5x7 Portrait Lens Advice please!

Tom Stanworth · Feb 5, 2012

Hi,

I am considering doing a portrait project on 5x7 and I'm looking for a mild wide and a modest long lens to cover environmental, full length and head and shoulder shots at the tightest.

For what I want to achieve I am not looking for high contrast biting lenses - I already own those - but gentle lenses, with an old school look. I am not after soft focus per so, just a sympathetic look. Soft corners are not an issue, but a reasonable degree of resolution desirable.

I'm looking for shuttered lenses that I could buy for reasonable prices and ready to go, rather than project or barrel lenses. I am hoping I will be able to find such lenses for modest cost because I am not looking for the best technical performance!

The aim is to produce portraits that can be printed to 30-40".

Can anyone point me in the right direction? I really have no clue outside of the modern Schneiders, Fujinons etc that I own and its so important that these images are old school.

Thanks!

keithwms · Feb 5, 2012

This may at first sound like a very odd suggestion but have a look at the Nikkor 360T. It has a fairly gentle rendering, good neutrality, nice bokeh with a little bit of swirl, and the short bellows draw makes it easy to use in tight spots. (there was a url link here which no longer exists). It's triple convertible... if you're lucky enough to locate the other rear elements.

removed account4 · Feb 5, 2012

hi tom

you might have a lens already that will do the trick
do you have a schneider symmar convertible ?
that is a plasmat design, and converted + wide open gives a nice look
( schneider suggests for portraits and landscapes on their website ) other than that
you might keep an eye out for rapid rectalinaers or brass triple convertibles.
rapid rectalinaer lenses are convertible too, so if you find something like a 10" converted it will be longer
and * maybe * the longer focal length you are looking for.
i have 10" and 14" focal lengths that i often use on a 5x7 for portraits, the 14" is perfect for head+shoulders, the 10" is great for wider views ...
often times the older lenses are shot wide open ( which might be too much in some cases ) stopped down a little sometimes
gives a nice soft look without the headachblur that swirly+ubersoft lenses might give wide open.

good luck !

john

Tom Stanworth · Feb 5, 2012

Thanks all, some interesting thoughts so far, but keep'em coming!

I'd never have considered a 360T but will think about that one.... Old convertible symmars sound interesting too. I dont have one though, but will look and see what prices are to be paid.

What about those 240 f4.5 Xenars and the like wide open or close. What are they like?

removed account4 · Feb 5, 2012

hi tom

xenars are tessar design, so they might give a nice soft effect wide open ..

try it, you might like it
you might also try unscrewing an element a teensy bit,
or front focusing ( focusing infront of your subject ) to see how that
renders with the lenses you already own.

have fun !
john

Ole · Feb 6, 2012

Mild wide and not super-biting-sharp... Maybe an old uncoated 165mm (or 16,5cm) Angulon? Mine is later and coated, and is sharp enough for HUGE enlargements from 5x7". At least at small apertures, wide open it will be less biting.

For head and shoulders, maybe a 240mm f:4.5 Xenar or Tessar. IF your camera can handle a Compound IV, that is. If it can handle a Compound V there's always the 300mm f:4.5 equivalents, or even a 300mm Heliar. Great lenses, but a huge shutter that won't fit all lens boards.

Steve Hamley · Feb 6, 2012

How about a Dagor? Paolo Roversi uses one. You can easily get a long and a wide in shutter for 5x7, uncoated or coated as you please. Since they are convertible, a 6-1/2" or 7" Dagor might do both, should be around 13 inches or so converted.

10", 12" or 14" f:6.3 Kodak Commecial Ektar, classic portrait lenses.

Kodak f:4.5 Ektars. They made these single coated in 7-1/2" and 12" focal lengths. A 12" f:4.5 Ektar is in an Ilex #5.

+1 for the Xenar/Tessar idea (Kodak Ektars and Commercial Ektars are tessars)

Cheers, Steve

Steve Hamley · Feb 6, 2012

Here's a shot done with an uncoated 5" f:6.8 Goerz Double Anastigmat (pre-1904 Dagor) on 4x5. I like to think the jpeg retains some of "the look".

Oh, and the lens itself is tiny. The glass is about the size of a small thumbnail.

The long side of the format typically makes a pleasing mildly wide focal length, so 5" or 120mm/125mm for 4x5, 7" or 180mm for 5x7.

Cheers, Steve

TimVermont · Feb 7, 2012

I'm with Keith in terms of focal length. I use a Tele-Xenar 360.

spongeboy · Feb 29, 2012

Woollies are nice: I love, love my 15" f5.6 Wollensak Tele for 5x7" Portraits. Shot wide open. Muahhh! I bought it as a barrel lens and found a nice Aphax #4 for it: Screwed right in. Not expensive either and very good (I've had both the uncoated and the later coated version, both are equally good).
For wider: 210mm Komura-Commercial or Schneider Xenar don't break the bank and are as good as anything (may be too sharp and contrasty for you though); then even wider: Again, I like the Wollensaks: esp. the 159mm Wide Angle Raptar in the f6.8 version; this lens also comes in 108mm (still covering 5x7!!!) and 210mm, so those may be nice options for you. Quality can vary a bit, and there are old Velostigmat and f9.5 and f12.5 versions. My copies are all nice and I mostly swapped the Betax shutters to Alphax Synchromatic shutters to be able to use flash. If you don't need flash, the Betax are fine shutters as well.

jp498 · Feb 29, 2012

+1 for tessars

I don't know what's available for the triplets, but those are gentle too. I use one in a barrel lens.

For more money, a kodak 305 portrait can do everything from super soft to crisp depending on the aperture and will have nice bokeh doing it. Available in ilex5 shutter or barrel.

Tom Stanworth · Mar 22, 2012

As it turns out I have picked up a few lenses that might do the trick, namely 180mm and 240mm convertible symmars. They are 70's era Linhof examples in compur shutters and I will experiment with them through the apertures and as single elements. I'm back in the UK in a month and will put them through their paces before heading back to Kabul. Judging by my experience years ago with a 135 symmar convetible, contrast should be a little lower than my MC lenses and wide open, or close to, I hope they will have a 'soft sharpness.' We will see!

Asmara · Mar 26, 2012

So many choices -- my personal favourites would be a 12" Kodak Commercial Ektar (or Calumet Caltar II), Much more expensive and rare are the Kodak 305mm portrait lens f4.8 easily covers 5x7 (very hard to find) and good Heliar 21cm or 24cm. Best of luck.

5x7 Portrait Lens Advice please!

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