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Thread: Lenses for 8x20

  1. #1

    Join Date
    Sep 1998
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    Austin, TX
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    Lenses for 8x20

    I'm considering jumping into the deep end of the pool and getting a 8x20 (maybe 12x20). I'm curious to know what lenses people use for this format? What's the longest lens you use? The shortest? thanks

  2. #2

    Join Date
    Jan 2000
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    New Jersey
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    Re: Lenses for 8x20

    Michael,
    I use these three and this would be the order of which gets used the most.

    450mm Nikon M
    24" Red Dot Artar
    12" Goerz Gold Rim Dagor

    8x20 is great format. It's fun, frustrating and beyond words when everything comes together.
    _______________________
    George Losse
    www.georgelosse.com

  3. #3

    Join Date
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    Re: Lenses for 8x20

    Suggest getting a Burke & James catalog from the 1950s or the early 1960s. Back of the catalog is dedicated to listing all the lenses they had FS back then. Also the formats they covered. A treasure trove of specs on vintage lenses. Got copies of their March 1961 and June 1962 catalogues for around $20 off the big auction site. Well worth many times the cost over the past years. Twice the info in the catalogues stopped me from buying 2 lenses that the owners exaggerated (I believe) the covering power of those two optics. Only downside is reading that, for instance, a new 12" Goerz Golden Dagor went for $285 in a barrel mount and $295 in a self cocking Ilex shutter!!!!

  4. #4

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    Re: Lenses for 8x20

    Quote Originally Posted by Greg View Post
    Only downside is reading that, for instance, a new 12" Goerz Golden Dagor went for $285 in a barrel mount and $295 in a self cocking Ilex shutter!!!!
    What you mean they're more now?!!!!!

  5. #5

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    Tonopah, Nevada, USA
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    Re: Lenses for 8x20

    270 f9 Computar, 355 f9 G-Claron, 450 Nikkor, and any old 24" you find is a nice complimentary kit.

  6. #6

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    Re: Lenses for 8x20

    12" Goerz covers? Wow.

  7. #7

    Re: Lenses for 8x20

    For my 8x20 Canham I regularly use the 600C Fuji, the 450M Nikkor, the 305 Computar (you have to be carefully with this lens when shooting architecture because it has some issues with field curvature at the wide extremes that you need to be aware of), the 355 G Claron as well as the 30" Red Dot and occasionally the 35" Red Dot in aluminum barrel (forward tilt the front standard forward and use a rise and a rear tilt back to square things up). Great format but I find that being keenly aware of inadvertent bellows sag and "propping this up when necessary" with a towel or ? are image savers. Spoken from direct experience - i.e. I paid for that lesson.

  8. #8

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    Re: Lenses for 8x20

    Quote Originally Posted by Michael Wellman View Post
    12" Goerz covers? Wow.
    It does at f/45 and smaller.

  9. #9
    Angus Parker angusparker's Avatar
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    Nov 2012
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    San Francisco, USA
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    Re: Lenses for 8x20

    Echo the big three 355 G Claron, 450 M Nikkor and 24” RDA. Here are some more that will cover: http://www.angusparkerphoto.com/blog...ndations-14x17


    Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

  10. #10
    8x20 8x10 John Jarosz's Avatar
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    May 2006
    Location
    Fairfax Iowa
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    663

    Re: Lenses for 8x20

    I've been using for 8x20

    305mm Agfa Gevaert Super Intergon with a Packard shutter. (Covers but has fall-off in the corners) I really don't use this lens for taking, it's my 8x10 enlarging lens. I found out about the coverage by accident.

    12"Metrogon. (from a 9x18 aerial camera) using waterhouse stops. Haven't seen an example for sale for a few years now. 3" and 6" are pretty common. No shutter, I use an 8x10 darkslide. This lens weighs 7#. If you do stumble upon one make sure you get the Red & Yellow center graduated filters that originally came with it. It's not a convenient lens to use but it's very sharp at F11 to F64. Easily covers 8x20

    420mm APO Nikkor mounted in a Ilex shutter

    600mm APO Ronar in a Ilex shutter

    1200mm Tele Nikkor. The 1200mm rear lens element will cover 8x20. The other 2 rear lenses in the set (600mm & 800mm) will not. At infinity the back focal length is 762mm. There is some fall-off in the corners that need to be compensated for in printing.

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