Wide angle lense for 8 x10

[Donald Brewster]

I'll third the 159mm Wolly. Can't be beat on the price and is small and light. Might be tough for architecture, since not that much movement. If you want movements at that size, the price goes up quite a bit.

[tim atherton]

Of the lenses I've mentioned, I actually have the Wollensak 159mm Anastigmat Extreme WA 12.5 (there are several versions as well as the 9.5 version. I believe the 12.5 has more coverage. And they come in every level from scratched to hell with no shutter, to virtually pristine) and the Super Angluon 165mm f8.

The wolly is the "wollcoated" version (single coated I think) and is very nice. Just doesn't have a huge amount of coverage (maybe 1 1/2" of movement at most) But it's cheap (mine was almost pristine and cost about $130.00) It's also tiny. And depending on the shutter, (mine's a Rapax) you can simply remove the screw that limits the maximum aperture and open it up to at least f9.5. I'd never shoot at that, but it helps for focussing (some have suggested there could be a focus shift after closing down the aperture, but it's never shown itself).

It's pretty sharp (better than a 165 Angulon I tried, especially in the corners) with no noticable flare etc.

The Super Angulon is just big and heavy with tons of image circle - but unless I know I'm going to use it for something specific, it doesn't get carried. It's nice to have it when you need it every now and then, but the Wollensak stays in the camera backpack all the time - I think the lens board weighs more than the lens...

[John Kasaian]

Randy,

If you can push your envelope a little("long" wise) an economical alternative might be a 210 G Claron. I remember seeing(I think) a few of Jim Galli's archicture shots using a 210 G Claron on an 8x10---very sharp! I know the image circle greatly improves as you stop down G-Clarons(it does on my 240) so it (I'm guessing here---maybe someone who knows better will chime in) should give you plenty more wiggle room than the other wallet friendly alternatives discussed so far. G-Clarons are small, light, and IMHO are still quite reasonable. Jim usually has some on ebay and he has a great reputation.