Fantasy lenses

[John Kasaian]

Which ones would you like to take for a spin around the ol' National Park?
There is no of danger of adding any to my "stable" anytime soon, if ever, but if by chance I won the lottery and was feeling self indulgent:

A Cooke Triple Convertable "just because Ansel used one"
16-1/2 APO Artar
12" Velostigmat series 2
120mm Nikon SW
Any Darlot that will cover 8x10 (mine corks out at 4x5)

What is your "fantasy" glass?

[Oren Grad]

270mm Apo-Sironar-S.

Doesn't exist, alas...

[domenico Foschi]

A SUPER CORRECTED 12 ELEMENTS IN 8 GROUPS PETZVAL.

darn upper cases....

[domenico Foschi]

a gold dot dagor

[Jan Pedersen]

A 158 Cooke VIIb that is lost in the mail somewhere between Singapore and USA:mad:

[Vaughn]

A 24" RD Artar in a shutter, but can live w/o the shutter...

[Gary L. Quay]

I second the Cooke Series X Triple Convertable.

While I'm dreaming, I'd like to add a dagor or three to my camera bag.

--Gary

[Turner Reich]

A Cooke Triple Convertible "just because Ansel used one"
16-1/2 APO Artar
12" Velostigmat series 2
120mm Nikon SW
Any Darlot that will cover 8x10 (mine corks out at 4x5)

I have the 16 1/2 Apo Artar, but I will probably die before I ever actually hold, let alone use, a Cooke Triple Convertible lens.

I would love a Dagor lens, any Dagor lens would be fine, just to use one some day.

I would love to have all of my shutters be new.

[Michael Graves]

A 90 to 480mm zoom that covers 11x14, has the resolution of a 180mm Nikkor and the image quality of a 10" Wide-field Ektar. Anyone have one for sale? Oh, and it has to be about the size of a 120mm F6.8 Angulon.

[IanG]

A new series of Wide angle Protars, and re-introduction of the Hypergon.

Ian

[Nathan Potter]

Michael, I have one. Unfortunately its maximum aperture is f/45 and its only on paper.

Nate Potter, Austin TX.

[Bruce Watson]

The lens Schneider forgot to make: 135mm f/5.6 SS-XL.

It would fit nicely between the 110mm and the 150mm, and cover 8x10 where the 110mm can't quite make it. My dream lens for 5x8 format!

[Toyon]

A 10" f6 rapid rectilinear in a Compur Shutter.

[goamules]

A giant Verito. I love my 8 1/5 inch, but need a portrait length for wholeplate.

[Struan Gray]

A 750 f18 in Copal 1. Not a wide angle, just a compact, high-quality long lens.

[Dan Fromm]

Might not be possible, Struan, the entrance pupil will be 42 mm and the #1 diaphragm opens to only 30 mm. But an interesting idea.

Why won't an f/18 Protar do? I've had the opportunity to play with just one f/18 Protar, and across a narrow field it was really quite good.

Cheers,

Dan

[Jim Galli]

The one on Emil's camera.

[Maris Rusis]

Struan Gray I have one that is close: a 740mm f 12.5 lens that I have attached to the front of a spare Copal #3 shutter.

It is the objective off a small astronomical refractor that cost me $20. In use on a 8x10 camera the centre is diffraction limited sharp with the edges a bit soft due to field curvature. I work around this by focussing the main subject half way between centre and edge on the ground glass and then re-framing.

Image quality is good for contacts from f 45 on down.

[Bill_1856]

This is crazy, but after reviewing the lenses I've used lately on many of my best pictures, I'd just take a plain old 135mm Raptar (Tessar, Xenar, Optar, etc). Coated of course. How boring.

[Michael Kadillak]

A remake of the 305mm f9 Computar that is properly correct for curvature and astigmatism (and other optical abberations) that will cover up to 12x20 and is multi coated and screw directly into a Copal #3.

Took a stab at it myself with the assistance of an optical physicist and lens designer and understand the challenges very clearly.

If this is not possible then the Schneider XXL 550 would be the next best alternative.

[Brian Bullen]

Any (or all:)) of the portrait lenses from:P&S, Cooke, Gundlach, Wollensak, Goerz and Plasticca.(basically what's in Jim's cabinet)
And pretty much any lense from the 19th century that covers 11x14 up to 20x24.
Oh and some free time to actually get out and use them.
Not too much to ask really.:rolleyes:

[Monty McCutchen]

Dallmeyer 8D that will cover my 20 x 24. And while we're dreaming I would like to bid against someone who is actually going to use it the next time one comes up online instead of collectors. sigh?

Monty

[Ole Tjugen]

A modern 210mm f:6.8 Angulon - with a center filter.

Oh - throw in center filters for the 65mm, 90mm, 120mm and 165mm Angulons, too - they need it more than the Super Angulons do!

[Struan Gray]

Might not be possible, Struan, the entrance pupil will be 42 mm and the #1 diaphragm opens to only 30 mm. But an interesting idea.

I could probably live with a smaller aperture, but if you could make it a mild telephoto or a reversed tessar and put enough power into the front cell you might just make f18. What I want is something longer than a 600 mm, with a bit less weight and bulk than the Nikon 720 mm f16 tele.



Why won't an f/18 Protar do? I've had the opportunity to play with just one f/18 Protar, and across a narrow field it was really quite good.

I know it's a bit of a red rag to you, but I like modern coatings :-)
Long Protars attract the collectors too, so a modern lens would probably work out cheaper.



I have one that is close: a 740mm f 12.5 lens that I have attached to the front of a spare Copal #3 shutter.

A nice idea Maris, but for my mainstream work I don't want the funkyness of a typical telescope achromat. The ones I have played with have too limited a central core, even for 4x5. I don't mind bokeh, in fact I'm a bit of a bokeh connoisseur and take a lot of images with shallow depth of field, but I don't like the bullseye effect of off-axis aberrations.

[C. D. Keth]

I don't quite get the whole thing with "fantasy" lenses. I just want lenses that are sharp and work properly. I suppose if anything I would enjoy a 12-14 inch petzval.

[gary alessi]

another vote for the 305 computar, for 12x20....anybody shooting the 305 graphic kowa on 12x20.?..they look like the same lens to me...i know the 240 computar, 270 computar...and many [but not all] of the 240, and 270 graphic kowas are the same......also somewhere i read the 110 xl will cover 8x10, even though schneider 's data says otherwise...?

[Steve Goldstein]

I have a 305mm Graphic-Kowa that shows exactly the same pattern of internal reflections (but larger) as a 210mm Computar, so the optical designs are probably the same. I can't speak to mechanical vignetting in the shutter, but when I stuck it on a friend's 11x14 a while ago it appeared to more than cover. I didn't shoot any film with it as all his holders were loaded with chromes(!). If there's someone in the Boston, MA, USA area with a 12x20, send me an email if you want to do some experiments.

[MIke Sherck]

Me, too: the Cooke.

Mike

[drew.saunders]

"Half Cooke XVa" for 4x5, i.e. 322mm (f), 238mm (r), 156mm (f+r), preferably in a 0 or 1 shutter. If it could be f5.6 for the whole thing, that would be nice too.

Drew