Cooke Triple Convertible Series XV Coverage

[ederphoto]

Has anybody measure the full image circle on the full combination on the Cooke Series XV ? Just for the sake of it i snapped​ one of mine on the 12x20 and i was stunned that it illuminated the whole ground glass from corner to corner at infinity wide open !!! I didn't have a looper on me to check the sharpnes but it looked ok . For closer than infinity , like banquet work or group portraits for example , this will definitely do the job . I don't know if the new one cover as much as the old one . I will take the full gear outside again later today so i can check properly .

[karl french]

That is one distinct advantage of the original Cooke XV over the XVa. The XVa was really designed with 8x10 in mind, though it works fairly well on 10x12. The original XV, like many convertibles of the era was designed to cover many formats. Both the Wollensak and Turner Reich literature mention use on banquet cameras. I suspect the corners will be quite soft on 12x20 with the XV. I suspect 11x14 is about the practical limit with the XV for sharp coverage.

With all that said, I'm still happy to have the XVa for 8x10 work with occasional use for 10x12. The 12" Dagor, Nikkor 450 and Fuji 600 take care of my ULF needs.

[ederphoto]

It's confirmed . The lens covers 12x20 wide open . No room for movements . Anyone shooting landscapes will be pleased with this lens . I knew Ansel used on 7x17 but to find out it covered 12x20 was a sweet surprise !

[William Whitaker]

I know this is an old thread, but I had to chime in.

Nope, not even close. I have the XV, the old one, not the XVa and it's not even close on 12x20. The 19 covers wonderfully as, presumably, does the 26 1/2. But I don't have enough extension for the last, so it remains unverified. But, no way at 12 inches, except maybe an ECU (but that would be a weird looking photograph!). Looks like it would handle 10x12, but very little more at infinity.