Wide angle on 8x10 (Used 210 XL tough find)

[Ramak Fazel]

Like most 8x10 newcomers i'm vexed by the wide angle options. The 210 XL is difficult to find on the used market (prohibitive new). Are there other lens options that allow moderate vertical shifts? Any help would greatly be appreciated.

[Ole Tjugen]

Old or older?

Schneider Symmar 240mm or 210mm - any series. The 210 is rather "tight", though.
Schneider Angulon 210mm, or Super-Angulon 165mm (the plain angulon too, if like me you don't believe Schneider's specifications). The 210mm SA is just too heavy, and IMO better suited to even bigger formats like 11x14" or 30x40cm.

Then there's this nice table here...

[tim atherton]

the 210 G-Claron gives you just a bit of wriggle room - it's been a while, but I think it was about 1"+

However, if you can find a Kowa Graphic 210mm f9 in barrel on ebay it can be easily put in a copal 1 shutter and is an excellent lens. very sharp and with about 2.5" - 3" of rise/fall. And it becomes a 6.8 (?) lens once it's in the shutter

caveats - I've no idea what they are going for these days? (I got one in the last year for about $180, but I've seen them go for much more)

not all the Kowa 210's are created equal - one version screws right out of the barrel and screws straight into a copal shutter. Another version just doesn't....

but that aside, it's a fantastic little lens

hunt on here for threads on Kowa 210mm

there was one on ebay very recently - but it looks like the wrong kind - I think it needs lettering inside around the lens glass and there is none visible on this one. also I know the one I saw that didn't work had the 210*** serial number as well:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Kowa-210mm-Lens-...QQcmdZViewItem


another one sold recently in a shutter for 475.00 - which is a pretty good price...

http://cgi.ebay.com/210MM-F9-0-GRAPH...QQcmdZViewItem

[tim atherton]

oh - there's also an older (sepdicific) version of the fuji 210 5.6 lens that gives about 1.5"+ of movement or so

they also seem to go for a reasonable price as well

[Ramak Fazel]

Thank you for your quick responses. Timothy, the pictures i've seen in Peripheral Vision are very impressive. The images have subtle visual clues that transend formal compositional balance. Thanks for the tips.

[archivue]

210 konica hexanon is a cheap alternative and MC...

[tim atherton]

I should have added that you can still use the "wrong" version of the Kowa 210 in the barrel without a shutter just fine - just not that convenient.

Archi - does the Konica mount easily in a shutter?

[vijayn]

Then there is the Apo Sironar W 210mm f/5.6. It gives you about 50mm of rise or so. It is also fairly light, and if you use the 210 SSXL as a reference, also pretty compact. Of course, that is all relative, since anything with a Copal 3 shutter is neither compact nor light in the true sense of the term. But then, neither is 8x10.

Sorry, I digress. You can get the Apo Sironar W 210mm from Ebay for between $1500 and $2000; however I have seen some go for significantly cheaper. "Sinaron WS" and "Apo Sironar" designations are both the same as Apo Sironar W, but many people do not know that, so sometimes you can get them for a song (and maybe a dance ;-)). For instance, I got a mint (truly like new, no box etc) Apo Sironar 210mm for $600 from ebay. Stunning performer, needless to say; and for the performance, dare I say, cheap.

You have to be patient if you want a deal like that - so if you want your 210mm lens right now, you will have to consider the alternatives that have already been suggested.

[Carsten Wolff]

Quite interesting: Up to 5x7 there's no shortage of w.a. lenses; hop up to 8x10 and the options start to thin out a fair bit for anything lighter, although that's not what 8x10 is about, right? .
You could go for very old and look for a set of Conley Wide Angle lenses (often offered as front and rear group w/o shutter or barrel; quite cheap). VERY nice lenses for their age and lack of coating... I use the 5x7 and "full plate" sets and am more than happy with them for b/w (haven't tried color).
The 8x10 version should be in about the 210 to 240 range...

Plug: Am selling my 240/700 convertible Sironar on the *bay right now....

[kjsphotography]

240 Caltar II covers 8x10 without a hitch ( lots of movements ). Super sharp and easy to find. Not very expensive either.