Most Available Large Format Lens?

[Hermes07]

I'm planning a project that uses a large number of lenses, all mounted to the same board to produce multiple frames on a single negative.

I'll need a large number of the same model of lens and obviously don't wan't to spend a fortune. Focal length is not too critical as I can shoot this anywhere from 4x5 right up to ultra-large formats. Max aperture isn't important either, the smaller the lenses the better really.

What should I be looking for? What are all the miniature lenses that fill the tables at camera fairs and used shops that no-one ever seems to buy, and is there a clear front-runner?

[domaz]

For 4x5 the 127 f/4.7 Ektars get no love. They often sell for less than $50 (ignore the speculative BINs).

[BetterSense]

I don't know your standards for quality, but you can get all kids of lenses from surplusshed.com for very cheap, including achromats, doublets, whatever.

[ic-racer]

210 symmar-s, those seem to be ubiquitous.

[Ivan J. Eberle]

The Wollensak-made Optar 135mm f/4.7 is certainly ubiquitous and in many cases unloved (yet rather quite good), single-coated Tessar lens; also comes badged as the Wollensak Raptar. The brass-barreled cells are rather tiny and are threaded for the #1 Rapax/Graphex shutter.

Do you need shutters that work or are you going to mount a bunch of lens cells on a thick board?

[Richard Wasserman]

I don't know your project of course, but could you use lenses for 35mm cameras? 50mm f/1.8 Nikon Series E lenses are all over the place and can be had reasonably.

[Bob Salomon]

Do you need matched lenses so that all focal lengths (actual not marked) and FFL are identical?

[Hermes07]

Thanks for all the replies so far

Shutters aren't important. Don't know how I'd trigger that many shutters at once even if I had them.

I'd say 4x5 would be the minimum total negative size I'd consider. Technically could use medium format lenses to make that size up I suppose but I'd rather stick to lenses that cover at least 4x5 on their own so I could use them for larger negs as well.

Was planning on using corrected lenses with apertures rather than just achromats but I'll keep it in mind now you've mentioned it (anyone know how decent achromats perform as taking lenses if they only have to cover a very small circle by the way? - say 6-12 degrees).

Bob - I don't think getting it on the level of 100% precisely matched lenses will be needed. As long as they're the same model and designed to the same focal length that will be close enough.

The Ektars and the Optars are the sort of thing I'm looking for (although it's a shame they all seem to have shutters which I'd never use). Think buying a few of the symmars at ebay prices could bankrupt me :)

[Leigh]

If you remove the cells from the shutters you must provide spacers of the correct size to maintain the spacing, and to provide a means of mounting the lens.

Have you considered the physical dimensions involved? The lens centers must be spaced apart the same distance as the image centers on the film, unless you plan to mount the lenses on a sphere, like the eye of a fly.

- Leigh

[goamules]

Maybe look for some of the barrel lenses that were on Graflex cameras (with their rear shutter). Perhaps Kodak Anastigmats in barrel?

The problem will be finding the number you need in a reasonable amount of time. What amount of time is that, for you, and how many?

[richardhkirkando]

Maybe something like an Industar-51? Cheap, lots of them available (if you can wait for them to ship from Russia) and no shutter.

[Ole Tjugen]

Some years ago I bought six Zeiss Tessar 150/4.5 on ebay - in shutters - for €80.-. Keep an eye on ebay.de, sometimes they pop up in HUGE lots.

[johnielvis]

I'm making something similar---what I'm going to do is start small--use a whole bunch of cheap disposable camera 35mm lenses---with a focal plane shutter--hacked graphic....got the stuff but not the time....but I'll get to it some day---was going to make a special shutter too that will expose not whole rows but one at a time a row at a time...or maybe move a darkslide or something to select rows.

but this is probably best--4x5 does not give much room for shutters....single element plastic aspheres are about the smallest you can get....and they ARE pretty sharp...some distortion...but overall work nice in the cameras they're designed for.

one of these days......

[johnielvis]

oh----for bigger, I'd get a bunch of cheap enlarging lenses---there used to be bajillions around...maybe you can find a lot of them all the same.....

you know what--the tominon mp4 lens sets...they are all the same--screw into shutters if you like or not...and sometimes, if youre lucky, a lab gets rid of a bunch of them...that was then though...but you can proably start collecting them lenses--they go pretty cheap sometimes.

I got some 135 tominons....and other 135 enlarging lenses...best to have all the same kind...

got some bargain dirty ones...will likely clean up fine but no guarantees..pm me if you want and I'll see what I got...OH...I just got rid of a bunch of 105 tominons on polaroid ds-34's...go 2 left...actually 3 or 4 if you want my private stash....I have duplicate lenses on my mp4 so them aint' needed..these can be had pretty cheaply too.....

yeah---I'd look for the polaroid tominon macro lenses---LOTS out there--they're good, and they get no respect, so they're also cheap.

[E. von Hoegh]

I'm planning a project that uses a large number of lenses, all mounted to the same board to produce multiple frames on a single negative.

I'll need a large number of the same model of lens and obviously don't wan't to spend a fortune. Focal length is not too critical as I can shoot this anywhere from 4x5 right up to ultra-large formats. Max aperture isn't important either, the smaller the lenses the better really.

What should I be looking for? What are all the miniature lenses that fill the tables at camera fairs and used shops that no-one ever seems to buy, and is there a clear front-runner?

Old convertible Symmars. Damn good lenses, and they seem to go begging. That is, the plasmats. The Dagor types don't go begging :)

[Fotoguy20d]

How about the B&L or Kodak lenses in the larger old folders? Or maybe a B&L IIb Tessar?

Dan

[Paul Fitzgerald]

"I'm planning a project that uses a large number of lenses, all mounted to the same board to produce multiple frames on a single negative."

I'm confused, are you making an antique CDV camera with 9 lenses up front?

Do the exposures need to be simultaneous?

[Hermes07]

"I'm planning a project that uses a large number of lenses, all mounted to the same board to produce multiple frames on a single negative."

I'm confused, are you making an antique CDV camera with 9 lenses up front?

Do the exposures need to be simultaneous?

Similar sort of thing. I would like to be able to experiment with simultaneous and individual exposures so having all the lenses permanently mounted would be ideal.

Thanks for all the great advice. Lenses in the 100-150mm range definitely seem to be the most common. Searching now to see if any of the ones mentioned have 4-5 examples for sale at good prices to get me started.