11x14 Lens Options?

[Scott Davis]

Agree that the 355 G Claron is a must for 11x14. Yes, it is very wide angle on this format (equivalent to a 26mm on a 35mm camera), but it does not feel shooting with it that it is that wide. Likely the enormous GG in play. I find the 450M Nikon more contrasty than the 19" Red Dot myself hence it goes to work more often as a result. The other lenses that I use are the 35" Red Dot Artar in Ilex #5 and the 30" Docter Apo Germinar in a Copal #3. The Docter is f14.5, but still lights up the GG well. A good substitute for the 24" and the 30" lens are the Apo Nikkor lenses which are very nice to work with. You can put a Packard Shutter in front of them and save some big bucks. Hard to wrap your head around the fact that a normal lens on 11x14 is right at 30" which is why one also has to remember that bellows corrections are another variable that one has to contend with when shooting with an 11x14. Thin negatives are a dead give away that one had to take this unique condition into proper consideration. Enjoy!

Michael-

Is that App-Germinar you have from the Kerry Thalmann deal those some years ago? I have the 24" that I want to put in an Ilex 5, but when I talked to Grimes about it they said it might not be able to be put in a shutter because of the barrel design.

[Michael Kadillak]

Great question Scott. I purchased a 600mm 24" Apo Germinar barrel lens from Kerry like you did, but it was quite a bit wider and shorter than my Apo Germinar. I ended up selling it when I found a 600mm Fuji C lens. The 30" Apo Germinar I have came from the factory in Copal #3 as a F14.5 optic and is much narrower and longer than the 24". If I am not mistaken, the 600mm Apo Germinar was an F9 design lens which could explain its difference. Your options may me limited to a Packard shutter or a black hat.

[Scott Davis]

Great question Scott. I purchased a 600mm 24" Apo Germinar barrel lens from Kerry like you did, but it was quite a bit wider and shorter than my Apo Germinar. I ended up selling it when I found a 600mm Fuji C lens. The 30" Apo Germinar I have came from the factory in Copal #3 as a F14.5 optic and is much narrower and longer than the 24". If I am not mistaken, the 600mm Apo Germinar was an F9 design lens which could explain its difference. Your options may me limited to a Packard shutter or a black hat.

Yes, the 24" is an f9. It might be possible to front-mount (or rear-mount) the Ilex #5 without too much mechanical vignetting. I'll just have to send it off to Grimes and see what they say once they get their hands on it. I don't care if it ends up being an f11 once it's mounted in the shutter - I'll most likely be shooting it somewhere around f16-f22. Until then my 450 Nikkor M will get the job done on my 14x17.

[AuditorOne]

Lots of good information for me to sort through. Thanks a lot.

Just a point of interest. I'll be out in the field scouting the elk for the next couple of days so will be off line. Don't want anyone to think I am ignoring this.

[MAubrey]

My 11x14 lenses:

Schneider Angulon 210mm f/6.8 (late production serial#)
Schneider Xenar 300mm f/4.5
Fujinon A 360mm f/10
Rodenstock Ronar MC 480mm f/9
Nikon Nikkor-T 800mm f/12

Some of these I'm technically using "out of spec", but they all have coverage good enough for what I'm doing.

Other 11x14 lenses I've used:

Schneider Symmar 360/620mm f/5.6/12 Convertible
Fujinon 360mm f/6.3

For me, the Angulon 210, Fujinon 360, and Ronar 480 ended up being my primary set—small and light, at least relative to the camera. The Xenar and the Nikkor-T are for portraits when I get the chance for them.

[neil poulsen]

As others have commented, the 355mm G-Claron is an excellent choice.

I had a 600mm Fujinon C, but it burned a hole in my pocket. Sold it for $3450 and purchased a 610mm coated Repro Claron in an original shutter for $325, or close to that. The former lens is an absolutely outstanding, multicoated, etc., lens. That said, I felt I got pretty much everything that I needed in a 600mm focal length from the Repro-Claron.

[Joseph Kashi]

Does anyone here have any actual experience / thoughts about the usefulness of a 7” / 183mm B+L Protar Series V wide angle coverage on 11x14 used only for contact prints ?

[Greg]

Not with a 183mm on 11x14 but a f/18 140mm Protar on an 8x10. Experience should be similar. Focusing was a bear... never did figure out a way to positively determine when I was in perfect focus. I used to refocus a few times and mark a piece of white masking tape on the bed. Usually three or four times and the marks was never overlapped. Then used to set the focus in the middle of all the marks. Stopped down to f/36, f/45, or f/50 (forgot which). Negatives were always plenty sharp enough for contact printing. On my particular lens the f/stops seemed to be about a stop slower than marked... probably was me more than the lens. I was looking for a Protar for my 11x14 but the prices were too heed for my pockets. For a lot less money I found a barrel 5.9" No. 5 Gray Extreme WA Periscope and had SK Grimes mount it in a Copal #3. Never looked back. The Gray's maximum aperture is marked at f/14, but the iris opens up additionally to almost f/11 for focusing only as I was told by SK Grimes. I second their recommendation.

[FrancisF]

My experiences with 11x14 lenses over the years:

5.9” No. 5 Gray Periscope: Extreme WA. Tiny bit of movement is possible. Least used lens but there are times that it just works.

Greg - You make refernce to a lens - 5.9” No. 5 Gray Periscope.

I do not know much about optics or the history of lenses. I bought a ULF lens (1000 mm) that was described as a "periscope" lens. What does this style of lens mean?

[Greg]

Greg - You make refernce to a lens - 5.9” No. 5 Gray Periscope.

I do not know much about optics or the history of lenses. I bought a ULF lens (1000 mm) that was described as a "periscope" lens. What does this style of lens mean?

Quote from an ad for the lens:

GRAY'S EXTREME ANGLE PERISCOPE: "Is conceded to be superior to all Wide-Angle Lenses, both in illuminating power and angle of definition. They admit of the use of so large a diaphragm as f/10, which is sufficient for instantaneous views, and when stopped down,cover sharply an angle of 115 degrees.
No. 3. 4.2 inches covers 8x10
No. 5. 5.9 inches covers 11x14
No. 6. 7.1 inches covers 14x17
No. 7. 8.4 inches covers 16x20
No. 8. 10.0 inches covers 20x24

Sold between 1880 and 1890. Our museum has two framed 20x24 contact prints which I am 95% sure were made with the No. 8. The prints are truly impressive. Some rise was done with the front standard for one of the prints and there is no vignetting! I have been looking for a No. 6, No. 7, or a No. 8 for years with no luck.