Best 'starter' lens?

[Cletus]

Mitch -

It's always a good idea to do some research, read some books and ask these questions - or otherwise educate yourself - about this move into LF you are contemplating. You'll get some good advice and some not so good advice here and it's difficult to sort the wheat from the chaff (so to speak) without having tried out the cameras and have at least a little experience under your belt.

I'll try not to belabor the point here too much, but many here, including myself, have taken the same road you are and have asked the same questions. I've only been doing LF for a few years and I had the same camera you are looking at. It's an excellent camera to start out with (or stay with) and is full featured enough you may never need another.

As for lenses, I wouldn't worry too much about making some big mistake and setting yourself up for regret if you go with something simple and 'all-purpose' as has already been suggested. Get a modern 125-180mm in a Copal shutter from any of the four majors for a couple hundred bucks (I'm biased toward Fujinon, but they're all excellent) and go out and shoot with it for awhile. It won't take you long at all to "see the light" and in a short time you'll have a very good idea of where you want to go from there.

I completely understand the mindset you are likely to be in, moving up from small formats and being used to the cameras, lenses and other gear. Large Format is a whole different animal and you won't really get it until you start doing it.

And second the opinion on the tripod. You don't need a big heavy monster for the camera you're getting now, but if you just bite the bullet and get the best tripod you can conceive (Gitzo series 3 or 5, or Really Right Stuff) you'll never regret it and you'll never need to buy another tripod as long as you live. Get anything less, or try to skimp in this department and you will almost certainly buy MANY more tripods! Take my word for it! If there's one major difference between LF and everything else - your tripod will become one of your primary and most crucial pieces of gear.

Good luck, have fun!

[Marizu]

Hi from Manchester!

I won't be buying anything for a while as I want to get it right first time

My experience with LF is that you never actually get it right, so for your first camera, I'd advise getting it cheap
When you understand what you need for the photographs that you want to make then get the appropriate camera (and possibly sell the old one).
Some people simply don't get on with the whole LF workflow and it's better to figure that out on the cheap if possible.

Hmmm tempting! I did have a look at the V700, it would have been my first choice if it wasn't so expensive, although I might just stay with 5x4s and 8x10 is massive lol

The V500 won't scan a 5x4 negative (on the film scanning head). It only does up to medium format film. I had to shift mine and get a V700 when I wanted to scan 5x4 negs.
A V500 could be used for scanning the cyanotype(paper) negs that you mentioned in a previous thread but you will end up wanting a V700.

Just make sure that you have figured out the costs of your complete workflow (film changing, film developing, scanning or optical output) before you start buying stuff.

Good luck!

[Ivan J. Eberle]

A seemingly inexhaustible supply of 210mm f/5.6 Plasmats circulate on eBay as tremendous bargains, apochromatic glass optics that were once selling for greater than 5 times what they routinely sell for in mint condition today (sub $200 USD). This focal length was the coin of the realm for student, studio and commercial portraiture work. 210mm lenses have a significant advantage in image circle over 135mm or 150mm lenses of the same design. Having a surplus of IC will emphasize the advantages 4x5 format yet enjoys over other formats.

[Craig Roberts]

My first 4x5 kit (1970) included a 210mm and a 90mm. I still use the 210 WAY more than any other lens for 4x5.

[Cletus]

Can't argue with that. 210 is a hell of a versatile lens. And cheap for great quality.

[ImSoNegative]

I think a 152mm ektar is a great lens, very cheap in price. and like jim posted, the 203 ektar is another great lens, though a bit higher in price than the 152. I bought my 152 from keh bargain grade 55.00

[John Kasaian]

For the OP's purposes I'd agree that a more modern used 210mm from any of the big three would serve him well. There are plenty of examples of vintage glass that would work as well, but are they available in the UK at the same prices we see here in the US? I don't know, nor do I know how long the hunt would take to find a 203 Ektar or say, 162 Velostigmat in the UK whereas a used Schneider or Nikon "warhorse" might be more commonly "sourced"(as they say over there) Just sayin'

[Ole Tjugen]

Keep it simple: Get any working camera, and any lens with a working shutter and a focal length somewhere from 150mm to 210mm.

Play with that a while, then you will know what you want.

Since you're in the UK you might look for a well-used Gandolfi camera; then you won't ever need another. Except maybe more Gandolfis...

[Peter De Smidt]

As others have said, a modern 210 in a Copal or Compur shutter would be a terrific choice. It's my second most used focal length. My most used is a 120mm. If you get an F8 wide angle version, like a Super Angulon, you'll have lot's of image circle to play with. 120mm is wide angle, but it's easier to focus than the 90mm ones. 210 and 120 are a great pair for landscapes an portraits. If architecture is your thing, especially interiors, a 90mm might be a better choice. In that case, look for an F6.8 or faster. The F8 varieties are good lenses, but they can be difficult to focus, especially in dim interiors.

[Randy]

Since m1tch said he would mainly be doing landscapes, would starting with a Crown Graphic and what ever lens they often come with (I can't remember - 127mm, 135mm) be a good option? That's what I started with back in the mid 80's when I got my first 4X5.