Looking at two lense for 4x5 to 8x10

[Steven Ruttenberg]

At least now I know what possibly should be a more reasonable price for the Extar lens. I am looking at the 14 inch Extar and 12 inch Universal Heliar Voigtlander. As for what is good and what is bad, beyond a technical or engineering standpoint it comes down to preference. I have a 15mm IRIX for my 35mm lens. Cost about 800 dollars, I think it perform as well as any zeiss lens out there and tests from others bear out some of this. I have friends who think it is not that great because it doesn't have a name like Zeiss or Canon.

As for the Extar another friend of mine thinks it is a great lens if you want the vintage 50's look since they are not multi-coated and he feels they are not as contrasty. Maybe he is right, but then it all comes down to ones personal preferences. Short of just plain horrible optics, it really is in how one intends to use a lens and what they prefer.

Yes, If not careful it would be quite easy to end up with many shelves of lenses and cameras. In fact, I have thought about creating a mini museum in my home of lenses and cameras that are also fully functional with a little info card for each one. In the field though, I am quite practical. I will take only what I need once I leave the car/tent.

[Bernice Loui]

Contrasty is deceptive, it can and often delivers a perception of increased "shapes" trading off contrast rendition and "micro-contrast" for a visually hard hitting image. This is one of the reasons why I've given up on the modern multi-coated Plasmat and similar as these were designed and intended to be used for commercial color transparency advertising work that had to have that hard hitting image personalty that became common in advertising LF work back in the day. I've got Kodak sales samples of their color transparency films from back in the day. All of them were produced using modern lenses with a hard hitting image personality typical of color commercial ad work from that era. Other common requirement holding perceived focus on the entire image which related to stopping down to f16 and smaller for 4x5 and other sheet film formats. When combined with camera movements, this more often than not achieved the needed perceived focused image.

More than a few believe max contrast is the only way, others vintage non-coated is the only way.

What I'll say is try and decide. There is no other real way to decide.

As for the Universal Heilar, these have become collectable and now pricy, in the four figure range.


Bernice

As for the Extar another friend of mine thinks it is a great lens if you want the vintage 50's look since they are not multi-coated and he feels they are not as contrasty. Maybe he is right, but then it all comes down to ones personal preferences. Short of just plain horrible optics, it really is in how one intends to use a lens and what they prefer.

[Steven Ruttenberg]

Yep, the one I am looking at is going for almost 2200 dollars, but it is in good shape. Everything I have ever read about that lens is great. It also will work very well for my wanting to work portraits and I believe it will do well for architecture/landscape type work as well. Either way, it is a great lens to have imo.

[Steven Ruttenberg]

Just bought and Extar 14 in commercial in an ilex 5 shutter with original box for 500. Images looked good, clean glass, etc. Doesn't mean I didn't get screwed. Should be here Wed . I could in theory use on my Chamonix 45H-1, but that would be pushing the camera to the limits and I doubt the front standard could handle the weight. But is for the 8x10 and maybe a 5x7 if I don't stick with 8x10. Although, it will easily work on my Toyo 4x5 camera. Thing is built like a brick sh*t house.

[Jim Galli]

You did fine. The 14's go for a magnitude more than the 12's because they cover 11X14.

[Steven Ruttenberg]

Cool. It looks really good. Can't wait to try it out! I need to start making money at this, it is an addictive hobby.

[Tin Can]

This old thread has SergeiR using a Heliar and others using SF. https://www.largeformatphotography.i...=1#post1057015

Scroll around the thread as he also uses it with 8X10 slide film Same model.

You will also find 'KAV' did some interesting shots in Afghanistan.

[Pere Casals]

This old thread has SergeiR using a Heliar and others using SF. [/url]

Impressive...

[John Kasaian]

At least now I know what possibly should be a more reasonable price for the Extar lens. I am looking at the 14 inch Extar and 12 inch Universal Heliar Voigtlander. As for what is good and what is bad, beyond a technical or engineering standpoint it comes down to preference. I have a 15mm IRIX for my 35mm lens. Cost about 800 dollars, I think it perform as well as any zeiss lens out there and tests from others bear out some of this. I have friends who think it is not that great because it doesn't have a name like Zeiss or Canon.

As for the Extar another friend of mine thinks it is a great lens if you want the vintage 50's look since they are not multi-coated and he feels they are not as contrasty. Maybe he is right, but then it all comes down to ones personal preferences. Short of just plain horrible optics, it really is in how one intends to use a lens and what they prefer.

Yes, If not careful it would be quite easy to end up with many shelves of lenses and cameras. In fact, I have thought about creating a mini museum in my home of lenses and cameras that are also fully functional with a little info card for each one. In the field though, I am quite practical. I will take only what I need once I leave the car/tent.

Oh man, you got it bad, don't you?

[John Kasaian]

Just bought and Extar 14 in commercial in an ilex 5 shutter with original box for 500. Images looked good, clean glass, etc. Doesn't mean I didn't get screwed. Should be here Wed . I could in theory use on my Chamonix 45H-1, but that would be pushing the camera to the limits and I doubt the front standard could handle the weight. But is for the 8x10 and maybe a 5x7 if I don't stick with 8x10. Although, it will easily work on my Toyo 4x5 camera. Thing is built like a brick sh*t house.

I started shooting 8x10 with a 14" Commercial Ektar in a No.5 Universal.
An excellent choice IMHO!
I added some Lee poly filters with that rubber band holder thing.
Save those wide blue rubber bands bunches of Asperagus come with.