Best Wide Angle bang for one's respective currency

[AndrewH]

I am very new to LF photography. I have a 150mm lens and am looking for something on the wide side. Any suggestions for a used lens to look for out there?

 

[bmac]

I am very new to LF photography. I have a 150mm lens and am looking for something on the wide side. Any suggestions for a used lens to look for out there?

are you talking 4x5, 8x10, etc...

 

[David A. Goldfarb]

If you're main lens is a 150mm, I'll guess you're shooting 4x5".

A single-coated Schneider 90/8.0 Super-Angulon from the 1970s can be a nice lens (I have one) for $200-300, depending on condition and shutter. Avoid the ones in 00 shutters if you can, since it's hard to find lensboards for that size.

 

[glbeas]

I have a 90 and it quite nice used. The widest practical I think without breaking the bank is a 65mm Super Angulon. I got mine for a little over $300 used and it's worth every penny. You have to be careful using it though or you will get the front end of your focusing rail in the shot.

 

[removed account4]

I am very new to LF photography. I have a 150mm lens and am looking for something on the wide side. Any suggestions for a used lens to look for out there?

i agree wholeheartedly with the previous posts ...
if you are looking at schneider lenses, a handy link is this:
http://www.schneideroptics.com/info/age_of_lenses/
the lens serial # is located on the front cell, and with the above link, you can figure out what year of manufacture it was ...
besides a hard to find lensboard hole, if you have fingers bigger than a child's, you'll have trouble adjusting fstops &C without a pen or something to stick in there.

 

[Jim Chinn]

If you're main lens is a 150mm, I'll guess you're shooting 4x5".

A single-coated Schneider 90/8.0 Super-Angulon from the 1970s can be a nice lens (I have one) for $200-300, depending on condition and shutter. Avoid the ones in 00 shutters if you can, since it's hard to find lensboards for that size.

David, I may be mistaken but I think the 70s version was just called an Angulon and was single coated in a compur shutter. Good lens but not a good shutter. I think these lenses are the $200-$300 versions. The Super Angulons were later and I see them on Midwest and Lens and Repro sites for $500-$700 depending on condition. I think there were 3 versions however. A 5.6, 6.8 and F8. The 6.8 may be the older lens in a compur but I am not sure. Do you know the distinctions?

 

[Emile de Leon]

90mm f6.8 coated Raptar. Small, light and good image quality. Not much room for moves though. Inexpensive.

 

[David A. Goldfarb]

Jim--The 90/6.8 Angulon was even earlier and was a Dagor type. These are very lightweight and compact lenses, and coated ones go for around $125-200. Linhof Select Angulons are usually a little more consistent, and they were made into the 1970s. I have one just for when I need something lightweight.

The 90/8.0 Super-Angulon was made simultaneously with the Angulon, going back I think to the 1960s, and it is a much sharper lens out to the edges of the image circle, but also much larger and somewhat more expensive. You can usually find these for under $350 for the single coated version. I have 90/8.0, 75/8.0, and 65/8.0 Super Angulons from the 1970s, and they are all very decent lenses. The newer and faster ones with big image circles are better, but they are also very large and often take big filters, and I try to keep all my 4x5" lenses under 67mm so that I can use my Linhof drop-in filter holder/shade with them.

 

[fingel]

David, I may be mistaken but I think the 70s version was just called an Angulon and was single coated in a compur shutter. Good lens but not a good shutter.

I have heard this before about compur shutters and am wondering why they generally have this reputation of being bad? I have several lenses in compur shutters of all vintages from dial set, to the all black late 80's early 90's versions, and I have found them to be fine shutters, no better or worse than copal shutters.

 

[David A. Goldfarb]

I think Compur shutters are fine, but they often require a CLA to work properly when they are old (around $80), particularly with the slow speeds. With some you may never get the slow speeds back, but I find I'm more accurate on "bulb" with a metronome than most old shutters, even at 1/2 sec.

 

[Jim Chinn]

Thanks for the info David.

 

[fingel]

Thanks David,
Most of my shutters look like they have been well cared for over the years by the people who have owned them previously. This probably explains why I haven't had any problems with some even though they are very old.

 

[Ole]

I got it!

The "Best Wide Angle bang " for my respective currency just arrived in my mail: a 135mm/f:7 "Mono-Werke Monoplast" which looks like it has about 100° coverage. Total price, including three other lenses (all bought as "old shutters with glass in them): Euro 24.-

 

[AndrewH]

I guess I should have also included coverage circle as somewhat of a requirement. I currently have a 150mm Sironar N (I think it's an N) and I wished I would have bought something with larger image area.

 

[JohnArs]

Super Angulons can be from 1950

Hi David

I have a 90mm f8 Super Angulon from 1950 it has the compur 00 and a selftimer.
The lens is not to bad but against the todays standards wide lenses is it a bit behind and has not a flatfield. Also does it have a bit of focus shift!

 

[sanking]

I am very new to LF photography. I have a 150mm lens and am looking for something on the wide side. Any suggestions for a used lens to look for out there?

In addition to the 90mm f/6.8 Angulon and the various versions of the Super-Angulon another good wide angle lens for 4X5 is the 90mm f/8 Ilex-Calumet Wide Field Caltar. I don't know the exact design of this lens but its coverage and performance are very similar to that of the Super-Angulon. I use this lens as a super wide angle lens on 5X7 and it covers nicely when stopped down, but with virtually no movements.

Sandy King

 

[removed account4]

if you can find a wollensak 3 1/2 " exwa ( extreme wide angle ) it is pretty inexpensive and works well. stopped down it will cover 5x7. on the down side, it is a f12 ( but it opens more for focusing ) and there is not flash sync. it is mounted in a tiny little alphax shutter. i used it as a back-up when my 90mm raptar ( also a nice lens ) was on the blink.

good luck!