Assuming that I had a camera (and wallet) that could handle these, here's my choices:
*Nikkor 120mm SW;
*Schneider 210mm SSXL;
*Fujinon-C 300mm;
*Nikkor-M 450mm; and
*Fujinon-C 600mm
And a mule...
Assuming that I had a camera (and wallet) that could handle these, here's my choices:
*Nikkor 120mm SW;
*Schneider 210mm SSXL;
*Fujinon-C 300mm;
*Nikkor-M 450mm; and
*Fujinon-C 600mm
And a mule...
Lachlan.
You miss 100% of the shots you never take. -- Wayne Gretzky
I just got a Nikkor 120mm SW. I use a Nikkor-M 300mm, which is fantastic. The Nikkor 450mm is likely equally as fantastic (I'm still looking for one at a good price...shoulda bought the one I saw somewhat cheap when I had the chance...). If only they made a nice 210 or 180 that covered well I'd be 100% Nikkor for 8x10. But alas, I'm using a Symmar-S. Anyway, I think all of the Nikkor 8x10 lenses are top-notch "all-star" lenses.
Super-Symmar HM 210mm, first type ( the big one ) .
Certainly the best performance on paper for a medium-wide for 8 x 10 .
They pop up occasionally on s/h lists .
Here's one :
http://www.robertwhite.co.uk/used-eq...r-shutter.html
)
Mulling this over, it occurred to me that I've been considering the sort of lenses which I use, or at least I could afford and that doesn't answer the OP's question.
He wants 8x10 All-Stars.
Well, here you go:
Cooke triple convertible (just like Ansel's)
Goerz Dagor (extra star points for the f/7.7!)
"I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority"---EB White
14" commerical Ektar and forgetaboutit - you'd be done looking for a long time
I frankenstein bolted a sinar shutter to the front of my beast..so I'm messing with a 300 and now a 360 Heliar.. but you cannot go wrong with a nice 14" commercial ektar
First and foremost. How much are you willing to pay?
Second, how much weight are you willing to carry?
Lastly, where are you located?
There are still stores with a pretty good stock of lenses that you can see and handle and test.
My personal choises are 240, 300 and 360mm Shcneiser Symmar, and a 210mm Schneider Angulon which is so old it's uncoated.
There are sharper lenses than these though - like the 270mm f:7.7 Meyer Aristoplanat which beats any modern lens in the center.
"Slightly longer than portrait telephoto" is a vague specification. I would say a 360mm is pretty close to a good portrait length for 8x10", since portraits on that format are in the macro range.
Also - do you mean "long focal length lens", or "telephoto lens"? In the latter case there are some good 500mm-600mm telephoto lenses. But whether or not you NEED that construction depends more on the possible bellows length of your camera.
Oddly enough, my 8x10 lens lineup pretty much mirrors Ole's, but with the addition of a 120 f8 Fujinon SW, a 19" RD Artar and a 21 1/4" Kodak Anastigmat.
After digging through a few years of negatives lately, the one lens I wish I had never sold was a T-R 12" convertible. Not the prettiest to look at, but the images were amazing.
Something to keep in mind, unless you are enlarging the 8x10 negatives, you are going to have a very difficult time distinguishing between a 100 year old Dagor and the newest bestest 14 kilo lens made with unobtanium glass. The bigger the format, the better your technique must be to take full advantage of it.
Get most any 240mm - 360mm lens and get out and use it. When you get to the point that the only limitations on your photographs are those from the lens, you are ready to get a "better" lens, which should be a multicoated 14" gold dot Dagor. There is no other like it.
One man's Mede is another man's Persian.
My current line up:
19" Artar(my favorite for the grand vistas)
14" Commercial Ektar(fast & acres of wiggle room)
12" Dagor('cause, well...its a Dagor!)
10" Wide Field Ektar(good for architecture 'cause its fast & has acres of wiggle room)
240mm G Claron(extremely sharp and good for hiking 'cause its small & light)
Any one of these lenses should work fine for you.
I also had a 159mm Wide Angle Velostigmat & 14" Artar in my 8x10 kit, but these seem to be happier aboard the 5x7 Agfa-Ansco, and a 300mm Nikkor M which lives aboard an 8x10 aerial camera)
"I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority"---EB White
Bookmarks