Alternative for f/6.8 90mm Angulon ?

[Luis-F-S]

Could also try one of the WA Dagors, 3 5/8 & 4 3/8 WA Dagors. L

[Dan Fromm]

Could also try one of the WA Dagors, 3 5/8 & 4 3/8 WA Dagors. L

There's always a joker who thinks we're all rich. Joker, have you priced wide angle Dagors recently?

[Shen45]

I purchased a 90/6.8 Optar/Raptar as a "maybe I'll use it one day because it was a good price" only to discover that it was actually a very good lens. Stopped down between 22-32 it was really sharp corner to corner. Not long after a second one become available at a good price so I got that as well. I offered a friend the better of the two shutter wise and he has been very happy with the results. I think these are quite maligned at times by people who have never owned or used them. As my main 90mm WA I now have a 90/6.8 Rodenstock but can honestly say if the Rodenstock dies the little Optar will instantly see service.

[Cor]

Thanks guys! Lot of new options popping up! Appreciate your feedback: I'll give my 90mm 6.8 Angulon a serious test drive, and in the mean time keep an eye for the suggested lenses..more suggestions are welcome off course

Best,

Cor

[Arne Croell]

The Hugo Meyer Weitwinkel Aristostigmat 100mm f/6.3(coated, post-WWII version) shows up on the used market from time to time and is a usable lens. Both shuttered and barrel versions exist, but the cells are not interchangeable between the two versions. The 105mm f/6.3 Leitmeyr Weitwinkel Anastigmat, usually in a cheaper Prontor shutter, is similar. Then there is also the Cooke VIIb series, there was a 3 1/4" (82mm) and a 4 1/4" (108mm), both f/6.5. The 82mm version might be pushing it for 4x5" coverage. Coated versions of the VIIb exist, but are rather rare and might thus fall into Dan's "joker" department. All of these were double Gauss 4/4 constructions similar to the W.F. Ektars.

[Dan Fromm]

Arne, thanks for reminding us of 4/4 double Gauss wide angle lenses. In addition to the Cooke Ser. VIIb, WW Aristostigmat and WF Ektar that you mentioned and the f/6.8 Raptar/Optar mentioned earlier, B&L, Dallmeyer and Wray made similar lenses. WF Ektars cover 80 degrees, the others' claimed coverage is around 100 degrees.

I don't think anyone has mentioned Berthiot's 90/14 Perigraphe in this discussion. They turn up fairly often on eBay.fr, are usually not very expensive and are always in barrel. Huge coverage. They can be stuffed into an Ilex #3 and, with a little more effort, an Alphax #3.

And then there are the f/9.5 and f/12.5 Wolly Extreme Wide Angles. There's a canard to the effect that these are the f/6.8 WA with limited apertures. Not true.

[SergeiR]

if you don't care about shutter much - look for old brass w-a lenses with rotary iris. Plenty of those around, and they all within your range. Not as bright, though.

[john borrelli]

Someone listed the 90mm rodenstock geronar on Ebay recently and it sold for less than $100.00.

I was going to put a bid on it but became interested in another lens. The Geronar is a more modern multicoated alternative to the Angulon. Learn to love back tilt and leave the shifts for other lenses but that applies to both lenses really. If you want the Angulon, most people recommend the later model Linhof versions. Generally you can find both lenses for between $100.00 and $200.00. Previous comments about the Congo ring true, like the Geronar it is a more modern alternative than an angulon or an ektar, still with limited coverage. Congo's are not real common though. Kerry Thalmann, a lens expert and LFPF contributor was a proponent of the Congo but he was one of a few.

[Cor]

Had this attack of GAs and against my own plan to first test the Angulon thoroughly I got inspired by the suggestion of Ic-racer and bought a nice 90mm f5.6 Topcor from Japan (shipping less prohibitive than from the USA and the customs are usually less stringent on mail from Japan (fingers crossed..;-) ) I now it will just cover 4*5 but on the Galvin with fixed bellows movements with a straight lens board and fixed bellows are marginal anyway.

Thanks again for the interesting discussion and suggestions,

Best,

Cor

[IanG]

A few years ago the late Dean Jones (Razzledog) noticed that the spacing of some of the Compur shutters used for the earlier 90mm f6.8 Angulons was sometimes inconsistent and that this had an effect on quality/sharpness. He mentioned this in a thread on APUG, he re-machined the shutter casings to the correct spacing and found this improved the quality/sharpness of previously poor lenses. At the time he was asking people to measure their lenses.

Ian