Best 8x10 camera for ultra-wide angle?

[Michael R]

Just checked the Walker price list - at the current exchange rate, the Walker XL is actually quite a bit less expensive than the Shen-Hao TFC that I mentioned.

That’s interesting - I hadn’t even bothered to check and just assumed it would be expensive (like everything these days) relative to something like a Shen Hao. I briefly owned a Walker 4x5 SF which was quite reasonably priced at the time but that was more than a decade ago.

[Michael Jones]

Not knowing what movements OP needs, the people behind the 75mm Hypergon have a short focus ‘quick shot’ camera supporting ultra wides on 8x10: the eco810ss.

https://elevanfilm.com/product/eco810ss/

[Oren Grad]

Box cameras:

5. Adapt a box camera or have one built, since you don't have room for movement anyway. I have an 8x10 Hobo that I had adapted to mount a 120 Super-Angulon in focus helical.

Forgot about Morten Kolve's "Will Travel" cameras:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/333790645038

https://film.kolve.org/darkroomdiy/w...endly-cameras/

[domaz]

My 8x10 Gowland can easily focus the Nikkor 120mm. It's a simple lightweight rail camera design. The focusing rail itself isn't very long and you can position the front and rear standards basically however you want so the rail doesn't get in the way. The only limiting factor in this design is the bellows.

[Kiwi7475]

125mm shouldn’t be too much of a challenge for many 8x10 cameras. For example the Chamonix focuses the Nikkor SW 120mm f8 just fine without showing the front of the camera. Monorail based systems like Arca Swiss and others also do this without issues. I think where it gets tricky once you get below the 120mm mark… like with the Schneider 110XL; not only because of obstruction from the camera’s front but also because the compression of the bellows. And the Hypergons, of course, which is another level of difficulty.

[Vaughan]

Thanks for your suggestions. I should have mentioned that zero movement are required other than the ability to centre the lens.

Compared to the Hypergon, the Fujinon 125mm is no problem and it works fine with standard bellows. (second picture).

How is the coverage of the Fujinon NSW 125mm lens on 8x10? I was getting dark corners but it may have been incorrect entering the lens axis over the film.

[Mark J]

On paper it doesn't look good. The 1997 catalogue shows it as a 96° coverage which means 280mm diameter. 8x10" is around 310 to 312 . Maybe they were aiming for the 82mm front filter size or something.

[Vaughan]

On paper it doesn't look good. The 1997 catalogue shows it as a 96° coverage which means 280mm diameter. 8x10" is around 310 to 312 . Maybe they were aiming for the 82mm front filter size or something.

Indeed. The older writing-on-front Fujinon SW 120mm f8 has a slightly larger 290mm circle. The Nikkor SW 120mm f8 has 312mm which should cover 8x10 fully, and give Nikon's often conservative specifications should do better when stopped down further that f16. The Nikkor 120mm is reasonably cheap too.

Note that the Fujinon 125mm is a very nice lens for 4x5, 5x7 and 6½x8½.

[diversey]

My widest 8x10 lens is Nikkor SW 120mm too. I use it on my Deardorff V8. This lens just barely covers 8x10, almost no movement. If you use screw-in round filters and they may cause dark corners due to light blockage. I have to use square sheet filters to avoid dark corners.

[Dave Wooten]

I have an 8x10 W Svedovsky, 120mm to 400 mm. Check them out
Also a custom Ritter built specifically for this application is more than a wee bit enticing