My friend is interested in this Caltar II N 90mm lens. I'm not well versed enough to answer some of his questions. He wants to use it on a Tech III.
So my basic questions are:
Will it fit?
Will he need to change the mount board? (Currently on a board used by a Tachihara)
Since it is so bright of a lens f4.5 is it a sharp lens, and what performance at what f stop do people get?
I have this lens mounted on a 4 x 4 Calumet board, if that would be of any help to you. I expect that it would be at least a very tight fit on a Tech III, but someone else will have to comment on that. The lens is excellent. It's very sharp (at least between ƒ8 and ƒ32), and, as you indicate, its speed helps on the focusing. Its only drawback is weight and bulk.
Unless you are doing 'wide open' shooting, the wide aperture is to aid in focusing and composing. You'd still choose your taking aperture like any other lens ( http://www.largeformatphotography.info/fstop.html )
On the Tech V you don't need a recessed board for a 90mm, perhaps the Tech III is similar.
Great insights. Keep them coming, I looked and it is in a Copal 1 shutter.
Your right it is very easy on the eyes being so bright and it is a big beautiful piece of glass. Big being the operative word. I have it on a flat board on the Tachihara so I bet other cameras would be able to do it too.