PDA

View Full Version : Process lenses, what will I get?



Noeyedear
14-Jan-2010, 13:40
Hi,
I just took a chance on some lenses on Ebay, I know some of you use these repro lenses for uses they were not intended for.
What can I expect on landscape and portraits?
Hexanon 150mm 260mm 310mm
G Claron 210mm & 270mm WA
I am shooting 5x7

Cheers,

Kevin.

Dan Fromm
14-Jan-2010, 14:00
Kevin, all but the 270/11 G-Claron are at best 70 degree lenses. Do the arithmetic yourself; they'll all cover 5x7 at infinity, the 150 without movements.

AFAIK the Konicas won't go in shutter, the 150 and 210 certainly won't, must be front-mounted. If you get one and there's no Sinar in your present there's one in your future ... The 219 G-Claron is, IIRC, a direct fit in a #1 and is the best bet of the lot. The 270 WA is not widely loved, but I have no experience with it so can't report first-hand.

If a process lens is not a direct fit in a shutter, even as a gift it will usually be more expensive to use than a lens already in shutter. I get away with using process lenses because (a) I front mount 'em and (b) I don't need movements.

I've shot landscape on 2x3 with a 210/9 Konica Hexanon GII and I've tested, then not used, a 150/9 Konica Hexanon GRII. Both are very sharp from wide open down, my 210 is a better lens at all distances and apertures -- sharper and gives better contrast -- than my 200/4 MicroNikkor AIS. But both are a bit prone to flare, need hoods for best results. My 210 is semi-retired in favor of a 210/7.7 Beryl-S that's not quite as sharp wide open but is more resistant to flare, smaller, and lighter.

Cheers,

Dan

Noeyedear
14-Jan-2010, 15:27
Kevin, all but the 270/11 G-Claron are at best 70 degree lenses. Do the arithmetic yourself; they'll all cover 5x7 at infinity, the 150 without movements.

AFAIK the Konicas won't go in shutter, the 150 and 210 certainly won't, must be front-mounted. If you get one and there's no Sinar in your present there's one in your future ... The 219 G-Claron is, IIRC, a direct fit in a #1 and is the best bet of the lot. The 270 WA is not widely loved, but I have no experience with it so can't report first-hand.

If a process lens is not a direct fit in a shutter, even as a gift it will usually be more expensive to use than a lens already in shutter. I get away with using process lenses because (a) I front mount 'em and (b) I don't need movements.

I've shot landscape on 2x3 with a 210/9 Konica Hexanon GII and I've tested, then not used, a 150/9 Konica Hexanon GRII. Both are very sharp from wide open down, my 210 is a better lens at all distances and apertures -- sharper and gives better contrast -- than my 200/4 MicroNikkor AIS. But both are a bit prone to flare, need hoods for best results. My 210 is semi-retired in favor of a 210/7.7 Beryl-S that's not quite as sharp wide open but is more resistant to flare, smaller, and lighter.

Cheers,

Dan
Dan,
I'm not using anything with a shutter at the moment, just relying on ND's and a few pink Elephants. The 270WA, what is the concern with this one, I had thought it might be the pick of the bunch. I've Googled most of these lenses and searched here but turned up very little of real world experiences. I don't think I paid a lot for the bunch, if I have then my tough luck. I understand the big hexanon is a mighty lump.
So are you using the Sinar copal shutter with your lenses, I wondered if that might be an option with a bit of DIY.
Thanks,

Kevin.

Dan Fromm
14-Jan-2010, 16:06
The 270 G-Claron is a 4/4 double Gauss type, much like the 260/10 Nikkor-Q (= Process Nikkor) that I have in the drawer. For some reason these lenses don't seem to be as sharp as one could want at infinity. This from using my 260 and second-hand reports on the wide angle G-Clarons.

Wait for more comments, and remember that since we're talking about used lenses we may all have lenses that are worse than your new treasures. The only way to find out how well your lenses suit you is to try them out.

I don't use the Sinar Copal shutter, I use a plain vanilla Copal #1, top speed 1/400, max opening 30 mm, behind my process lenses, focal lengths 135 mm - 610 mm. All on 2x3 Graphics and, most recently, a 2x3 Cambo. Mount adapters can be expensive, the one for the 610/9 Apo Nikkor cost $185, but are much less expensive than putting a lens in a shutter.

At one time I was convinced by the folklore that although I got good results on 2x3 with front-mounted this would fail on larger formats because of vignetting. I'm not so sure of that now. If you're interested, I'll be happy to send you a copy of a little essay I wrote on using lenses in barrel that explains my reasoning about vignetting.

Cheers,

Dan

Mark Sawyer
14-Jan-2010, 16:16
I have the 150mm GRII, and use it as a macro on my 8x10. At infinity, it just nips the corners of 8x10, so the coverage should allow for a decent bit of movements on your 5x7. It's very sharp at the close distances I use it at. I can't say much about performance at infinity or how it resolves at the outer edges of the image circle, as I never use it there.

The others I don't know, but I'd like to try a 260mm for close work on my 11x14...

Noeyedear
14-Jan-2010, 16:23
The others I don't know, but I'd like to try a 260mm for close work on my 11x14...

Well there might be one for sale soon. When I have them in my hand I will have to decide if I want them all or some or none.

Cheers,

Kevin.

erie patsellis
14-Jan-2010, 21:04
The 260 I have hasn't led a charmed life, has some marks in the coatings, and next to my Artars, is quite likely the sharpest lens I own, at any aperture (up to diff. limiting of course)

Noeyedear
15-Jan-2010, 02:40
The 270 G-Claron is a 4/4 double Gauss type, much like the 260/10 Nikkor-Q (= Process Nikkor) that I have in the drawer. For some reason these lenses don't seem to be as sharp as one could want at infinity. This from using my 260 and second-hand reports on the wide angle G-Clarons.

Wait for more comments, and remember that since we're talking about used lenses we may all have lenses that are worse than your new treasures. The only way to find out how well your lenses suit you is to try them out.

I don't use the Sinar Copal shutter, I use a plain vanilla Copal #1, top speed 1/400, max opening 30 mm, behind my process lenses, focal lengths 135 mm - 610 mm. All on 2x3 Graphics and, most recently, a 2x3 Cambo. Mount adapters can be expensive, the one for the 610/9 Apo Nikkor cost $185, but are much less expensive than putting a lens in a shutter.

At one time I was convinced by the folklore that although I got good results on 2x3 with front-mounted this would fail on larger formats because of vignetting. I'm not so sure of that now. If you're interested, I'll be happy to send you a copy of a little essay I wrote on using lenses in barrel that explains my reasoning about vignetting.

Cheers,

Dan

Dan,
The essay sounds like a good idea, if it's easy enough to find and send and I would like to read it.

Thank you,

Kevin.