72mm grandagon or super angulon

[Gary Tarbert]

Hi , Havn't posted anything for about a year, But as this will be the last large format lens i will buy thought i would tap in to exspertise on this forum.
Have heard from some the Grandagon is better but all my other lenses are Schnieder
.Cheers Gary

[Frank Petronio]

My strong intuition is that the 75/4.5 Grandagon is probably the nicest for weight/size/coverage/speed... but you'd be hard pressed to distinguish between the results of any modern 72-75mm German lens when they are used appropriately.

[Nick_3536]

IIRC doesn't the Nikon 75mm have a bigger circle? Similar size I bet. Of course no longer made so you'd have to find one if you want new.

[JPlomley]

I'm in a similar situation as Gary. I need something around 75mm. The 72XL filter requirements are a deterant AFAIK. So this leaves the Grandagon or a used 75/5.6 SA. Both take 67mm filters.

[Ted Harris]

I used a 75mm SA for years and was totally satisfied with the lens. Two years ago a 75mm Grandagon 4.5 came along at a price that I couldn't refuse so I bought it and tried the two lenses out side-by-side for a month. There was absolautely no difference in conrast or resolution to the naked eye or viewing transparencies on a light table with a loop. However, there was, as is often the case,a difference in color rendition between the two lenses. I liked the Grandagon better .... purely subjective. I also very much like the fact that I can use the same center filter I use on my 110 SSXL and 58 SAXL.

[Bob Salomon]

"Two years ago a 75mm Grandagon 4.5 came along"

Or a 75mm 4.5 Grandagon N came along?

They are not identical lenses.

[Paul O]

Don't forget the 80mmXL as an alternative?

[audioexcels]

I'd use the 72XL. It has an excellent IC and I don't know that filters are even required with it. Then again, others may have differing opinions on use of filters.

Schneider 75mm 5.6
Rodenstock/Caltar 75mm 4.5
Fujinon 75mm 5.6?
Nikkor 75mm 4.5
Congo may make one in 75mm?
Maybe Horseman 75mm??
Ilex 75mm???

[Ted Harris]

Bob,

My mistake, was typing fast and being sloppy :) ..... the lens is the current 75mm Grandagon-N with the stripe, green IIRC without takin git out of the bag.

[Gary Tarbert]

Thank you all for your input ,s/h is a bit tricky here in Perth not a lot of 5x4 users here
so the Nikon would be a difficult one to pursue(won't buy on ebay) i am one of those people who has to see what there getting,and just quietly i hate the whole ebay exspeirence,Ted i think the grandagon looks the one,the fact that it accepts the current centre filter that i already own, i have a 58xl as well and the 67mm filter size is my most standard size makes it,plus the fact that it is a bit more compact (i backpack a lot)and correct me if i'm wrong but the fact this lens will only be used for landscapes and not for architecture should mean that the smaller image circle should not present a problem, cheers Gary

[Ted Harris]

Gary, you are correct IMO. BTW the image circle is not really that limiting for architecture either.

[Carsten Wolff]

Gary,
I'd go for neither, but go for any 75mm offering (You can always look into getting a 65 one day instead...:)). Although I've got the 75/4.5 Nikkor (s/h on Ebay), which is a very nice lens, uses a 67mm filter and on paper is a smidgen (20g) lighter and also has a minimally larger IC than the Grandagon-N, I don't think it'd be a huge deal what you get, if you're looking s/h in Australia. I also have a Grandagon-N 90/6.8 and am equally happy with both lenses, actually. There's also the Fuji SWD 5.6 as a third option perhaps. So, I agree with you: Get whichever you can get your hands on. At some stage I was contemplating the 72mm XL as well, but price and size put me off quickly. (These days, I'm probably using my 110 most often actually. My main lens sequence (both in 4x5 and 5x7) is now: [75], 110, 165, 254, 450))

[neil poulsen]

However, there was, as is often the case,a difference in color rendition between the two lenses. I liked the Grandagon better .... purely subjective. I also very much like the fact that I can use the same center filter I use on my 110 SSXL and 58 SAXL.

Ted, What color difference did you see between the two lenses?

[Ted Harris]

Neil, very subjective and going totally on memory from two years ago ..... the Rodenstock lens was just a bit more neutral than the Schneider. The Schneider was a touch warm.