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View Full Version : Which 3 lenses do you want to have for your 11x14 view camera?



diversey
16-Mar-2016, 17:35
I bought a 11x14 Deardorff view camera recently. Absolutely I love it. I am wondering which 3 lenses I should buy, wide angle, normal and long/portrait lenses. I shoot landscape and portrait. I have 3 lenses, Fujinon 250mm f5.6 soft focus, goerz artar red dot 19" f11 and turner-reich triple convertible 12"-19.7"-25". I read posts on this forums,it seems all my 3 lenses can cover 11x14. Is it correct? Thanks!

jnantz
16-Mar-2016, 18:10
hi there
ive no idea if those lenses cover 11/14... the only one I have tat might or might not
be similar is a wooly 1a triple it covers 11/14 with ease. can you make a mock lensboard out of foamcore and put our lenses in it to see how they illuminate our ground glass ?

you ask what I'd like ... hmmm
I use a 13" RR and the already mentioned 1a .. the only additional thing I might want is
a modified pretzel ( hold the mustard ) I miss my vitax, and can't afford to eat Mac/cheese and ramen for a year to pay off the purchase.

the lenses you have will probably be great. if you want softer or
ww1 sharp use the triple ... sharper, just stop down ...
the TR has a nice signature...

God luck!

diversey
16-Mar-2016, 18:19
Will give them a try when I can mount them. I really doubt Fujinon 250/5.6 SF will cover 11x14 although it covers 8x10.



hi there
ive no idea if those lenses cover 11/14... the only one I have tat might or might not
be similar is a wooly 1a triple it covers 11/14 with ease. can you make a mock lensboard out of foamcore and put our lenses in it to see how they illuminate our ground glass ?

you ask what I'd like ... hmmm
I use a 13" RR and the already mentioned 1a .. the only additional thing I might want is
a modified pretzel ( hold the mustard ) I miss my vitax, and can't afford to eat Mac/cheese and ramen for a year to pay off the purchase.

the lenses you have will probably be great. if you want softer or
ww1 sharp use the triple ... sharper, just stop down ...
the TR has a nice signature...

God luck!

jnantz
16-Mar-2016, 18:28
th way upu posed your question it seemed that he 250 worked. if it doesn't,
it will give a nice vignette or a nice circular image, sometimes ... that can be fun

good luck!

Tin Can
16-Mar-2016, 18:32
Congratulations!

When can we see it? Supposed to be warm again in 10 days.

My 11X14 bellows arrived today, but I have nothing to mount them to...

diversey
16-Mar-2016, 18:47
Thanks! I can show it when we meet next time, or you come over and I can show you. It is a lovely camera. No wonder everyone loves it.



Congratulations!

When can we see it? Supposed to be warm again in 10 days.

My 11X14 bellows arrived today, but I have nothing to mount them to...

Tin Can
16-Mar-2016, 18:49
Forgot to answer the question.

I will try, when I get my DIY 11x14 camera completed.

790 mm Wollaston

21" Ecktanon

360mm Symmar

and whatever fits

Tin Can
16-Mar-2016, 18:51
Thanks! I can show it when we meet next time, or you come over and I can show you. It is a lovely camera. No wonder everyone loves it.

Let's do a meet on Sunday soon.

diversey
16-Mar-2016, 18:58
Sure, let's do it. I do it have any of those 3 lenses you have.

Tin Can
16-Mar-2016, 19:10
Sure, let's do it. I do it have any of those 3 lenses you have.

I have a Sinar to Deardorff adapter.

diversey
17-Mar-2016, 07:51
Hi, Randy, I do not have any lens mounted on a Sinar board. Maybe I should change my lens mounting configuration.


I have a Sinar to Deardorff adapter.

Tin Can
17-Mar-2016, 08:08
You do need to decide how to work with different cameras. Sinar/Horseman is good for me but not everybody. Now I am finding I like Cambo, it's a very simple system and some Cambo works with Horseman 8X10.

But no system is good for all LF or all lenses.


Hi, Randy, I do not have any lens mounted on a Sinar board. Maybe I should change my lens mounting configuration.

DrTang
17-Mar-2016, 08:17
I think the only lens I do not already have, and would (and do) want would be a 600 Heliar

a 420 would be okay too if it covers at portrait distance

Luis-F-S
17-Mar-2016, 11:18
19", 24" & 30" Artars. My 12" Dagor should also cover, not certain. Now I just need to find an 11x14 Deardorff that won't break the bank! L

neil poulsen
17-Mar-2016, 11:44
I had a brief experience owning an 8x20, and I know that a G-Claron 355 and a Nikkor 450M will cover both formats. (Compare the 8x20 diagonal of about 550mm, with 11x14's diagonal of about 450mm.) These are both excellent lenses.

AuditorOne
17-Mar-2016, 12:57
The 450 f12 Fujinon C works great as does my 500 Wollaston meniscus.

John Layton
17-Mar-2016, 13:45
My 305 G-Claron works great...but boy, do I ever miss my 14" Kern Blue Dot Trigor!

...But three lenses - if I were getting into 11x14 in a big way? Hmmm....sharpness/landscape freak that I am - I'd go for a 210 S.A. (covers, right?) the 305 G I have currently, and a 450 - either M-Nikkor or Fujinon-C. This would give me a super-wide, a moderate wide, and a comfortable "normal," with my preferred 1.5X progression as calculated from wide to normal. Then again...what about something in the 600mm range? And what about that 14" Trigor? I'd need to give this some serious thought!

David Lobato
17-Mar-2016, 17:15
For me it was finding what's available. My 360mm Fujinon W covers 11x14 so it was yanked from my 8x10 kit, and my 450mm Nikkor was also borrowed from the 8x10 kit until a 19 inch RD Artar replaced it. Then I found a 760mm Apo-Nikkor for a very low price which was instantly added to the 11x14 kit. It was mostly luck, and I'm grateful.

james zhou
18-Mar-2016, 01:30
I am setting up my 11x14 and went through a few lenses at the wider end, and found this: 240 Rodenstock Graphigon f11 just covers; 305 G-Claron and Fujinon 300 W S both cover with 5cm of verticals shift. Nikon 360 f6.5 covers with 10cm shift. At the longest end, the Nikkor 1200T also covers.

Greg
18-Mar-2016, 17:08
Posted a thread months ago on 11x14 experiences at:
http://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/showthread.php?127968-11x14-experiences-please-share-yours&highlight=11x14+experiences

Currently use:

185mm f/12.5 Schneider Dasykar: Gem of an optic. Pre-Angulon vintage. Also have a 183mm f/18 B&L Protar V, but image on the GG is a challenge to focus and minimal coverage doesn't allow for being the slightest degree off center axis. Also have a 5.9” No. 5 Gray Periscope that I had mounted in a Copal shutter by SK Grimes. It does fully cover 11x14 but corner performance leaves much to be desired when compared to modern (made in last 50 years) optics. That being said, I still use it on a regular basis but only for certain subject matter. My ideal really wide angle optic for the 11x14 is the 200mm Rodenstock Grandagon... Have been tempted several times but just couldn't justify the asking prices.

355mm f/9 G-Claron: Super sharp and allows for plenty of movements.

508mm f/7 Caltar: Closest to a normal lens for the 11x14. Maybe even use it more than the 355mm G-Claron. Probably made by Rodenstock and relabeled by Calumet. Use this lens the most.

StoneNYC
18-Mar-2016, 23:41
150 SS XL
450 C
600 C

Or

150 SS XL
355 G-Claron
600 C

I use a Technika board for any lens that fits it, and Sinar for any lens that doesn't, which basically means all modern lenses fit the Technika and only the Brass lenses and insane over 600mm lenses or anything without a shutter need a Sinar and those go in the Sinar-Copal shutter.

William Whitaker
19-Mar-2016, 10:19
When I first was drawn to ULF, I was intent on building an 11x14 camera. That never came to fruition because I allowed myself to become distracted along the way as minor details turned into impassible mountains. But the lens I sought out was a 14" and I ended up with an old beat-up Symmar. It was "the long side of the format" and represented the way some other photographers worked. And I really liked their work. I still tend to think along those lines, although 11x14 doesn't thrill me the way it did 30 years ago.

5x7 has a very similar aspect ratio to 11x14 (I feel that carries some weight when comparing lenses...) For 5x7 I have a nice little kit of 3 Dagors: a 170mm, an 8 1/2" and a 9 1/2".
You can see it starts with that "long side of the format" thing again. And it's a nice progression. I admit, there's nothing there that's too wide or too long, so I know it's not for everybody. It just works for me. In full disclosure I have to admit that there is one more lens in the kit: an 8 3/4" Verito. Not surprising, really...

So if I had to pick three lenses for 11x14, I would scale from that, giving me a 14", a 450mm and something in the 21" range. So that would mean my 355 G-Claron, 450 M Nikkor and one more. I have an old 21" Kodak anastigmat and would probably choose that. And of course, I must bow to the mistress of soft focus, so I would add an 11 1/2" Verito.

Why an 11 1/2"?? Because it converts neatly to a 20" soft focus lens by removing the front element (barrel). A 14" Verito converts to 24", but any lens used at portrait distance is going to have a longer effective focal length that its nominal focal length. So personally I feel that a 24" (converted) Verito might become unwieldy. Kind of like this post! :)

Andrew Plume
19-Mar-2016, 13:45
would this have been the Dorff that was listed on feebay recently?

andrew

Greg
19-Mar-2016, 17:49
150 SS XL


How well does this optic cover 11x14?
thanks

StoneNYC
19-Mar-2016, 18:11
How well does this optic cover 11x14?
thanks

Pretty darn well, as I recall there was a significant amount of tilt and rise movement for this image.

This was before I owned a CF, so the edge falloff is probably less with the CF

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