Lots of questions about LF lenses

[Lachlan Young]

I was wondering which of the Voightlander Heliars is best for portraiture work on a Speed Graphic - as it has a focal plane shutter it doesn't matter too much if the lens is barrel only - what is a reasonable price for a good example? Also, what are your opinions of the LOMO/INDUSTAR barrel 210mm and 300mm lenses - and how much would they cost? Thirdly, is it worth my while tracking down a Artar type lens or are they of limited coverage, expensive and heavy? Finally, I have heard many conflicting opinions on Wollensak lenses - are their TELEPHOTOS and WIDE ANGLES any good?(follow the underlined hyperlinks)

All help much appreciated,

Lachlan

 

[TheFlyingCamera]

You'll be limited as to the focal length of Heliar you can fit on a Speed Graphic - You won't be able to go much beyond a 210 or 240 (8 1/2 or 10"). Not sure on pricing - these seem to be all over the place - if Jim Galli is bidding, expect a swarm of followers to drive the price through the roof! .

What camera do you want the Artar for? They have actually fairly good coverage for their focal length, once you get into the longer lenses. They're not as wide a coverage angle as the Dagors, they cost less than a Dagor, and they're not particularly heavy unless they're mounted in an Ilex #5 shutter. I know LOTS of people who use them as mild teles for 8x10 work in the field. Artars are generally not good portrait lenses because of their relatively small maximum apertures.

 

[Lachlan Young]

What camera do you want the Artar for?

A Speed Graphic - probably not the best camera to put it on from the sound of things! How much do the Ektars that were fitted to the Graflex SLRs go for?

all help much appreciated,

Lachlan

 

[TheFlyingCamera]

Artars are not true telephoto designs, so they may require too much bellows draw to focus closer than infinity. looking on the web, I found a chart of various Artar focal lengths - anything longer than an 8 3/4" will cover 4x5, but for coverage with movements, you'll want at least a 9 1/2". You could also get away with something in the 10"-10 3/4" range, but beyond that, you'll run out of bellows on the Speed.

 

[TheFlyingCamera]

The Ektars that were on the Graflex D and siblings don't show up by themselves all that often, so I don't know how much. If you can find one separated from the camera, it will probably go cheap because most people won't know what it is.

Here is a good lens in the longer range for 4x5, and these often go for reasonable amounts- (under $200) -

http://cgi.ebay.com/EKTAR-203mm-f7-...ryZ30076QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

I don't know anything about the condition of this particular one, but the 203 Ektar F7.7 has a terrific reputation.

Another lens with a bit of a cult following which will work on your Speed is the Kodak Aero-Ektar 178mm F2.5 (yes, that's right, F2.5). They make a pretty decent portrait lens because of the extremely shallow depth of field that is possible. This lens has an element in it made with Thorium, so it is mildly radioactive (won't hurt your film, just don't sleep with it under your pillow). The radioactive lens element has a tendency to yellow over time, but the yellowing can be removed with exposure to UV light (set it in a bright windowsill for a couple days).

 

[Dan Fromm]

I was wondering which of the Voightlander Heliars is best for portraiture work on a Speed Graphic - as it has a focal plane shutter it doesn't matter too much if the lens is barrel only - what is a reasonable price for a good example? Also, what are your opinions of the LOMO/INDUSTAR barrel 210mm and 300mm lenses - and how much would they cost? Thirdly, is it worth my while tracking down a Artar type lens or are they of limited coverage, expensive and heavy? Finally, I have heard many conflicting opinions on Wollensak lenses - are their TELEPHOTOS and WIDE ANGLES any good?(follow the underlined hyperlinks)

All help much appreciated,

Lachlan

Lachlan, I have a 210/4.5 Industar-51 in barrel, have tried it on my 2x3 Speed Graphic. Short answer, I didn't like it. Contrasty enough, but not as sharp as, in particular, my 210/9 Konica Hexanon GRII. Heavier, too.

About Wolly lenses, Richard Knoppow, who posts on rec.photography.equipment.large-format but not here, has sounded off many times about tessar type Raptars and Velostigmats. He reports that all of the ones he's used have had worse coma than equivalent tessar types from other makers, especially EKCo, and have had to be stopped farther down to get satisfactory image quality in the corners. Richard believes there's a problem with Wollensak's tessar design. To which Les Newcomer, one of the moderators on the www.graflex.org helpboard, has replied to the effect that good image quality in the corners is rarely necessary.

Cheers,

Dan

 

[John Kasaian]

Lachlan,

There is a big difference between Heliars, Ektars and Artars (other than the f/7.7 Ektar is a Kodak version of an Artar.) Uncoated barrels go for less than $70 unless they've become cult classics when no one was looking.

What I have on my speeder is a 168mm Wollensak Velostigmat in a Rapax shutter---a very nice uncoated lens thats probably worth less than $100---a coated version (raptar) a bit more. If you want a little 'bokeh' for portraiture a Velostigmat might be worth the hunt. Its not a Heliar by an stretch of the imagination, however. but it'll fit nicely on a speeder, gives good results and the price will be right.