Opinons on Caltar Ilex 90mm f8 wide angle lens???

[Nguyen "Billy" Kok]

Hi everyone,

I'm contemplating the purchase of a used, but nice condition Caltar Ilex 90mm f8 wide angle lens from a local shop. I understand that this is an older wide angl e lens that should cover 4x5, but not with the extra coverage needed for much mo vements. Does anyone have any experience with this lens and could they please sh are thoughts about it. Is this lens coated and would that make any difference in black & white landscape photography. The shop is asking $400.00 for it mounted in an older shutter. Thanks Ngyuen "Billy" Kok

[neil poulsen]

Is this lens labeled "Wide Field Caltar"? Lynn Jones comments in the 1996 Jan/Feb issue of View Camera (History of Lens Design) that the Ilex/Calumet team designed a lens with this label that had an image angle of 103deg. (About same angle as a Super-Angulon.) A.A. shows a photo of a 90mm f8 Wide Field Caltar in his 1976 "Camera and Lens", saying that it was capable of rather extreme movements.

For a little more, you could probably find a 90 f8 Super-Angulon

[Chauncey Walden]

I use mine on a 5x7 with no movements and no complaints.

[Bruce Pollock]

I have one - it's OK, but I wish I had gone for a Schneider SA. Sharpness isn't too bad. One downside is that (mine at least) doesn't have any filter threads on the front so it won't take a filter.