16.5" Goerz Artar

[Dan Fromm]

Vaughn, thanks for pointing out the text re reversing prisms. I skipped the text, went straight to the table. Shame on me.

That the catalog steps on itself slightly isn't surprising.

[MIke Sherck]

Mike, how much do you enlarge?

I only contact print 8x10, Dan, but I examine the negatives with a 9x loupe. I also generally use 8x10 with subjects closer than infinity.

Mike

[Michael Kadillak]

Mike, the problem with real life working examples is that their conditions are rarely explained.

For example, contact prints require less image quality in the corners than enlarging does. Few people who express opinions about coverage say anything about how their negatives are used.

For another example, working closeup requires less coverage than working at infinity. Portraiture requires less coverage than landscape work. And in most portraits IQ in the corners doesn't matter at all.

No one says how much image quality is needed in the final print. I wouldn't enlarge any of my shots more than 10x, in fact 8x is stretching it. But I still remember those 60 foot wide prints in Grand Central Station made from 35 mm Kodachromes.

And people who express opinions about a lens' coverage hardly ever say just how important IQ in the corners is to them. For many of us, whats in the corners matters little.

Vaughn, you're right, the catalog for which I posted a link doesn't report the aperture at which the coverage claimed is reached. The likely apertures are 2 - 3 stops down from wide open. It gives coverage at 1:1. Coverage at infinity is 1/2 coverage at 1:1.

A simple question was asked by the original person posting in regard to the 8x10 format and coverage devoid of any usage protocol. A referenced publication from the manufacturer seemed to me very conservative based upon my experience which is not really anomalous and comes from other manufacturers as well for very self serving reasons. I simply stated that the lens covers with more than enough room to spare and using it in the field is where one finds if it fits his specific needs whatever they may be. Sometimes we can get a bit over the top in over analyzing what is a very simple situation. Goerz made some great lenses that produce excellent images in a variety of mediums and shooting styles and they can be had for reasonable prices.

[Michael Kadillak]

A simple question was asked by the original person posting in regard to the 8x10 format and coverage devoid of any usage protocol. A referenced publication from the manufacturer seemed to me very conservative based upon my experience which is not really anomalous and comes from other manufacturers as well for very self serving reasons. I simply stated that the lens covers with more than enough room to spare and using it in the field is where one finds if it fits his specific needs whatever they may be. Sometimes we can get a bit over the top in over analyzing what is a very simple situation. Goerz made some great lenses that produce excellent images in a variety of mediums and shooting styles and they can be had for reasonable prices.

I put my 16.5" Red Dot on my 8x10 this morning and I was able to put the max rise on my Toyo 810M (about 2 1/2") at infinity without a hint of any image degradation or light image loss wide open. I observed a crisp sharp image consistent with my experience using the other 5 Goerz Artar lenses I have used extensively. They are all over achievers in the performance category.