8X10 portrait lens

[gilles langlois]

What is your best 8X10 portrait lens and why?

[Sergio Ortega]

Gil,

My "best" 8x10 portrait lens is the 305 G-Claron. Why?...because it's the only one I own.

Seriously, I like it because it provides a good perspective for the type of portrait I usually make: full length, subjects in their environments, with that generally pleasing longer focal length look that a 12" lens provides on the 8x10 format. I also like that sharp, contrasty, well-defined (unflattering?) look the Schneider gives; I don't like that flattering, soft look of traditional portrait lenses.

If I wanted a bit tighter shot, something like a 14" lens would be nice. But, since I don't have one of those, it's not an option. I've also tried my Fuji 450 for portraits, but I don't like it as much, and I cannot precisely tell you why.

Good luck, Sergio.

[David Hosten]

I use a 210mm Schneider Symmar for all my 4x5 portraits. On 8x10 I have been using the 14" APO Artar, since it was the only lens I owned for that format. I'm about to pick up an old Kodak 21" (533mm) which I'll be using for 'bust' (head to waist) type portraits. Go with what you're comfortable with. If doing full length portraits then a 10" to 14" lens would be my preference.

[phoward]

I mainly use a 12 in 4.5 Ektar. It seems a little less clinical than commercial ektars. For portraits in a room I use a !0 inch Kodak widefield.

[Armin Seeholzer]

f4,5 360 mm Universal Heliar, 480mm f 4,5 Xenar not tested but soon will test it!

On 4x5 I have also an 250mm Imagon!

Cheers Armin

[JamesFromSydney]

The only lens I have for 8x10 is a Nikkor 300/f9. I like wider lenses because I can get more context into the shot, or get closer to the subject. For a tighter shot, I use a bellows extension of 450mm.

[William McEwen]

355mm Schneider G-Claron. I shoot portraits, and it sees the way I see.

[eddie]

I have several. How about the five tied for 1st?

Cooke 15 inch f3.5 knucler. The best/easiest portrait lens made.
P&S series IV 12 inch
P&S series VI 9 inch
18 inch port-land
18 inch Kalosat

I have some more that are equally good but these are my favorites. I use the P&S the most as they are small enough to use on location.....and they give Awesome results. The Cooke is restricted to studio use and sees a lot of wet plate work. The lay two are pretty mobile but i am still getting to know them real well.

Oh! I just thought of five more....:)

[eddie]

I have several. How about the five tied for 1st?

Cooke 15 inch f3.5 knucler. The best/easiest portrait lens made.
P&S series IV 12 inch
P&S series VI 9 inch. The p&s give the best SF of all the lenses I have used. Best in the sense of soft and sharp and glow into and out of the shadows.
18 inch port-land. Super amounts of glow. I have not mastered it wide open but at 5.6 and 8 it is awesome. ( it opens up bigger than 5.6 but is not marked. Peo ably cause "in the day" they did not consider it pleasing that wide with all the blow it gives. Boy it glows wo!
18 inch Kalosat. It is a whole new lens design for me to play with. Very different than the others. Still working it out but I live it!

I have some more that are equally good but these are my favorites. I use the P&S the most as they are small enough to use on location.....and they give Awesome results. The Cooke is restricted to studio use and sees a lot of wet plate work. The lay two are pretty mobile but i am still getting to know them real well.

Oh! I just thought of five more....:)

Edit. Sorry. Talke the 9 inch out. It is not an 810 lens

[Hugo Zhang]

Second to what eddie says. A Pinkham 14" Visual Quality lens in my case.

[Jim Galli]

Put a good subject in front of the camera and put any lens you want up there. Put a crappy subject and spend $12,000 on a Pinkham Series III and you'll get crap.

I like them all. I have dozens that are worthless on Ebay that I won't ever put a price on because they deliver the goods consistently. Dan't ask, they don't even have names. Then I have the mega bucks Pinkhams, and I like them too! I have a lovely old 16" Ross Tessar that I'd stack against any of the Heliars. The f4 and 4.5 Portrait Euryscops are stellar. But the no-name Ed. Liesegang 24" f8 Euryscop that I shot Eddie with (http://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/showpost.php?p=724457&postcount=78) the other day was no slouch. It's for sale, want it?

[Bruce Barlow]

355 G-Claron.

[jnantz]

wide angle rapid rectalinaer
wolly 1a triple ...

why?
because they are the only things i use
on my 8x10

[William Whitaker]

What is your best 8X10 portrait lens and why?

Define "best".

[Asher Kelman]

Second to what eddie says. A Pinkham 14" Visual Quality lens in my case.

Hugo,

Thanks for getting me set up with the beautiful 8x10 Chamonix and guiding me in Tonopah! I'm now using the camera beyond landscapes for full body portraits.

Well, at long last, S.K. Grimes is mounting a Packard and filter holder to the front of my P&S 12" Visual Quality! They're so busy but worth the wait!

As you know, I've been using the PS945 for full figure, but it's really a 229mm 5x7 or 4x5 portrait lens. With the reduction back for 4x5, it's really nice.

For 8x10, I also have Jim Galli's "Ed Liesengang" 18" Rectilinear lens to get an adapter for the same Packard shutter, if I wish. In the end, I may not need it.

Asher

[Shutter]

For me the 'best' 8x10 portrait lens is my APO Ronar 480mm f9.0..and I know that it's a process lens and not meant to be a portrait lens - but I like it and that's all that matters...the only downside is that I don't have a shutter for the lens, I can only use it with my Sinar autoshutter - so I can't use it on my Wehman which really really really sucks :-/

I'm also fond of the 360 Symmar-S but that's a bit too 'close' for my taste and it's very sharp.

But there is no "best" anyway, it's all a matter of personal preference.

[Wayne Lambert]

14-inch Commercial Ektar.

[E. von Hoegh]

16 1/2" uncoated Apochromat Artar.

Why? Well, it's the longest lens I have, and I like the images it gives.
I've also tried the rear element of a 30cm Dagor, which is about 50cm.

[Wayne Lambert]

I forgot to say why I like the 14-inch Commercial Ektar. I like its excellent sharpness and tonal quality. Being slightly long for 8x10, it also has very good coverage. Plus in its silvery Ilex No. 5 Universal Synchro Shutter it looks nice on a mahogany lens board. As a footnote, I once heard it described as "the eye of the eagle."

[Asher Kelman]

I just measured the bellows draw of my Chamonix 8x10. I was amazed to reach 36"! Well the actual base reaches only 20 inches, (508mm0. The Chamonix site gives the bellows draw of just 680 mm or 26.8 inches which as you can see is rather conservative. It might be that the designers want there to be a lot of folds left to prevent internal reflections. Taking that into account, 750mm to 800 mm seems still doable. But what's missing is that there's nothing to screw the front standard into at these lengths!


For that reason, I'm ordering an extension to the base and then I can use even a 750mm lens at infinity and that's amazing. A 600 mm will be no sweat at all except one can't approach 1:1.

The practical matter is that the Chamonix can handle 360 mm and even 450 mm with all the extension needed for portraits full length and headshots to fill the screen.

I'm so much more pleased now that I see how long the bellows really are!

Asher

[Ari]

When I used 810, a Fujinon 250 was my main lens, and a particular favourite for portraits.
Not too long a bellows extension, and rendered faces beautifully without compressing them.

[John NYC]

I wonder if 10 years later the original poster is still shooting large format and wondering about this question?

That said, I like my 14" Kodak Commercial Ektar. Fast aperture, nice smooth transitions from sharp center focus to OOF areas.

[Louis Pacilla]

What is your best 8X10 portrait lens and why?


I wonder if 10 years later the original poster is still shooting large format and wondering about this question?

That said, I like my 14" Kodak Commercial Ektar. Fast aperture, nice smooth transitions from sharp center focus to OOF areas.


Good question Jonny.

I hadn't noticed the OP received his 1st response to his question 10 years later. If hes not around this may be the reason. He has only posted 11 times.

Poor fellow. Come on back ya gotta an answer.

[Brian C. Miller]

The first time, only two people answered. This time, quite a few responses. When this question was asked, I didn't have an 8x10 camera. Something like this is a good reference for later, though. Myself? I have both lenses and filters.

Which has come into vogue? Portraits or portrait lenses?