Petzval lens recommendation for 8x10 camera

[matcass]

Hello,

I was wondering if anyone had a preference in term of Petzval brass lens for a 8x10 camera.
I'm thinking about buying one and was looking at some Jamin Darlot lens but i get confuse by the lens/camera size relationship.
Will a 15" lens cover an 8x10 camera? (i'm kind of new to the brass lens world)

Any recommendation would be more than welcome i actually owne a Deardorff 8x10.

Thank you.
Mat.

 

[Andrew Moxom]

Mat, a petzval that covers 8x10 at infinity will usually be quite large. You can get away with say a 9" lens for portraits closer in, but ideally you need around a 12" lens to cover 8x10. So your 13" choice would be quite good. Unfortunately, the lens board size is the limiting factor. A deardorff lensboard is roughly 6x6", meaning you need to be careful in finding a lens that would fit... Especially if it its a fast petzval. Some of them are wider than others, but they are available if you look. I know that most petzvals that. Work for 8x10 are fetching huge number now on E'bay etc and the used market in general.

 

[matcass]

Hey Andrew thank you for your answer and all those informations.

I'm actually looking at a portrait lens and the lens i'm looking at right now is a Jamin Darlot Paris 15" but i don't know if it wil work on my 6x6 lens board.

the lens i found is a Darlot Paris 121/2" but it's missing the focus handle and i don't know how hard it will be to found this type of handle, anyone has any idea where i could for this type of focus handle?

Thank you.
Mathieu.

 

[EASmithV]

You don't need a focus handle, so long as the lens doesn't slide around freely when it's mounted. That's what bellows are for.

 

[Dan Dozer]

Hi Mat,

I shoot primarily portrait/nude work with an 8 x 10 Deardorff also. I have a couple of magic lantern petzval lenses I got for pretty cheap that cover at portrait distances. You might want to consider that to start out because you can probably get a no-name version that is about a 10" focal length for not a lot of money. I also have a 14" Vitax Portrait (Petzval) that I like as well. Note that the Vitax only covers on the 8 x 10 at portrait distances, not at infinity.

Something very different you might also look into which is very inexpensive is to do a "custom" meniscus type of lens. I have a lens I got from Jim Galli that was originally a petzval projection lens "as opposed to a camera lens". It's a simple barrel with a glass element on each end. The image size that this lens produces as a petzval is really fairly small. However, when I take the front glass lens element off and use it by itself, it easily covers on the 8 x 10 and produces a very different type of look than a Petzval.

I guess that the thing I'm recommending is not to get caught up in the "Petzval Hype" and rush out and spend a lot of money on an expensive petzval lens that you might not like. For very afordable prices, other options are available.

 

[matcass]

Thank you EAVSmith and Dan,

i'll keep looking around. I already have a modern lens that will work with my camera; with those old lens i'm really after this old school type of look, soft focus, swirling...
Anyway if anyone as Petzval Jamin Darlot that would work on for an 8x10 camera please feel free ton contact me.

Thank you.
Mathieu.

 

[janericeuler]

you may also look for auctions in local auction houses, sometimes you can be very lucky there!
ebay is way overpriced concerning petzval lenses these days..

 

[Reinhold]

May I suggest taking a look at something even more primitive than a Petzval lens.

Go back to photography's first lens designed as designed by Willaim Wollaston in 1812.

Read about it here...
(there was a url link here which no longer exists)
and here...
www.Re-inventedPhotoEquip.com

They're compact and cover 8x10 easily.
Here are a few examples:

Reinhold