I have the same set! Well, nearly. I don't have the Super Symmar and my 165mm SA is multicoated. But I certainly enjoy using them!Much like today, there was an obsession over image circle and what a given lens will cover. There was a marketing advantage to claiming "your" lens has the largest image circle. That ~400mm Plus image circle could be achieved by approaching or exceeding life size aka 1 to 1 image reproduction ratio. Which does bring up a very real world way in which many wide angle lenses are used. They are often used by moving the camera in to create large print image object close to the lens -vs- shrinking objects away from the lens. This tends to increase the projected image circle of the lens.
Historical curiosity about the Angulon, it is essentially a "reverse Dagor" done to get around the Dagor Patent. Having used both WA Dagor and Angulon, they have similar performance. These lens designs go back a long time and have stood the test of time for good reasons.. they have quite remarkable optical performance for what they are and given when these were designed and made. Many decades passed before notably better optical designs were done to surpass the optical performance of this seemingly simply and lowly design. The modern trade-off became HUGE compared to the Angulon in the march to improving optical performance.
Not a lot wrong with the Angulon (lf the sample is a good one), this 165mm Angulon in barrel lives with the Sinar Norma in the roller pelican case, serves as the medium wide for 5x7. Does well for this as it is essentially a Dagor in this focal length. Typical taking aperture for the 165mm Angulon is f16 and smaller. It's optical performance at f6.8 to f11_ish is not that "hot"...
Note the size difference between the 165mm Angulon -vs- the 165mm Super Angulon -vs- the 150mm SSXL. Each has its plus/minus for a given image need.
Attachment 210370
Bernice
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