What should i look for, if i wanted a cheap wide angle lens for 12x16"... the wider the better, but price comes first. Barrels lens is just fine and i don't need infinity focus. Something like 3meters (~10feet) would be fine. After some math, it seems like something like 300mm would be good, or even shorter... image circle required seems to be 500mm (~20").
computar 275mm/f9
Well, you might luck out and find a 240mm Computar, but they tend to command rather high prices. Some 240mm Graphic-Kowas cover as much as the Computar. Some, do not.
The 8" f6.5 Cooke Series VII wide angle is incredibly small, covers 100 degrees and would be VERY wide for a 12x16 camera, but might fall just short of hitting the corners of 12x16 (I know it covers 11x14 and 7x17 with a bit to spare). Again, finding one at a bargain price could prove difficult/impossible.
Kerry
There are a number of cheap 270 mm or 300 mm graphics arts lenses which cover 11x14 but fail to quite reach the corners of 12x16 - at infinity. They might just scrape in at portrait distances, but the only way to know is to try one and see. My 270 mm Apo-Geronar S does not.
Go to 360 mm and you have a lot more options. The old Symmars in barrel cover nicely, with some room for movements at portrait distances. Some modern 360 plasmats might be throttled by the lens mount, but I suspect most will work fine. Graphics arts lenses won't work if they are dialytes (Apo- ronars, artars and the like) but plasmat types should cover. 355 g-clarons used to be common as muck, but they scarcer these days, though still cheap when you find them.
The diagonal of 12x16 is around 500 mm, so a 360 is a mild wide angle (the classic street photographer's angle of view). Don't forget that movements can make even a normal have a wide angle look if you really want it.
I can't think of any bargains at this length other than the 360mm plasmats. Personally I'd try the 10.5" Protar V, if I could find the B&L version (which would be cheaper). It might miss the corners at infinity but work out focused slightly closer. The longer Protar Vs go for bucks, but occasionally you still find people who don't know what they are and you can get one for a song.
A pinhole is pretty cheap.
Pinhole - coated or uncoated? The coated ones are hard to find and pricey:<))
An old 210mm Angulon will almost cover at infinity - corners are soft, but not enough to be a problem on a contact print. At 3m distance, it will cover just fine (at small apertures).
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