Portrait lens/shutter for 5x7 with a small lens board

[David Aimone]

Looking for a lens/shutter combination that will cover 5x7, fit on a 3.25" square lens board and do awesome portraits.

Suggestions?

[DrTang]

you'll probably want a 240-300 sized lens

I use a heliar..but it wouldn't fit on that lensboard size

[David Aimone]

Yes, that range sounds great. I do have a front mounted 210mm Heliar but it is large and the coverage is not quite there; also have a 9.5" Velostigmat Series II with diffusion but that's also large and borderline for mounting on 3.25" square.

If I can figure out how to do that, I have what I need. I was just wondering if there were smaller options of equivalent portraiture niceness out there...

[Peter De Smidt]

How about a 10" Paragon?

[David Aimone]

How about a 10" Paragon? Know where I might find one in shutter?

[DrTang]

you could get a 12" caltar - that would fit

ebay of course

[IanG]

you could get a 12" caltar - that would fit

ebay of course

Which 12" Caltar ? There were quite a few . . . . ;

I prefer a fairly normal FL for portraits and tend to go for WA lenses as well, so for me a 210 f4.5 CZJ Tessar is ideal for 7x5 in a Compound #3 but that's on a 3.625" square Seneca board.

However I gave cameras with much smaller boards and RR lenses with Thornton Pickard shutters, overcomes the problems :D

Ian

[David Aimone]

And looking at the Caltars, some are huge!

[mdarnton]

I'm fond of tessar types for portraits, and my favorite 5x7 lens for this is a 12" f/6.3 Paragon. I don't know whether it would fit your board. It has a soft creaminess but is still extremely sharp (you could click through for larger versions to see better):

https://c1.staticflickr.com/4/3847/14690979160_10ee14c2fd_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/ooc7h9)
Eric (https://flic.kr/p/ooc7h9)
Michael Darnton (https://www.flickr.com/photos/michaeldarnton/), on Flickr

[jnantz]

not sure if you like portrait veritars
but i have one on a tiny speed graphic board
it's a 10" ... the 14" is a monster.

[goamules]

Small board equals a slower lens. Awesome portrait lenses are usually fast. But I'd get a Dagor or 9" Verito, or such. Those should fit.