lens for 8x10 wet plate

[E. von Hoegh]

Amen. I am a hip, young man, but I find the way that these lenses are used today a little disturbing as well. I cross-referenced the late 19th century lens catalog that John Coffer sent me with the coverage suggestions from sellers on ebay: coverage and good representation of a subject are very different things. The 10" portrait lenses WERE recommended to cover a whole plate with a subject distance of 10-15 feet, IIRC. I find it a very comfortable FL to use for portraits on a 5x7, and it does a very good job at infinity on that format. I will definitely be looking at a 15" if I can ever move up to 8x10. That said, a Xenar is the easiest way in.

The Xenar would make a nice portrait lens, but the Petzval when properly used is a lovely portrait lens - it's what it was designed for after all.

Too many use those damned swirlies as a "cool" gimmick, I wish they wouldn't as I find it nauseating.

[robin j]

Thanks everyone for your input.
If I go the modern route, what would a fair price be for a 360/4.5 Schneider Xenar ?

As far as petzvals go, to leave out the 'swirlies' (which I'm not really crazy about) I should be looking for at least a 14"-15" petzval for an 8x10 if my bank account allows for this ?
I should mention that I would be shooting almost entirely portraits and not shooting at infinity - does this work in my favour as far as coverage goes ?

[Paul Fitzgerald]

"I should mention that I would be shooting almost entirely portraits and not shooting at infinity - does this work in my favour as far as coverage goes ?"

Yes it will, more extension = more coverage

"If I go the modern route, what would a fair price be for a 360/4.5 Schneider Xenar ?"

a million dollar, I'll have one for sale shortly.

If you get the 9x9 lens board you can use almost any lens out there and the Packard shutter.

[goamules]

A few comments. One, far be it for me to plead "don't use a petzval for swirl...." since it's none of my business what you like. It's like telling someone, "I like Chinese food....I like Ford cars...so you should too!" I wouldn't take advice about a lens from someone who avoids that lens. Study the photos, and decide what you want.

If you look at the Flickr Petzval photo group I've posted above, you'll see how beautiful, sharp, 3D, and with wonderful bokeh Petzvals are. That's why they were synonymous with "Portrait Lens" for 70 years! Most photographers don't use them too short, or foster swirls, except for a few shots. Then they move on to using them in other ways. It's a very versatile lens.

On the OPs implied question, "will a 14-15 inch Petzval break the bank," if you are getting a custom camera made, which can cost over a thousand, maybe two thousand dollars, compared to buying an original studio camera for $200, I'd say go for the best. The LENS is what makes the photo, not the camera. If you skimp on the lens, it's like having a 1963 Corvette restored, then putting a small 4-cylinder engine in it.

[robin j]

Thank you Garrett. You are so right about the lens (for god sakes I tell this to photo buffs all the time in the digital world); I suppose wet plate is so new to me that I look towards the wet plate camera makers as a good solution.....time to put aside the money for the right petzval.......I just don't know fair prices for these lenses, hence I put my trust into people such as yourself and Eddie......

[Mark Sawyer]

Buy a cheaper functonal lens (like a Tessar) now to get started. You won't know what you want for a while, so no sense spending a lot til you do. And with a lens with a strong signature (like a Petzval), it's a good idea to have a more "normal" lens as well.

When you feel you need a Petzval (or Euryscop, or Cooke, or some other particular lens) watch ebay and put a wanted ad here on the forum. I've bought from both places, prices vary widely on both, so they're roughly comparable, but the forum is a better place to buy, as people here know their lenses, what they can do, accurately describe the condition, and want to keep their good reputations. Meanwhile, keep an eye out for something to fall in your lap unexpectedly. It happens.

If you're buying a modern "reproduction", be advised that most don't have any movements, which I regard as necessary in any lf camera, but especially so in wet plate. You'll be using the lens wide open for portraiture, meaning very shallow depth of field, and the movements will let you tilt the focal plane when needed.