My first LF lens and still my favourite. A Caltar IIN 135 mm (basically a Caltar labelled Sironar N). Bought from Adorama with a mint Anba Ikeda 4x5 for $375 for the bundle. Absolutely tiny (40.5 mm filter size), and tack sharp. Remains my most used lens to this day, despite going on a mad spending spree and now owning an entire gaggle of lenses, including 5 at 135 mm!
Sincerely,
Hany.
My Universal Heliar 360mm is my bummer!
Very heavy and still going strong at f 22 its almost as sharp as my sharpest modern lens but is more the 60 years older!
And yes it can also get soft!
Armin Seeholzer
Fujinnon 300 C f8.5. Light, sharp, tiny, fairly bright.
G-claron 9/210. Amazingly sharp and nice for close-up.
I got one of these also. For less then the shutter was worth. Nice light weight 5x7 lens.Originally Posted by Carsten Wolff
How about on the other end of the scale- enlarging lenses. I use a wollensak 1622mm enlarging raptar on my enlarger. Bought it used for $20, in mint condition - looks like it was never used.
My Rodenstock, Nikkor and Schenider enlarging lenses, for the most part, sit in the drawer unused.
eta gosha maaba, aaniish gaa zhiwebiziyin ?
Though maybe not in the spirit of the OP, I was surprised how indifferent I was to the sironar s 150mm, funinon 240 A and 450 C. All sold.
One lens that surprised me is a tiny Graflex 90 mm 6.8 optar WA. I got it for $53.00 near
mint. It's in a wollensak shutter with bi-post X,f,and m sync. I don't know if wollenask
made the optar glass for graflex or not. This lens very sharp,very good contrast and
is small and light. If movement is not needed.( my Schenider 90mm SA stays home.)Covers
4X5 nicely and will allow just a tiny bit of rise and shift. I never tried swing or tilt with
it. That might be stretching things a bit. BTW, I agree with Ole.The lenses and cameras we use are far more capability than we are at getting that maximum capability from them.
JOE A
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