4x5 Older Lenes???

[Calamity Jane]

With my nice new/old 4x5 folder I have been looking at lenses. A lot of the older lenses didn't have slow shutter speeds (slower than 1/25th). For my Tintypes, I needs speeds down to 1 Second and a decent f, like maybe f6 or f8. Something between 150 and 250mm would be good, and it has to be short enough to fit in the folder when closed.

I guess Graflex lenses would be in the range of what I am looking for?

Any suggestions on good, economy lenses that would do what I want? Any to stay away from?

Thanks gang!

[Vick Vickery]

If you have one laying around or want to get off cheap, you might try a 135mm Optar...cheap, easy to find, etc., with a -3 or -4 lens on the front to take it up to around 200mm+. Makes a good combination of focal lengths.

[Mike Davis]

Jane,

I was going to make the same suggestion as Vick. The optars work well, are cheap, and will usually fit in the folder. I do like them at f11 more than f8, but they are good lenses for the money.

They will look newer to someone familiar with early 20th century cameras, but I think that overall it could be a good fit.

[David F. Stein]

What camera is your 4x5 folder? There is also a 152mm/162mm ?? Optar and there are 150mm and 165mm Tessars in good Compur or Compund shutters that were on 10x15 folding plate cameras. Also, anastigmats like a Unofocal can be found in 150/165mm. The 135mm Optar is no slouch-the one on my Buschman D is excellent. GOOD LUCK.

[Dave Moeller]

I was going to mention the 162mm Optar. Good lens once stopped down to f/8. I'm thrilled with the results I get with mine. They're not expensive when they come up, but they're not nearly as common as the 135mm lenses.

As mentioned multiple times, the 135mm "standard press camera lenses" are good when stopped down as well.

If you're looking for a wide angle lens, the old Schneider Angulon (not the "Super Angulon") is a popular choice. Generally available in Synchro-Compur shutters with times from 1/400 or 1/500 up to 1 second plus B. You'll have to stop down to f/22 to get sharp coverage to the corners of 4x5, but the combination works well and the lens is very small.

[Struan Gray]

A but a bit of physics: an uncoated lens will let through more soft UV than a coated or multicoated one. Tintype emulsions like blue and soft UV light, so you might want to think like a cinematographer and consider the t-stop as well as the f-stop. It's possible that an uncoated f6.8 lens might give you shorter exposures than a coated f4 lens.

One specific lens that is fast, sharp, uncoated and cheap is the 5" f4 Ross W.A.Xpress. WWII surplus, they get reasonable prices in the USA because St. Ansel used one, but they go for pennies in the UK as they were widely bought by amatuers in the 50s and 60s. They cover 5x7, and larger at portrait distances, although 8x10 would be a stretch. There are two on ebay.co.uk right now. No shutter, but they're small enough to be front-mounted.

[Donald Qualls]

Jane, another source you might consider is buying a cheap plate camera for the lens. These will be on the short side for 4x5 (typically 135 mm, for a 9x12 camera), but that's not a big problem at portrait distances (in fact, it can help if you're short on bellows), and they'll nicely cover 4x5, possibly with soft corners, at portrait distances. The cameras are often under $50 plus shipping, and the shutters usually just need cleaning -- and for this, you don't care if it has a ground glass, plate holders, or a good bellows. A dial-set Compur with uncoated Tessar would do everything you want to do (might even be *too* sharp, depending what you want for tintypes, though that's easily corrected with a diffusion filter or careful use of antisense movements), but I see these cameras with less illustrious lenses, too -- Doppel-Anastigmats and so forth -- that would be perfectly suitable for portraiture.

[Edward (Halifax,NS)]

I have two suggestions, 127mm f/4.7 Ysaron and 150mm f/9 G Claron. The 127mm is in a Copal 1 and the lens itself adds almost no size to the shutter. The G Claron might be a bit slow for you but it comes/fits in a Copal 0 and is tiny.

[Calamity Jane]

Lensworthy: My folder is a 4x5 Seroco.

Thanks for all the suggestions folks - I have a whole bunch on my "watch list" now on e-bay ;-)

[Bill_1856]

CJ, the Kodak 203mm f:7.7 Ektar is sharp, sharp, sharp, and cheap, cheap, cheap (also tiny, in Supermatic shutter). A really great compromise for portrait and general/landscape.