Rodenstock Grandagon-N 90mm 6.8 and Super Speed Graphic?

[Omega]

Well i am new to Large format photography and just ordered my first 4x5 camera, a Super speed Graphic.
I have shot film in the past, usually 35mm and medium format film. I usually shoot landscapes, as well as the occasional macro image (usually with digital)

Well i was wondering if a 90mm F6.8 Grandagon-N would be usable with the Super speed Graphic, when shooting landscapes with medium format i use a Normal Lens (75mm) as that is the only lens my TLR has.

So i was wondering if i could get the wide angle lens to focus.

[BradS]

It will focus but it maybe a pain in the neck to use. I cannot say for sure on the super speed but, on a crown graphic, the 90mm lens usually wants to be located right over the hinge between the bed and the body...which would not be an issue except that one also typically needs to drop the bed so that the focusing rails do not show in the photo....and now we have a pain in the neck situation. I'd very strongly recommend starting out with a lens in the 135mm-210mm range.

[Richard Johnson]

The standard lens for those cameras was 135mm but most 90-210 lenses will work (although no macros with the 210!)

If you like the normal 75-80 on medium format then the 135 will feel slightly wider. The change of proportions and sheer size makes translating focal lengths between formats only a rough guesstimate, never an exact science.

A 135 or 150 is really the best bet because most of them will fold into the camera (all but the smallest 90 Angulon will not) and the 135-150 normal lenses are going to be brighter on the ground glass and easier to focus (and generally figure out what's going on).

The 90 makes a great second lens once you get the hang of it!

[Michael Clark]

The Ektar 127mm 4.7 works very good on the Speed and Crown and can be folded into the camera.

[Omega]

Thank you for the feed back, i will most likely buy the Grandagon-N anyway (as it is rather inexpensive in my opinion, only 220 euros). The camera i bought comes with a 135mm Rodenstock lens (not sure how good it is...). Concerning the issue of the Grandagon-N coming to focus at the hing, i could build a recessed lens board out of a chunk of aluminum, i have acces to the machining equipment required to turn a chunk of aluminum into what ever i want (within reason). The only trouble would be that the wall thickness of the recess would have to be 4mm as it would be crushed by the chuck otherwise. Also would a 20mm Recess be enough to get the lens onto the bed?. Also what do i need to look out for when designing a lens board. Even if i sound repetitive with the use of the word also, but i also need the dimensions of a Graflex lens board (assuming they are more or less interchangeable from their size)

[Bob Salomon]

The standard lens for those cameras was 135mm but most 90-210 lenses will work (although no macros with the 210!)

If you like the normal 75-80 on medium format then the 135 will feel slightly wider. The change of proportions and sheer size makes translating focal lengths between formats only a rough guesstimate, never an exact science.

A 135 or 150 is really the best bet because most of them will fold into the camera (all but the smallest 90 Angulon will not) and the 135-150 normal lenses are going to be brighter on the ground glass and easier to focus (and generally figure out what's going on).

The 90 makes a great second lens once you get the hang of it!

The horizontal angle of view for a 75mm on 6x6 is 45° and for an 80mm is 39°. The horizontal angle of view for a 135mm on 4x5 is 48.5° and a 150mm is 44°. So the 150mm lens will be closest to the 75mm 3.5 on your TLR. But, of course, you are comparing a square to a rectangular format.
So, if you make prints that are rectangular from your 6x6 then you are probably cropping to about a 645 format. If that is the case then the 75mm delivers 32.5° horizontally and the 80mm would be 30°. A 210mm would give you 32° on 45.

Some of the lenses will have rather large diameter rear elements that have to stick through the hole in the front standard to mount on the camera. Make sure that the hole in the camera body is large enough so you have no problem mounting whatever lens you get. The 90mm 6.8 Grandagon N has a 60mm rear diameter and a flange focal length of 94mm. So the mounting flange of the shutter has to be 94mm from the film plane to focus at infinity.

[Ivan J. Eberle]

Unlike the Graflex Crown, the Super Graphic does not have any linkage to the focusing rack or rangefinder for lenses used on the inner rail. It's a major issue for lenses 90mm and under. The small Speed boards also do not make for an easy way to mount modern 90's on a recessed board to cheat it onto the front standard. Your best bet may be to find a cheap Chinese helical. Otherwise your focusing with wide angles on the Super will all be push-pull.

[Omega]

Well thank you for the Timely Feedback on the lens! Based on what you guys have told me i did not bid on the Lens.

[Jim Andrada]

Kodak Wide Field Ektar 100mm. Great small lens - works just fine on my Super.

If the track is in the way, drop it , tilt the lens board back 15 degrees, and raise the front. I think a lot of Supers came standard with the 127mm, Crowns with the 135mm.