lens advice

[luis a de santos]

What would be the smallest modern 90mm lens to cover 4x5 well?

Thanks Luis

[BrianShaw]

The Graflex Optar 90 covers 4x5 and is small. But what do you mean by "well"... with high quality, or with movements?

[luis a de santos]

Both bust mostly coverage

[aduncanson]

For smallest, perhaps the Super Topcor 90mm/5.6 or the 90/8 Rodenstock Geronar WA.

I have no experience with either.

[Emmanuel BIGLER]

"smallest" and "modern" could be incompatible ;)

A vote for the Rodenstock Grandagon-N 90-6.8 (also sold under the Caltar and Sinaron brands) designed in the nineties .... of the last century. Actually a very modern design.
102° - 221 mm of image circle - front filter M67x0.75 - overall length 78.5 mm

90mm 6.8 Schneider Angulons-not-super are more compact but are not at all a modern design.

[Louis Pacilla]

"smallest" and "modern" could be incompatible ;)

A vote for the Rodenstock Grandagon-N 90-6.8 (also sold under the Caltar and Sinaron brands) designed in the nineties .... of the last century. Actually a very modern design.
102° - 221 mm of image circle - front filter M67x0.75 - overall length 78.5 mm

90mm 6.8 Schneider Angulons-not-super are more compact but are not at all a modern design.

+1

[Mark Tweed]

Luis, the pickings are slim as far as modern 90's. I'd second the recommendation on the 90mm WA Geronar by Rodenstock. I have one and it's reasonably compact in a Copal 1 shutter. I chose it because it's multi-coated, very sharp, it provides me with enough coverage for landscape movements and it's much more compact than any of the wasp-shaped 90mm's. It takes a 58mm filter which fits perfect with the other lenses I use in the field.

Other possible options are the 90mm Congo, it has 175mm of coverage at f22, is multi-coated and is in a modern Copal. The downside is their quality control is variable. Badger Graphics used to carry them.

And then if you are willing to consider vintage lenses, there's the Kodak 100mm Wide Field Ektar. It has 183mm of coverage, is sharp and is very compact. I still own one of these and it's a great lens.

Here's a link to Kerry Thalmann's page discussing some of these lenses.

http://www.thalmann.com/largeformat/wide.htm


Mark

[Kirk Fry]

A good 90mm late model angulon is a very good lens. (Serial numbers in the 6M range)
A tiny little itty bitty lens.

KFry

Not so modern but even smaller would be a Zeiss Protar V 5X7 lens 111mm. f18.
Also not cheap.

[Neal Chaves]

I have had great results from a 90mm F8 Fujinon SW in a Seiko shutter. 67mm filter size. These are inexpensively priced at this time, and I feel a very good value.