Wide angle lens for Horseman VH-R

[Roger Richards]

Hi everyone, I would like to ask if anyone could advise me of what my options are for wide angle lenses to fit my Horseman VH-R that not only cover 6x9 but also 4x5, which I am able to shoot with a Horseman Universal 4x5 adapter on the VH-R. I am aware that the VH-R has some limitations as to what will work due to bellows draw and that it uses a smaller lensboard. How wide can I go, and which lenses are best. I am a recent returnee to large format (after many years), and have been looking at 8x10 but wish to have a complete small outfit that can also be used handheld, like the VH-R. Any help would be appreciated.

[Glenn Kroeger]

Roger:

I have used both 75mm and 65mm lenses on a Horseman VH-R. By 65mm it is very difficult to manipulate the front standard, and intrusion of the bed into the image becomes an issue.

There were some recessed lensboards built for that camera which would take a copal 0 shutter with some modifications of the control levers. They show up on eBay now and then, but I was never happy with mine.

An alternative is to find a Horseman 65mm lens premounted in the Horseman recessed board. It won't handle your 4x5 but will be a nice wide angle on roll film

[Massimo Squillace]

Roger,

three years past I was looking into wide angle lenses for my VH-R, and eventually bought a Rodenstock Apo-Grandagon 55mm f/4.5.

I reported my first impressions in this thread:

http://largeformatphotography.info/lfforum/topic/350306.html

I have since upgraded to an Arca-Swiss 6x9, but have taken many good pictures with this great lens on the VH-R.

According to specs, the Apo-Grandagon barely covers 4x5 but won't work with the 4x5 Universal Ground Glass Back (#22511 in the Horseman catalog); looks like you'll need at least a 80mm lens for that.

[Leonard Evens]

I have a Horseman 980, which I believe is an earlier version of the same camera. I have the Horseman 65 mm lens, and at one point I considered getting a shorter focal length lens (for 6 x 7). But as best I can tell, there is no lens with focal length less than 65 mm which will work with thiese cameras.

[Roger Richards]

Thank you Glenn, Massimo and Leonard. I gather that there are few usable lenses for the VH-R with the 4x5 universal adapter. I currently have a 150 5.6 Professional Horseman and that works ok. I read somewhere else that the 105 4.5 (not the 3.5) Horseman lens also works fine with 4x5.