Lenses/Shutters for a 5x7" camera with 3.25" square lens board

[David Aimone]

I have a restored King Poco 5x7 camera that I love, and it's lightweight and fairly sturdy. The challenge is the lens board size, which is 3.25" square. I do have a linhof adapter that I've been using, but it's a bit cumbersome to use and many larger lenses (i.e. velostigmat 12" series II) are too big for the adapter.

My question is this: What might you recommend as 1) a great normal lens and 2) a great portrait lens, both with shutters, that could be mounted on a 3.25" lens board? This would be for when I travel light...

Thanks!

David

[Dan Fromm]

David, according to http://www.skgrimes.com/products/new-copal-shutters/standardcopals Copal #0 shutters o/d is 61 mm and #1 is 73 mm. I can use lenses in both sizes on 2x3 Pacemaker Graphic boards, which are 2.5" square. So I don't understand your question as posed.

The normal lens for 5x7 has a 210 mm focal length. I haven't checked for a while but most modern 210/5.6 lenses are in #1, should work just fine with your Poco. The big question isn't whether the shutter will fit, it is whether the lens' rear cell will pass through the front standard's lens throat. If not, you can remove the rear cell, attach board and shutter to camera and screw the rear cell back into the shutter from behind. I have to do that with a few lenses.

About great, well, opinions differ. Mine is that every 210/5.6 from, in alphabetical order, Fuji, Nikon, Rodenstock and Schneider is great except, perhaps, the original convertible Symmar. So is the 210/6.1 Xenar if you don't need tons of movements.

[Jim Jones]

The venerable Kodak 203mm f/7.7 would be at home on your Poco if you don't need the speed and movements.