Best value 90mm W/A lens value?

[Pere Casals]

I once took a close look at the Norma, and along the way I discovered a wonderful resource prepared by Philip Morgan called the "Rough Guide to Sinar Normal CLA". I can't find the file anymore on the Internet, but I have a copy of the PDF. If you're interested, send me a PM and I'll email a copy. It's step-by-step with pictures.

I use that manual with my norma, it can be found at www.archive.org :
https://web.archive.org/web/20140728...arNormaCLA.pdf

[Daniel Unkefer]

I use that manual with my norma, it can be found at www.archive.org :
https://web.archive.org/web/20140728...arNormaCLA.pdf

Yes!

A Warning! DO NOT attempt to work on your Norma without consulting Philip's excellent concise guide.

What you will do if you don't, is permanently mess it up! That could become expensive fast.

[Hmuessig]

tl;dr: The Nikon 90mm f/8 is the lens to beat for 90mm on 4x5. Significantly greater resolution than any/all others, as borne out by empirical objective testing. The smaller size and reasonable price are an extra bonus!

Second that. The Nikon 90mm f/8 is a stunning lens. Kerry Thalman is right to include it in his "classics" list. Their f/4.5 is not bad but given a choice I'd go with the f/8. Yeh the ground glass image is darker but for architectural interiors either a flashlight aimed back at the camera or a laser pointer makes focusing pretty easy. And as others have pointed out it has the image circle of the faster lenses -- all except the Schneider XL.

[Dave Dawson]

It seems that all the comments have now stopped......Thanks to all that contributed. I am leaning towards the Nikkor 90mm f8 lens but notice that the second hand price is virtually the same as the f4.5 so it will a case of finding one in good condition at a good price at time of purchase.

Cheers Dave

[EdSawyer]

They should not be too hard to find. I have 2, both in great shape. I would think anywhere in the $300-400 range (or less) is a fair price.

[ottluuk]

... I am leaning towards the Nikkor 90mm f8 lens but notice that the second hand price is virtually the same as the f4.5 so it will a case of finding one in good condition at a good price at time of purchase.

I think it's still worth reminding that if you happen to spot a good deal on a clean f/4.5 – 5.6 lens from Fuji, Nikon, Rodenstock or Schneider, any of them is still a good solid choice. The f/8 lenses are of course smaller and lighter but on a full-size monorail like the Norma – well, it's not going to be a very light and compact set one way or the other.
There may be some differences in sharpness and contrast from one model to another but they are all high end lenses designed for professional use. How much one can actually exploit the advantage of a slightly better lens will depend on the whole workflow – materials used, scanner/enlarger performance, final print size etc.