Looking for a budget 360mm for portraits?

[wallpaperviking]

Am looking for any suggestions for a budget 360mm lens that covers the 8 x 10 format. Would be looking to use it for portraits, so it would be nice if it was not too slow..

I do not need it in a shutter, so a barrel is fine. With regards to barrel lenses, do they still allow you to change aperture?

Thanks so much, look forward to any responses

[Randy]

If 360mm is most important, I have a 360mm Yamasaki Congo f/6.3 in barrel. I haven't used it much and have not shot any portraits with it. Plenty of coverage for 8X10. I can't remember the lens design, don't know if it is a tessar, dialyte...? It may be to sharp for your portrait use...? Looks to be one on ebay, buy-it-now for $68 US. And yes, it has a nice round aperture from f/6.3 to f/90.

[Oslolens]

Any +3 close-up lens, from the cheapest uncoated, the B+H multicoated, the achromatic from difference manufacturers and lastly two of +1,5 Nikon will give you 333mm focal length.

Bot singel and double will be soft, but you can use home made aperture to really have the stars you want in the background.

With a singel 72mm filter, you will have ca f5 (333/68=4.897)

[maltfalc]

https://www.ebay.ca/sch/i.html?_from...65mm&_osacat=0

[Dan Fromm]

I do not need it in a shutter, so a barrel is fine. With regards to barrel lenses, do they still allow you to change aperture?

It depends on the lens. The 365 mm projection lenses to which you were directed in post #4 don't have diaphragms.

[Bernice Loui]

How much $ is considered "budget" ?

8x10 Ilford FP4 cost about $7 per sheet, plus processing and post processing cost and your time and resources to make a print.

8x10 is not a "Budget" sheet film format.

Better to share what the portrait image goals are than just "Budget" portrait lens as that is too broad a request.


Bernice

[John Kasaian]

I don't know about today's prices, but it used to be that the 15" Ilex Paragons and 14" Wollensak Velostigmats were considered budget friendly, and very nice lenses they are.
Uncoated 14" Kodak Ektars were often found more budget friendly than the newer single coated Commercial Ektars if that helps.
I have a 15" B&L Magic Lantern lens (no shutter)I picked up cheap on EBay a few years ago, it's beast though!
Also look for 14" Rapid Rectilinear

[Mark Sawyer]

"Budget" is a pretty nebulous specification, meaning "whatever I find cheap", so it could be anything. The OP could find a "budget" Cooke Portrait Lens for under $50.

Some lenses are cheaper than others in a competitive market, but who knows what may pop up at an estate sale or the local Craigslist...

[Jody_S]

"Portraits" is the difficulty here. What is a good lens for a portrait varies a lot between photographers. "Budget" on the other hand is pretty straightforward. There are 2 categories of budget lenses in barrel in this focal length: projection lenses, mostly triplets, without aperture, like the Russian lenses linked above. Advantages: wide lenses, usually quite soft, which the ladies appreciate, and will give pleasing OOF rendition. Given that up to 90% of an 8x10 sheet will be OOF when doing traditional portraits, that's important. The 2nd category is process lenses, decommissioned from printing shops. These will have an aperture and they will be razor-sharp, but they will be f9 at best, often f11 or less, and do not generally give pleasing OOF rendition.

Less in the budget categories are the lenses that were made for portraits in that focal length, the Tessars. You should be able to find a 14" Tessar formula lens that is f6.3 or possibly even 4.5. I am partial to the Bausch & Lomb Tessars for their creamy rendering. But you most likely won't find one for under $100. Wollensak Velostigmat series II, Ilex Paragon, Kodak Commercial Ektar (sometimes more budget 'Anastigmat') and any number of other makers. When in doubt, if you see an f4.5 or f6.3 lens, ask the question here and someone will be able to tell you if the lens in question is a Tessar formula. There are process lenses at f9 or so that are Tessars that might be adequate, but I personally would want the wider f6.3 at a minimum.

[Havoc]

"Budget" on the other hand is pretty straightforward.

Is it? When you are shooting at 10 <insert currency of your liking> for each shot then a single box of sheets rapidly approaches the price of a lens.