suggestions: 90mm lenses for 4x5

[Bob Salomon]

Rodenstock Grandagon-N 8/90
Thomas

No such lens. There is a 6.8 and a 4.5 but not an 8.0.

[Alan Davenport]

I suggest getting another SA 90/8. A generation of pros made a living with them, so they must have something going for them. Right now that lens is in a sweet spot, with excellent performance, easy to focus if you have a decent darkcloth, and downright inexpensive; I got mine for $300 on fleabay.

[Miguel Curbelo]

Nikon 90/8. Small, sweetly sharp and with 235 mm of image circle. Focusing is no problem with a good darkcloth -or T-shirt.

[Norm Buchanan]

I happen to use a Calumet 90mm f4.5 Caltar II for architectural and landscape work. It's a big and somewhat heavy piece of glass that really delivers a fine image. I think it is made by Rodenstock.

I highly recommend it unless weight is a big issue.

I also have this lens and highly recommend it. It is a Caltar IIN lens and is made by Rodenstock. I have used it for landscapes and indoors for architecture. It is a bit heavy but the quality is worth it.

[Ben Chase]

It's probably overkill for what I do, but I'm a fan of the Grandagon-N 4.5/90

[Thomas Greutmann]

No such lens. There is a 6.8 and a 4.5 but not an 8.0.

Bob is correct , there is no Rodenstock 90mm/f8. I was referring to the Rodenstock 90mm/6.8 in comparison to the Schneider Super Angulon 90mm/f8. Anyway, the two are more or less identical performers to me (I am happy with both). I shoot mostly landscape and use apertures f22 and smaller, so I guess that is why I don't really care for the largest aperture.

Thomas

[Ole Tjugen]

Old plain Angulons perform quite well with colour. Admittedly my example was shot with a 165mm f:6.8 Angulon on 13x18cm film (a hair larger than 5x7"), but I think the colour rendition is quite good:

http://www.bruraholo.no/images/Lodalen.html

[IanG]

As a user of a f6.8 90mm Grandagon, f8 90mmSuper Angulon and f6.8 Angulon I have to agree with Thomas the first two lenses are superb, equally as good as my Sironars/Symmars.

However the Angulon is just an adequate performer and no more, it's OK as a small light-weight lens but really not good enough for most of my requirements. My Super Angulons on the other hand are very versatile I use 90mm/75m/65mm on 5x4.

Ian

[JPlomley]

I'm using the Rodenstock 90/4.5 Grandagon-N and cannot say enough about the f/4.5 aperture for focussing in dimly lit conditions. Resolution wise, I would find it difficult to believe there was anything sharper. This lens with Velvia 50 is ubersharp!

[David Karp]

I have a 90mm f/4.5 Grandagon-N and a 90mm f/8 Fujinon (old single coated version). Both are very nice lenses. The Grandagon-N in my opinion is exceptional. I saw many interior architectural photos made with this lens over the years. Then I purchased the lens. For architecture and interiors it is outstanding. The Schneider 90XL has a bigger image circle, and is also bigger itself, using huge filters. I find the Grandagon's f/4.5 max opening, and the combination of large image circle and smaller size than the XL very attractive.

I use the Fujinon when backpacking because it is smaller (67mm vs. 82mm filters) and in a No. 0 shutter. When in darker surroundings, the f/8 is noticeably harder to focus than the f/4.5 of the Grandagon. The image circle is also smaller, as is the case with all the f/6.8 or f/8 90s except the Nikon.

If I was concerned about size and weight and wanted something that used 67mm filters and wanted a big image circle, I would go with the 90mm f/8 Nikon. Same image circle as the f/4.5 Grandagon-N, f/5.6 Fujinon, and the old non-XL Schneider, but smaller and lighter (but dimmer).