Need 8x10 wide lens advice.

[cameragearforyou]

hello all. i am new to 8x10 (came from 4x5 and mamiya 7ii). I bought an 1980s vintage deardorff with 5 lenses for 2300usd, and i have a selection of lenses that i will keep. But the 165mm schneider if way too heavy and will most likely sell.
what i need help with i what are good wide lenses that are not too heavy for 8x10?

thanks all!

 

[Ole]

I assume that 165mm Schneider is a Super Angulon, since you find it too heavy?

I use a 165mm Angulon, which however has a sligjt problem with 8x10 except at very small stops. It's really a 18x24cm lens. In the same series the 210mm Angulon is less wide, but provides plenty of coverage.

 

[jmcd]

These two are nice wides for 8x10, and they are quite small.
159mm (6-1/4") Wollensak
9-1/2 Dagor

 

[Ian Grant]

The tiny WA Protar's are excellent, I have Ross version a 151mm f16, it's tiny and despite it's maximum aperture of f16 remarkably easy to focus, it has room for movements on 10x8. The Zeiss version is f18, other focal lenghts were available. Ross and Zeiss shared some technology/designs etc pre-WWI, the WA Protar is a Zeiss Patent design that uses technology licensed from Ross. Some are marked EWA.

My Ross lens is a fraction maybe 1-2% of the weight of my 165mm SA

Ian

 

[df cardwell]

The little Wolly is a lovely lens, and gives lots of performance for a small, inexpensive lens. But it doesn't offer much coverage beyond 8x10, and needs to be stopped down. But it IS very good in the field !

I'm a big fan of the Series V (f/18) Protars, and they were made by Zeiss, Ross, Krauss, and Bausch and Lomb. Wonderful lenses.
Downside of the f/18 series is that they are very small, too small for shutters besides Volute, and are pretty rare. But a ND filter and a lens cap will work almost everytime.

Zeiss offered a Series IV (f.12.5) that was a little bigger and fit into a small shutter. They need to be stopped down, but are also extremely fine lenses.

In the rarer-but-you-never-know-what-will-turn-up category are the Dallmeyer, Cooke, Hugo Meyer, there are some others that I can't remember !~

You ought to be able to turn up some f/18 Protars if you need to.

 

[Nick Zentena]

How wide do you want?

G-Claron 240mm

Fuji-W 210mm

 

[Trevor Crone]

For 8x10 I use both a Rodenstock 240 Apo Sironar-S in Copal 3 shutter, large heavy lens but good coverage and a Schneider 150 Super Symmar XL in a Copal 0 shutter, for me a truly great lens with excellent coverage. Another large lens requiring 95mm filters. These are modern lenses at their finest but alas are not cheap, however coverage was my main priority with sharpness maintained right into the corners at max shift.

 

[Larry Bullis]

I'm a big fan of the Series V (f/18) Protars, and they were made by Zeiss, Ross, Krauss, and Bausch and Lomb. Wonderful lenses.
Downside of the f/18 series is that they are very small, too small for shutters besides Volute, and are pretty rare. But a ND filter and a lens cap will work almost everytime.

They work great with Packards.

Here's what my "5x7" (about 135mm, I think) f/18 B&L Zeiss Protar will cover. The image was made on 11x14 film. You can see the vignette in the upper corners.

There's an 85mm version that would do about the same thing on 8x10. I have one now, but I used the 11x14 for this image because I hadn't got the 85 by that time.

 

[df cardwell]

Bowz !

We're letting all the secrets out, shh !

 

[Larry Bullis]

Bowz !

We're letting all the secrets out, shh !

Ooooops! What was I thinking? I'm not ready to sell them just yet.

 

[Robert Hall]

I use a Nikkor 120 (f/8 I believe) Which gives me about a 20mm on 35mm film type prespective. Small and sharp.

 

[df cardwell]

A great lens on a Deardorff. Also a 150, fantastic. But the 150 is not so small.
The 210 W is pretty useful, too.

 

[John Kasaian]

Perhaps a Nikon 120mm SW?

 

[Robert Hall]

Excellent idea!

 

[Ian Grant]

Mmmmh I've never seen so many WA Protars on Ebay

I'm almost tempted to get another.

Ian

 

[Don12x20]

Look for a Hypergon 80mm with fan (or even up through 135/150mm) for extreme wide angle on 8x10.

Wisner made a 80mm version without fan...

all are extremely small lenses....

 

[Robert Hall]

A "fan" Don? I don't believe I know what that is.

 

[Don12x20]

The early hypergons had an air actuated fan that swung in over the lens to even the exposure
take a look at http://www.phsc.ca/hypergon.html

Its been over a decade since I sold my version of the 80mm with fan.

Wisner built 85mm version without the fan.

 

[Softie]

Has anyone actually seen a Wisner Hypergon?

Keep your 165mm Super Angulon. It's big, it's heavy, but you have it. The only comparable lens that is modern and comes in a shutter is the 150 SSXL, which is smaller but not so much smaller that it's worth trading up to.

 

[JLP]

Another 8x10 wide angle that is worth looking for is the Cooke 158/6.5 VIIb most are in barrel but can be had in a #1 shutter. A bit rare but excelent small lens.

jan

 

[Brickbird]

I have the 210 Angulon, 159 Wollensak, 210 Fuji W and a 250 Wide Field Ektar for my 8x10 Deardorff. The Angulon would be my choice but just above the Ektar. The Angulon works well on my 11x14 Deardorff also.