Lens at around 600mm - 840mm with image circle of 52inch

[Hermes07]

1200mm is a normal focal length for 32x40 and even a process lens that long is a stretch to cover at infinity. a 35" dialyte would put you in close-up only territory. Unless you want 2/3 of your plate to be an indistinct blur, or you can afford to wait for a heavily stopped down lens to expose the plate, I'd steer well clear of anything single element.

Incidentally, you can get coverage stats for most lenses online with some dedicated searching.

[WootSK]

1200mm is a normal focal length for 32x40 and even a process lens that long is a stretch to cover at infinity. a 35" dialyte would put you in close-up only territory. Unless you want 2/3 of your plate to be an indistinct blur, or you can afford to wait for a heavily stopped down lens to expose the plate, I'd steer well clear of anything single element.

Incidentally, you can get coverage stats for most lenses online with some dedicated searching.

Why against single element?

[Hermes07]

The angle of sharp coverage you'll get with a single element will be poor unless it's stopped down a lot (likely to the point where diffraction will negate the resolution advantages of such a large format).

What you appear to be looking for is a wide-angle lens capable of covering a huge negative sharply. A single element is pretty much the opposite of that

[WootSK]

The angle of sharp coverage you'll get with a single element will be poor unless it's stopped down a lot (likely to the point where diffraction will negate the resolution advantages of such a large format).

What you appear to be looking for is a wide-angle lens capable of covering a huge negative sharply. A single element is pretty much the opposite of that

Sorry, very busy recently with work and school assignment.

@ hermes07, I do understand where you are coming from. Perharps I should have some patience while camping for such a lens that comes by which in the mean time, I will save up to increase the budget available. Anyway, I am planning on glass plate positive where the glass plate will be supported with a black matt back on easel when shooting and acrylic honeycomb base when going into trays so that the solution weight do not crack the fragile glass.

[Louis Pacilla]

Otherwise, I'd be looking for extreme wide angles, like an RD Gray no. 9 or 10. Good luck finding one, they are cataloged but never seen that large. Even the largest Protar V won't cover what you want....and would cost thousands. I would not use the words "cheap" or "on a budget" anywhere near this kind of endeavor.

Hey Garrett, I was wondering where you found an Extreme Angle Periscope in a size #10 ? I'm not being a smart ass about it and believe you but I have only been able to find adds supporting the #9 12.6 fl covering 25x30 and the #8 10"fl covering 20x24 but those are the two longest I can find. I ask because I found a really nice and complete #8 and was under the impression it was the second to longest made.

BTW Another thing you may find interesting is the last attachment which came from a book (I forget which book but I think the author was Hans Hartings ) on optics from Google books. I found this bit of writing (if true) a rather important historical optical fact that seems to have been over looked . Well maybe not all that important.

[Roger Hesketh]

Dallmeyer Adon maybe? With them providing you have sufficient extension they will cover pretty much any plate size. The extension determines the plate size covered. I suspect your dark tent would have to be substantially bigger and the effective aperture would be very small .Focal length and exposures very long. Probably better than a single lens though and possibly even cheaper too.