What is your favorite focal length for 8x10?

[axs810]

Tell me what do you shoot and what is your favorite focal length for 8x10?



I mainly shoot portraits and I think my favorite focal length is 300mm. I've tried 210mm (environmental shots), 300mm, and 420mm. My cameras stability kind of maxes out with the 420mm Goerz Artar...it's a nice lens but between the stability and the max aperture being f/9.5 I find myself going for the 300mm f/5.6 lens more. Just curious what other peoples favorite 8x10 focal length is and why.

[Jac@stafford.net]

14.75"

[Ari]

For portraits, 300mm, followed by 210mm. I never liked the compressed look of lenses longer than 300mm for portraits.
For buildings and such, the 210, and a 150.

[Vaughn]

Landscapes. 300mm/5.6 (Fuji W), but the Fuji W 250/6.7 is gaining favor.

[Michael Graves]

Usually my Fujinon 250 6.7 gets the bulk of the work. But weekend before last, I went out and exposed ten sheets of 8x10. They were pretty evenly divided between the 210mm Fujinon and the 14" Wollensak Apo. Just one of those days, I guess.

[Taija71A]

http://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/showthread.php?117341-How-long-a-lens-are-you-using-for-H-amp-S-Portraits-with-8x10-and-larger
http://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/showthread.php?62770-8x10-and-focal-lenght-for-portraiture
http://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/archive/index.php/t-37258.html
http://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/archive/index.php/t-21715.html
http://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/showthread.php?8916-What-8x10-lenses-to-get

[Alan Gales]

I like my 14" (358mm). I'd prefer a 420mm over a 300mm though for portraits.

I think a lot depends upon what type of portraits (environmental, full length, waist-up, head and shoulders, head, etc.) you take and like Ari says, how much compression you like.

I shoot a bit of everything. My 14" is my overall favorite. Next, I like my 19" and 250mm equally.

[John Kasaian]

240/250mm, 14" and 19" covers most all my bases as far as focal lengths go.
The 14" is probably my favorite, but that's too much like declaring having a favorite child---they are all my favorites.
The 240 G Claron because it's small and light for back packing.
The 250mm/10" WF Ektar for people and especially architecture since coverage seems to measured by acreage.
14" Commercial Ektar because it's a fast "normal" lens with lots of coverage and I really like Universal shutters(weird, huh?)
19" RD Artar because it's small and light and looooong for back packing, since it teams up well with the 240 G Claron.
Less used---12" Dagor. 14" APO Artar and 159mm Wollensak EWA Velostigmat

[angusparker]

210 and 360 seem to be 90% of my shots.

[DrTang]

right now I have the choice of 12" or 19"

I usually use the 12"..but yesterday my woodworking was a fail so I had to use the 19"

we'll see how that turns out tonight


I think a 15 or 16" would be a good lens to have with the other two though

[IanG]

12"/300mm for 10x8 but it mirrors my choices for other formats, I guess though like Vaughan I'd quite like a little shorter, I have a 240mm f5.6 Nikon that I've yet to use although it's a touch too wide for my main lens but maybe I should wait and see.

Unlike Alan Gale I'm more likely to go wider not longer, but that's most probably down to what we shoot and where and is what suits us best. I guess I'll be fine with an f9 300mm Nikon M or my coated 12" Dagor plus the 240mm f5.6 Nikon and a 165mm f8 SA, I have 2 159mm Wollensak WA's and a wider f16 Ross (Zeiss Protar) I can't remember if it's exact FL 141mm I think.

300mm/12" will always be my main 10x8 FL but while I like 165mm I needed something between them so 240mm.

Ian

[ic-racer]

Yesterday 300mm, Today 250mm, tomorrow?

[Pete Roody]

14" Verito
180mm and 210mm F9 WA Dagors

[Mark Sampson]

When I used 8x10 last (and I will again) a 10" Wide Field Ektar was my favorite.

[brandon13]

16 inch or 405mm fast f4 petzval portrait.

[jbenedict]

I have a 375/6.8 Ilex-Caltar and have had both a 150 and a 240. I like doing landscapes and, for me, the 150 was too wide most of the time. I would frequently put the 240 on the camera when I first set up and, after a lot of pondering, would take it off and put the 375 on and ended up selling the 240. I'd like to get a modern 360-450 lens (multi-coated, Copal shutter) but I've never sprung for one and probably won't. I like the simplicity of the 8x10: piece o' film, camera and lens, process one at a time and contact print. Crop with the trimmer.

[axs810]

I don't know why I find it so interesting to hear what other's "favorite" focal length is for 8x10 but keep em coming! :)

[mdarnton]

I'm only shooting portraits, and I like some distance, so 14-15" most of the time unless I have two people, then 300mm.

[Corran]

Definitely 210mm. (http://valdostafilm.blogspot.com/2012/06/withlacoochee-project-part-4.html)

[Vaughn]

Definitely 210mm.

I have a WA Graphic Raptor 210/6.8 (barrel) that is nice for tight spots in the forest -- I need to toss it in the pack more often...it is very light. In the other direction and also in a barrel is my 19" RD Artar -- used it a lot when I first got it, but I have put it on a board for the 11x14.

8x10 platinum print with the 210: Whoops -- just checked my notes. it was taken with a Wollie WA 159/12.5 -- supposively for 8x10 and it does 'cover', but with dark, soft corners. Works for this image, but I have put it on a lensboard for the 5x7.

The second image is also with the 159/12.5. The third image is with the 210mm. Both 8x10 platinum prints.

[Armin Seeholzer]

It depends for Landscape is it the 155 Grandagon for portraits normal starts from 240mm, 360mm up to 480mm!

Cheers Armin

[Craig Roberts]

Since starting 8x10 35 years ago, i gravitate to a lens in the 14-inch range. My most used lens is the 14-inch Commercial Ektar. From time to time I will an 8-1/4 inch Dagor or a 19-inch RD Artar.


Cole Weston, 1985
Wista 8x10 with a 14-inch CE.
138337

[Sal Santamaura]

...Wista 8x10 with a 14-inch CE...Calumet, not Wista.

[StoneNYC]

Calumet, not Wista.

I think he means the camera he shot with, not the camera that is pictured in the image with Cole. ;)

For environmental portraits 300, close face 450, panoramic (cropped later or half slides) 150 and 300, normal landscapes 150/210/300/450/600.

There's no favorite, it all depends on application.

[Craig Roberts]

Yup - shot with a Wista. I should have been more specific

[William Whitaker]

IF you ask me tomorrow, you might get a different answer. But today I'll say 300mm. Many interesting lenses in that focal length (or very close to it). Heliar, Dagor, Kodak Portrait, Yada, yada.... And the focal length just "looks right" on 8x10.

One of my first grabs would be for a Cooke series xiv f/6.3 which is marked as 335mm or about 13" F.L. Very sweet old lens with a wonderful rendition. Similarly, the series xv... And another Cooke, a series IIA f/3.5 portrait lens which covers 8x10 plenty well, especially at the subject distances for which it was intended.

Tomorrow I may say the 10" WF Ektar. Or I may say that today...! This is a big reason why 8x10 is my favorite format... So many wonderful and historic lenses!

[Drew Bedo]

My longest lens is a 210 Caltar-II on a Toyo style notched lensboard. My Kodak 2D has an adapter lensboard to allow sharing my 4x5 lenses on the 8x10. The 2D doesn't have frone tilt (only rise.fall) and the lens covers if everything is lept pretty straight. someties I use a little rear tilt and watch the corners.

The 210mm is my 'favorite" lens for 8x10 because its the one I have.

My longest lens is a 15" Wollensak Tele Optar, but it doesn't really cover 8x10 and is awkward to use.

[StoneNYC]

My longest lens is a 210 Caltar-II on a Toyo style notched lensboard. My Kodak 2D has an adapter lensboard to allow sharing my 4x5 lenses on the 8x10. The 2D doesn't have frone tilt (only rise.fall) and the lens covers if everything is lept pretty straight. someties I use a little rear tilt and watch the corners.

The 210mm is my 'favorite" lens for 8x10 because its the one I have.

My longest lens is a 15" Wollensak Tele Optar, but it doesn't really cover 8x10 and is awkward to use.

I'm actually surprised you don't have something longer on 8x10, that's pretty wide (90mm equivalent on 4x5).

I do sort of the same thing, all my lenses are in linhof Technika boards and I use them in 4x5, 8x10, and 14x17 interchangeably. The 8x10 and 14x17 have reducing boards, and if I ever get a nice Petzval that's bigger would go on a Sinar board which is what the other end of the reducing board is. But right now everything I own fits in a Technika. Makes things really smooth and hassle free. Even my Packard shutter accepts linhof Technika boards.

I highly suggest this kind of thing, it just makes life easier. Any lens that doesn't fit probably wouldn't work on the smaller (4x5) camera anyway, and I can't imagine having a lens bigger than a Sinar shutter would accept.