extra wide angle lens for 8x10

[david@bigeleisenlaw.com]

I'm planning a road trip with my 8x10 Tachihara. I would like to take some landscape photos with an extra wide angle lens. If a normal lens is 300mm, then I'm thinking of a focal length of about 150mm or so. What do people suggest; what is available. I prefer Japanese or U.S.A. made lenses.

Thanks in advance.

David

[Dugan]

6.25" Wollensak Raptar Series III. f/9.5
Also known as Extreme Wide Angle Velostigmat Series III

[ic-racer]

150 is pretty wide. Thing is with the 8x10 format, so much sky and foreground get included with wide lenses. Having mentioned that I use 210, 180, 125 and 75mm lenses on my 8x10. I'd probably recommend a 210mm. It is pretty wide and there are a lot of options.

[Lachlan 717]

Try searching for this - it’s a topic that has been covered ad nauseam over the last few decades here…

[ic-racer]

This is an example of a 210mm on a tripod at about eye level. Lots of sky and foreground. That is the effect I wanted here.

[ic-racer]

This is a 125mm. One needs the right subject matter for it to work.

[paulbarden]

I have the 190mm Wide Field Ektar (Kodak) for 8x10, and I find it extremely wide - often too much so. A really wide lens is great for certain situations, where you need to stuff every inch of the vista into the frame (or indoor architecture), but extreme wide angle lenses can be a disappointment.

If you’re certain you want something wide, the 190mm Ektar is an extremely good choice.

[Mark Sampson]

I love my Wide Field Ektars (although I've never used the 190). The 250/6.3 WFE has been preferred by many fine photographers, Ansel Adams and Joel Meyerowitz among them. I found it to be a near-perfect match for the way I saw things when I was working in 8x10. A lens that I regret selling.
It may not be wide enough for you, though; in that case I'll recommend the Schneider 165/8 Super-Angulon. It's a real howitzer of a lens... but then you're carrying an 8x10 anyway. It's very sharp and has plenty of coverage, and is *very* wide on 8x10. I used one on the job, occasionally, in the 1980s and 90s; that was for industrial images in small spaces, where having it made 8x10 images possible and kept my customers happy.

[Mark Sampson]

(off-topic) but ic-racer, that's a marvelous photo. Thanks for sharing it.

[Vaughan]

A lot depends on the amount of movement you require, and how wide you want. Before you get too carried away with wide, consider whether your camera bellows will compress and if it does, whether the front bed will be in the image.

Nikkor SW 120mm f8 -- FFE 18mm ultra wide, just covers with minimal movement, reasonably cheap
Nikkor SW 150mm f8 -- FFE 24mm very wide, loads of movement, big, heavy, very expensive
Fujinon W 180mm f5.6 -- FFE 28mm wide, just covers with minimal movement, cheap (single-coated version only)
Fujinon W 210mm f5.6 -- FFE 33mm wide, modest movement, cheap (single-coated version only)
Fujinon W 250mm f6.7 -- FFE 40mm short normal, good movement, cheap (single-coated version only, not the newer f6.3 version)

There are similar lenses from other manufacturers but only the old single-coated Fujinons have enough coverage for 8x10 in those focal lengths, they are common to see in "best lenses for 8x10" lists.

If your Tachihara has rear focussing then it should be good for the 120mm as long as the bellows can compress enough.