Bausch & Lomb 506mm 5.6 / lens coverage for 16x20

[Mark Crabtree]

I wonder if the 24" f6 B&L Aero Tessar would do it. I use mine on 11x14, but for portraits. I don't see anything about the design of the lens cells that would indicate it is constricted in coverage. Mine is just in a tube I made, so I don't know about any impact the original mount might have. These are also big heavy things. The cells alone are about 10 lbs. It is actually a Gundlach Radar type design with 3 cemented elements in the rear according to Kingslake. The front cell design makes for easily varying the element spacing if you want to mess up the correction. Even has a set screw to lock that down.

These still often go for cheap because they really are pretty impractical, but a heck of a lens for not much money. Often just the cells, so some creativity required. If I get a chance I'll try to see if I can rig mine up out the window camera obscura style to see what the image circle looks like.

[Corran]

A telephoto lens and not a USAF lens. Telephotos are all narrow angle lenses, it won't do what you want.

Dan,

I have the Telephoto lens in question. Mine came on a weird Leica threadmount mirror-box thing. Was a freebie with a Leica III I bought through an estate.

It illuminates 8x10 easily. I haven't shot it on 8x10...no shutter, and no reason to do such a crazy thing. But, I wouldn't hesitate to do so. And as we both know, focused close it would cover more. If the OP wants to shoot 16x20 portraits at 1:1 it would be reasonable to think the B&L could do what he wants, especially if a little vignetting and/or poor corner resolution is okay. He hasn't told us his objective.

Whatever it was rated for via the USAF is indicative of just one use-case.

[Bernice Loui]

Fairchild K17 shutter would be the one.


Bernice

[maxi0909]

Why did you ask here, if you read it would work? Simply trust what you "read", and buy one and see.

Because I´m a student with a limited amount of money... i don´t have the money and time to be unsure...

that´s why I want to ask professionals

[maxi0909]

No and no. I gave you directions to a link that will get you nearly all of the lens catalogs etc. available on line. Use it. Its time to stop dreaming and do your own legwork.

This is what i found... I think this would be the Zeiss lens i talked about

So I think it will work, what do you say about these numbers?

to everybody... i just want to make portraits, nothing else... the lens only have to helo me at this point

[Corran]

Simple question for you. It says "sharply covered size of plate" and then the column says "1:1." Do you know what that means?

[maxi0909]

no.. maybe you can explain it to me in a simple way?

[maxi0909]

Simple question for you. It says "sharply covered size of plate" and then the column says "1:1." Do you know what that means?

Maybe it means that i can use it for 16x20 portraiture?

[Corran]

no.. maybe you can explain it to me in a simple way?

It's the magnification. 1:1 means the image projected is the same size as the actual person/thing in the photograph. Thank you for mentioning your intended photographic subject. Now, consider how exactly you want to photograph them (full-body, environmental, headshot, etc.) and then see how that compares to the magnification of the lens you are considering. 1:2 would be half life-size, btw.

[Corran]

Also, IMO consider if you really need 16x20, and then perhaps research what others are doing in that format. Maybe talk to some of the actual users. Most here do not shoot such large film/plates. I don't.