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Thread: Options for 190mm- 210mm wide lenses that cover 8x10 WIDE OPEN

  1. #1

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    Options for 190mm- 210mm wide lenses that cover 8x10 WIDE OPEN

    Hi everyone - This is my first post on the forum so I just want to say thank you in advance for your input and information!

    I'm looking to add a wide angle lens to my 8x10 kit that is usable wide open at its fastest possible aperture. I'm going to be shooting a lot of available light environmental portraits both indoors and outdoors so I'm looking for a fast lens from 190mm to 210mm that casts a large enough image circle so the corners of the 8x0 frame are useable and not blacked out and don't look like mashed potatoes haha. I'm OK with a bit of distortion or a bit of dimming but nothing extreme.

    I've been doing a lot of digging and I'm finding that most image circle data is referenced at f22, so I'm looking for people who have experience shooting these 190mm - 210mm lenses wide open

    Many thanks for the guidance!! It's very very appreciated!

  2. #2
    Roger Thoms's Avatar
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    Re: Options for 190mm- 210mm wide lenses that cover 8x10 WIDE OPEN

    Here a link to a recent thread specifically addressing 210mm that you may find helpful. https://www.largeformatphotography.i...10-quot/page11

    Otherwise the widest I’ve shoot on 810 is 240mm so I'm note much help.

    Roger

  3. #3

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    Re: Options for 190mm- 210mm wide lenses that cover 8x10 WIDE OPEN

    Thank you Roger! I've actually read over that thread a few times before during my search. There is some good stuff in there!

    I should add that I am looking for lenses that have a fastest possible aperture in the F4.5 - F6.7(ish) range.

    To add, I will most often be shooting with these lenses on-axis with minimal movements.

    In short I'm looking for a fast wide angle that I can shoot wide open and get good results consistently.

  4. #4

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    Re: Options for 190mm- 210mm wide lenses that cover 8x10 WIDE OPEN

    You're better off accepting that f16-f22 are the apertures you should be using, then things are much less of a headache - coming in with a 35mm mentality will do nothing other than frustrate you & waste film. Realistically you probably will want either an Apo-Sironar W 210mm or a Super Symmar XL 210mm, if you really need f5.6. Both are large & seriously expensive. There are other options - 210mm Angulon & Super Angulons or 200mm Grandagon-N which are either bigger and slower or need stopped down for optimal performance. Pretty much everything else modern-ish that covers in those focal lengths only just does so & only when well stopped down.

  5. #5
    Mark Sawyer's Avatar
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    Re: Options for 190mm- 210mm wide lenses that cover 8x10 WIDE OPEN

    If you're contact printing, most any lens that covers will be good. If you're enlarging, you'll probably be pickier:

    210mm f/6.8 Goerz Dagor (get a later coated one)
    215mm f/4.8 Ilex Acuton (a Plasmat, probably the fastest)
    215mm f/4.8 Caltar S (same as above)
    190mm f/6.3 Kodak Wide Field Ektar
    210mm f/5.6 Fujinon W
    210mm f/5.6 Rodenstock Apo Sironar
    210mm f/5.6 Schneider Apo Symmar
    210mm f/6.3 Computar Symmetrigon (if you can find one)
    210mm f/6.5 Cooke VIIb (if you can find one)
    210mm f/6.8 Schneider Angulon
    210mm f/8 Schneider Super Angulon ($$$)

    Probably some others I'm forgetting...
    "I love my Verito lens, but I always have to sharpen everything in Photoshop..."

  6. #6

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    Re: Options for 190mm- 210mm wide lenses that cover 8x10 WIDE OPEN

    Quote Originally Posted by interneg View Post
    ...”There are other options - 210mm Angulon & Super Angulons or 200mm Grandagon-N which are either bigger and slower or need stopped down for optimal performance. Pretty much everything else modern-ish that covers in those focal lengths only just does so & only when well stopped down”.
    And none are 5.6 lenses anyway.

  7. #7

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    Re: Options for 190mm- 210mm wide lenses that cover 8x10 WIDE OPEN

    Hi Mark! - Thanks for that info. Do you know if these actually cover 8x10 @ their fastest possible aperture?:

    210mm f/6.8 Goerz Dagor
    215mm f/4.8 Ilex Acuton
    215mm f/4.8 Caltar S
    190mm f/6.3 Kodak Wide Field Ektar
    210mm f/5.6 Fujinon W
    210mm f/5.6 Schneider Apo Symmar
    210mm f/6.3 Computar Symmetrigon
    210mm f/6.8 Schneider Angulon

    I've been searching for a Wide Field Ektar for EVER and haven't been able to find one that was in great condition. (other than the $$$$ ones in HK)

  8. #8

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    Re: Options for 190mm- 210mm wide lenses that cover 8x10 WIDE OPEN

    How to calculate the size of the image circle at various magnifications has come up before: https://www.largeformatphotography.i...lows-Extension I believe that conversation didn't accommodate aperture (but surely someone knows how to do that too).

    Honestly, your best bet is probably just to buy and try. The Fujinon W 180/5.6 is rated by Fuji as a 280mm image circle at f/22, covering 6.5x8.5. The Fujinon W 210/5.6 is rated as 300mm image circle at f/22 (so covering 8x10). The 210/5.6 is a very nice lens. I have one. It's not very expensive. I can't promise it's sharp as a tack at f/5.6, but I I made a test shot at f/8 and was very impressed.

  9. #9
    Vaughn's Avatar
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    Re: Options for 190mm- 210mm wide lenses that cover 8x10 WIDE OPEN

    "210mm f/6.3 Computar Symmetrigon (if you can find one)"

    I have one -- probably will not satisfy the coverage requirements of the OP...even closed down significantly.
    "Landscapes exist in the material world yet soar in the realms of the spirit..." Tsung Ping, 5th Century China

  10. #10

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    Re: Options for 190mm- 210mm wide lenses that cover 8x10 WIDE OPEN

    If memory serves, the 190mm f/6.3 Kodak Wide Field Ektar just covers 8x10 at f/22 with an image circle of about 308mm. According to this publication I found: https://www.pacificrimcamera.com/rl/00346/00346.pdf this lens is good for 8x10 without using swings. Since I usually use mine at f/32 or f/45 and contact print, I've never noticed any appreciable darkening around the edges/corners or any lack of sharpness. Getting into the super-wides for 8x10 generally requires a good back (weight of lens) and a hefty bank account.

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