Lenses for 4x5 advice!

[Peter De Smidt]

A very popular slightly long lens in 4x5" is a 210mm. There are scads and scads of them available used for little money. Any 1970s and later Nikon, Fuji, Rodenstock or Schneider 210mm F5.6 lens should be very good. They are in modern shutters with a standard flash sync, and they have fairly standard filter threads, all of which is unlike some older, but still very good, lenses. I like the 90mm, 120mm, 210mm, 300mm progression, but there are other good sets.

[L Gebhardt]

I really like the 135mm Sironar S. It's certainly my favorite. I pair this frequently with a Nikon 200mm f/8 M and Nikon 300mm f/9 M as a lightweight backpacking system. The longer lenses don't need to be as fast in order to focus them, so the f/8 or f/9 minimum aperture isn't ever a problem for me. I also have a 90mm and 75mm, but I rarely miss them if I leave them at home (which, because of the weight I usually do). I do like the 90mm with a roll film back, especially for 6x17. It gives a normal feel for height, but is wide enough to feel wide horizontally.

I also have 210mm Nikon f/5.6, but I hardly ever use it since I got the f/8, again because of the weight.

[Wade D]

I'm pretty much a fan of older lenses for my 4x5. Graflex Optar 90mm f/6.8, Graflex Optar 135mm f/4.7 and a really old Rapid Rectilinear 210mm f/8. Being on a retirement budget is my main reason for these lenses as they were very cheap.
A beat up Crown Graphic, now restored, and those 3 lenses were about $250 total. The restoration of the camera was done at home. Lens CLA's were done at home as well.

[TareqPhoto]

I have only two lenses so far, Optar 162 wollensack on my Speed Graphic PM, and Rodenstock 150N for my Shen Hao HZX45IIA.

My next lenses will be definitely: 90, wider than 90, 210 or 240, not sure to go with 300 but who knows.

[pdjr1991]

I really like the 135mm Sironar S. It's certainly my favorite. I pair this frequently with a Nikon 200mm f/8 M and Nikon 300mm f/9 M as a lightweight backpacking system. The longer lenses don't need to be as fast in order to focus them, so the f/8 or f/9 minimum aperture isn't ever a problem for me. I also have a 90mm and 75mm, but I rarely miss them if I leave them at home (which, because of the weight I usually do). I do like the 90mm with a roll film back, especially for 6x17. It gives a normal feel for height, but is wide enough to feel wide horizontally.

I also have 210mm Nikon f/5.6, but I hardly ever use it since I got the f/8, again because of the weight.

thats really good to know! thanks!

[pdjr1991]

I'm pretty much a fan of older lenses for my 4x5. Graflex Optar 90mm f/6.8, Graflex Optar 135mm f/4.7 and a really old Rapid Rectilinear 210mm f/8. Being on a retirement budget is my main reason for these lenses as they were very cheap.
A beat up Crown Graphic, now restored, and those 3 lenses were about $250 total. The restoration of the camera was done at home. Lens CLA's were done at home as well.

I was really lucky to find a Crown that was in such perfect shape that it had the lens cap and the warning paper on the tracks.

[jnanian]

hi pdjr1991

it all really boils down to your subject matter and style of shooting ...
i am not sure if you use a 35mm system, but if you do, and you have some favorite focal lengths
if you multiply the by around 3 it will give you a close proximity to the equiv. in a 4x5 lens ...

for example, if you like a 50mm, then a 150 will be about the same thing ...
if you like wide but not really wide, maybe a 127 tominon might work for you,
or a 90mm for wide - landscapey or environmental portraits ...
or a 10" tele optar for portraits, or a 15" teleoptar or symmar 210/370 for longer views ...

the tele optars are telephoto lenses and they were made for the graphic ( speed, crown &c ) and
if you have them in a shutter ( they were sometimes factory mounted in a alphax by wollensak )
they can easily double-duty with your rail camera ...

i would think about what you want to use the lenses to photograph, think about what you use to photograph these same
subjects in smaller formats, and think about getting around the same focal length for your large format camera.

all that said, sometimes it is a lot nicer just to get and use 1 lens and that way you don't have to change how you think.

happy new year + good luck !
john

[AgentX]

Do you have a recommendation of a shop or person that can overhaul old lenses? i have a couple that im not too sure about shutter speed wise.

http://www.skgrimes.com/

They'll take care of ya.

[pdjr1991]

hi pdjr1991

it all really boils down to your subject matter and style of shooting ...
i am not sure if you use a 35mm system, but if you do, and you have some favorite focal lengths
if you multiply the by around 3 it will give you a close proximity to the equiv. in a 4x5 lens ...

for example, if you like a 50mm, then a 150 will be about the same thing ...
if you like wide but not really wide, maybe a 127 tominon might work for you,
or a 90mm for wide - landscapey or environmental portraits ...
or a 10" tele optar for portraits, or a 15" teleoptar or symmar 210/370 for longer views ...

the tele optars are telephoto lenses and they were made for the graphic ( speed, crown &c ) and
if you have them in a shutter ( they were sometimes factory mounted in a alphax by wollensak )
they can easily double-duty with your rail camera ...

i would think about what you want to use the lenses to photograph, think about what you use to photograph these same
subjects in smaller formats, and think about getting around the same focal length for your large format camera.

all that said, sometimes it is a lot nicer just to get and use 1 lens and that way you don't have to change how you think.

happy new year + good luck !
john

thanks! that makes sense. Im used to 35mm and digital (don't kill me!)

[pdjr1991]

what is the normal cost for a cla?