Think this would be a good starter lens?

[BTilson]

135 F5.6 CALTAR II-S MC COPAL BULB, TIME (4X5)(34 MOUNT), LARGE FORMAT VIEW LENS (http://www.keh.com/OnLineStore/ProductDetail.aspx?groupsku=LF060090130230&brandcategoryname=Large%20Format&Mode=&item=0&ActivateTOC2=&ID=59&BC=LF&BCC=7&CC=6&CCC=2&BCL=&GBC=&GCC=)

Also, am I correct in assuming that all I would need to have to use this with my camera is a 34 mount lens board? The camera I will be getting is a Cambo SC.

Thanks a lot!

[Gem Singer]

Excellent choice for a starter lens. 135mm is considered to be a "short normal" focal length.

The Caltar II-S is actually a Schneider Symmar that has been re-badged by Calumet.

It is mounted in a Copal 0 shutter.

[Ron Marshall]

That would be fine, as would the Caltar II-N 135mm above it, at $310.

[BTilson]

Excellent, thanks!

Forgive me though for the newbie questions, but is there a specific lensboard for Copal 0 shutters? I am not new to photography, having shot both film and digital for a long time now, but I am VERY new to the world of LF.

[Gem Singer]

You will need a lens board that is specifically made to fit your Cambo SC camera.

These boards have various sized openings that fit the type of shutter in which the lens is mounted.

For example: Lenses mounted in---

Copal 0 shutters need a 34-35 mm opening.

Copal 1 shutters need a 45-46mm opening.

Copal 3 shutters need a 65-66mm opening.

[Brian Bullen]

BT, this would be a great lens too.;)
http://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/showthread.php?t=49130

[Eric James]

There are three general considerations when selecting a lens board:

1) Camera type: There is some standardization in the industry but it is certainly not the rule. You will hear of Sinar-type, and Linhof-type boards. I'm not famliar with the Cambo SC but I suspect that there are Cambo-specific boards for your camera.

2) Copal 0 shutters require a Copal 0 lens board. This merely denotes the diameter of the opening that accommodates the shutter. There are Sinar-type Copal 0 boards and Linhof-type Copal boards, but they are not interchangeable - their only commonality is the size of the shutter fenestration.

3) Recessed, flat or extended: Recessed lens boards are used for situations in which the focal length and focus require the front and rear standards to be very close together - they are used with wide angle lenses. When the standards are very close your ability to use movement(s) is compromised by the inflexibility of the compressed bellows. Using a recessed lens board buys you a little room, relaxes the bellows, and allows you to focus a short lens and make movements. Extended lens boards or "top hats" are used to focus longer lenses; lenses in which infinity focus reaches beyond the maximum focus spread of your camera's standards. They are also used to allow you to focus closer. For example, I can focus a 360mm lens on my camera, but only at infinity (or distances greater than 10 meters); if I wanted to use a 360mm lens to focus on something less than 10 meters away, I would need a top hat. Most lens boards are flat - certainly you will want a flat board for your 135mm.

4) I suppose there is a forth consideration - the position of the hole. My lens boards have shutter fenestrations below center; others cameras utilize boards with centered holes. Which board to get depends on your camera's design. Using the off-center boards on my camera centers the image circle on the ground glass when the front and rear standards are in the zero rise/fall position. I suspect you will sort this parameter out simple by finding a Cambo lens board.

By the way (depending on what you will photograph) a 135mm lens is a great choice. My most-used lens for landscapes is a 150mm lens - a little cropping and you're there, but you will have the versatility of the wider view.

[Paul Sorensen]

Since you are shopping at KEH anyway, they do have the board. You can find it here (http://www.keh.com/OnLineStore/ProductDetail.aspx?groupsku=LF509991043260&brandcategoryname=Large%20Format&Mode=&item=0&ActivateTOC2=&ID=59&BC=LF&BCC=7&CC=50&CCC=21&BCL=&GBC=&GCC=).

[BTilson]

Well awesome, thanks Paul!

[Santo Roman]

I just picked up a 135mm 5.6 nikkor, love it.

santo