Advice - lightweight 14" or 360mm lens for 4x5?

[Lightbender]

I used to have an RD Artar 14" f9 in an ilex #4 shutter. Great lens. Focusing was easy because the illumination was even across the screen.
(short lenses at f8 are hard to focus because the light falloff at the edges makes them very dark)
It was not too big or heavy. Sharp and contrasty. I made some test shots with a 35mm back. Not quite as good as my 210mm sironar but surprisingly good.
However, I have downsized from a zone vi to a shen hao, and could no longer focus the 360mm, so I sold it.
Dont spend $600 for a mounting.. you can probably find a nice clean example already in an ilex shutter for $300.

-Speaking of which, what camera are you using? Many have a mamimum bellows extention listed at 360mm. But at maximum extention these cameras are near useless. You cannot use any movements. The bellows pulls on the front so focussing is difficult or will shift. and the extra extention is sometimes accomplished by tilting the front standard forward (as in my shen hao).

[Graybeard]

I used to have an RD Artar 14" f9 in an ilex #4 shutter. Great lens. Focusing was easy because the illumination was even across the screen.
(short lenses at f8 are hard to focus because the light falloff at the edges makes them very dark)
It was not too big or heavy. Sharp and contrasty. I made some test shots with a 35mm back. Not quite as good as my 210mm sironar but surprisingly good.
However, I have downsized from a zone vi to a shen hao, and could no longer focus the 360mm, so I sold it.
Dont spend $600 for a mounting.. you can probably find a nice clean example already in an ilex shutter for $300.

-Speaking of which, what camera are you using? Many have a mamimum bellows extention listed at 360mm. But at maximum extention these cameras are near useless. You cannot use any movements. The bellows pulls on the front so focussing is difficult or will shift. and the extra extention is sometimes accomplished by tilting the front standard forward (as in my shen hao).

A minor advantage of a front mounted lens is that, as the lens barrel is on the front of the shutter, the shutter body acts as a short expension tube, providing a small amount of effective extension increase.

[Jeff Bannow]

-Speaking of which, what camera are you using? Many have a mamimum bellows extention listed at 360mm. But at maximum extention these cameras are near useless. You cannot use any movements. The bellows pulls on the front so focussing is difficult or will shift. and the extra extention is sometimes accomplished by tilting the front standard forward (as in my shen hao).

Thanks for the advice. I have a Chamonix 45n1 w/ universal bellows and have the extension bracket.

[Kerry L. Thalmann]

The older single coated 360mm f9 APO Ronar from the late 1950s and early 1960s the smallest, lightest lens I know of in this focal length range that came in a factory mounted shutter. It is a contemporary of your Red Dot Artar and a similar design. The key advantage is the smaller (and better) shutter (Compur No. 2 vs. Ilex No. 4) and the fact that the front element is threaded for standard 46mm filters. You can buy filters in this size, or get a 46mm - 49mm or 46mm - 52mm step up ring if you have standardized on filters in one of those more common sizes. This lens only weighs about 315g - less than either the 360mm Fujinon A (465g) or new 350mm f11 Schneider APO-Tele-Xenar Compact (400g), and much less than a shutter mounted Red Dot Artar. It also takes much smaller filters (46mm) than the Fuji (58mm) or Schneider (58mm).

Coverage is plenty for 4x5 or 5x7, but not really enough for 8x10 (official image circle spec = 318mm). It is only single coated. Newer multicoated 360mm APO Ronars are readily available used, but they come in Copal No. 3 shutters, are much heavier (550g) and take larger filters (58mm). They also cost a lot more than the older, single coated version. Of course the 360mm F10 Fujinon A (~$1500 for a clean used sample) and new 350mm APO Tele-Xenar Compact ($950mm) are also considerably more expensive.

If cost was no object, the a new Schneider would probably be my first choice. Even at $950, it'a very good deal for a new large format lens of this quality and focal length. If cost is an object, I'd recommend one of the older, single coated, shutter mounted 360mm APO Ronars. Just don't buy that one on eBay for $625. Although not exactly common, this isn't a cult or collectible lens. If you're patient, you can find a clean sample in a properly working shutter for a lot less.

Kerry