8x10 Lenses Most Used, Most Desired

[neil poulsen]

I hope I"m not treading too much familiar territory with this inquiry. The nice thing about 4x5 is the variety of lenses that are available at reasonable cost, or at least, are available.

But, 8x10 is a different ballgame. Need lots of movement on a moderate wide-angle, and a SW 120mm or 121mm can be found for under $400. But for 8x10, an equivalent cost can exceed $1500.

Need a 300mm for 4x5 that doesn't weigh a lot? It's pretty easy to find a 300mm Nikon M at a reasonable price. But for an equivalent lens on 8x10, prepare to weight months (or years?) and spend upwards of $2000 for a Fijinon, 600mm C.

So, this prompts me to inquire, what lens focal lengths/model (W, SW, T, G-Claron, M, etc.) for 8x10 do your use regularly? Also, what focal lengths/model would come in most handy, if one could either find and afford?

ADDED A LITTLE LATER . . .

What kinds of photography do you do in 8x10, versus what you might do in other, smaller formats?