,
Sam

that image is amazing, I almost feel myself falling out of the window when viewing it!

Greetings,
G

[Harrigan]

I have a very interesting super wide lens made by Gundlach which appears to be the Series X 165mm lens (as far as I can tell). The lens is only marked wide angle 10x12 but it appears to be the series X lens, according to a brochure page I have seen.

It looks like it may do 11x14 stopped down to f64. I never tried it on 11x14 and the corners may not sharpen up on that size I don't know. There is light there in the corners but I don't know if its good usable light.