What 4x5 wide angle lens for my Korona?

[Perry Way]

I just got lucky on eBay last week and won an auction on a Korona in fairly decent condition. I think it's actually a 5x7 camera but it has a 4x5 back. Anyway, first order was to take my lenses I use for my Cambo and get them mounted on the lens boards. The Nikkor 210 mm works nicely, no problems there. The Schneider 90 mm on the other hand wants to be much closer to the film plane than the Korona will go. It will not focus to infinity and it seems like it doesn't want to focus even 10 feet away.. Don't know for sure right now where it will focus to but I know for sure this lens won't work. On the Cambo it wants the bag bellows anyway other wise its even too close for bellows. You cannot do any movements on the Cambo without the bag bellows. So... now I'm wondering what I can get for the Korona, wide angle wise. I'm a relative newcomer to large format so I lack the benefit of day to day working knowledge on all the different lens offerings out there. So I'm asking the community here to help me out by providing some pointers as to which lenses I should consider. As I am most interested in landscape work I would very much like a super wide, a wide and a normal lens. I've got the 210 Nikkor so I've got portrait lens covered.

 

[keithwms]

How about a ~135 from a crown graphic?

Also consider a recessed lensboard for the korona. 90 really shouldn't be that hard with a 4x5.

 

[Mike1234]

I can't remember the size of the Korona LB's but I "think" they're about 4 inches square, aren't they? If so then you could make a recessed board for the 90mm.

 

[Perry Way]

the lens boards are about 4" square and very thick. essentially you have less area to build a recessed board. You'd have a very difficult time cocking shutter, setting speed, aperture, etc.. I think recessed is out of the question frankly. I don't think all 90mm's need to be that close to the film plane. On my Cambo I have the recessed board for that lens and it is about 2-3 inches from the film plane focused at infinity. that's just not even able to be accomplished on this Korona. Then what if I wanted movements? The older lenses don't need to be so close to the film plane do they? The older lenses that don't stick out on both sides of the lens board that much....

 

[Mike1234]

I'll bet you could make a 25mm recessed board work just fine.

 

[Perry Way]

I'll bet you could make a 25mm recessed board work just fine.

I seriously doubt even that. I'd have maybe 1/4" clearance around the shutter, if that. The actual opening in the camera is much less than 4" outer diameter of lens board. Everything is thick.

Maybe I need to ask my question from a different angle. Do all 90 mm lenses require to be roughly 2 - 3 inches away from the film plane?

 

[Perry Way]

I'll bet you could make a 25mm recessed board work just fine.

Mike that 135mm you have for sale.. how far away from the film plane does it need to be to focus to infinity?

 

[keithwms]

Maybe I need to ask my question from a different angle. Do all 90 mm lenses require to be roughly 2 - 3 inches away from the film plane?

All the standard LF designs, yes. If you put an MF lens on there, no, but you don't want to do that.

Looking at my Schneider 90/8, there is almost certainly enough space for a recessed board. At least for wide-angle architecture, what you usually want is just shift, and for that a recessed board is fine. But frankly, maybe it isn't the best use of your time. If you want to do ultrawide and have movements e.g. for architecture, then you're much better off with a rail camera and bag bellows.

Again, 90 on 4x5 really isn't especially ultrawide... ~65 mm or 55 mm, now that's when most 4x5 field cameras start to have issues and need recessed boards. So it sounds like you are fighting a battle that may not be worth fighting with this camera body.

Anyway try a ~135. They are plentiful, small, inexpensive and quite good.

 

[Mike1234]

Perry, I have three 135mm lenses for sale... Birnbaum-Hirschberg f/6.3, Xenar f/4.7, and an Optar f/4.7. Which one are you interested in? I'll measure as closely as I can the distance of the rear glass to the focus plane at infinity for each one tomorrow.

 

[Roger Thoms]

I was thinking a 135mm, After shooting a 210 and 90 for years I just got a 135mm Zeiss Tessar. Lately I'm shooting with a Calumet CC-400 and the 90 doesn't work very well. So far I'm really enjoying the 135mm focal length, no it's not super wide or anything, but is works very nicely on the Calumet and I'm sure It would work equally as well on the Korona. Nice thing too is that a 135mm lens isn't going to break the bank. I'm into the Tessar for about 90 usd and that's after I had Carol Miller do a clac on the shutter.

Roger

Roger

 

[Perry Way]

Perry, I have three 135mm lenses for sale... Birnbaum-Hirschberg f/6.3, Xenar f/4.7, and an Optar f/4.7. Which one are you interested in? I'll measure as closely as I can the distance of the rear glass to the focus plane at infinity for each one tomorrow.

Oh Mike, I didn't know you had three. I have the Xenar in my watchlist, and have for quite some time. Were the others lenses with some flaws? I think I'm going to have to go back and find all your listings and have a look/see.

 

[Mike1234]

Perry, following are links to the ads. I just now reduced the prices again, BTW.

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[Perry Way]

Perry, following are links to the ads. I just now reduced the prices again, BTW.

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Nice price on the Xenar! I've seen several go for cheep on eBay recently but they all had problems of some kind. With your price reduction, its looking really good to me now! Yeah, I think I'm only interested in the Xenar. If you could measure that one I think that would give me a clue. Thanks!

 

[Mike1234]

Yeah, I'm pricing everything really low. I need to pay some bills and I really want to find a 4x10 or 5x12 that I can afford. I just remembered that the Schneider website has vintage lens data.

Here's the 135mm f/4.7 Xenar... http://www.schneideroptics.com/info/vintage_lens_data/large_format_lenses/xenar/data/4,7-135mm.html

 

[ic-racer]

90 F8 GERONAR-WA has a flange flocal distance less than some others , but it is still only gets you a centimeter or so advantage.
I'd go with a small 135mm and be happy

 

[Mike1234]

Perry, I just measured the infinity focal distance from the flange seat (back of the shutter). Schneider's specs are right on.

 

[keithwms]

By the way Perry, can you invert your front standard? On some camera designs that works.

 

[David A. Goldfarb]

Which Schneider 90mm lens do you have? I think you get a little more flange-film distance with the 90/8 Super-Angulon than with the 90/6.8 Angulon. The more modern fast ultrawide designs from Schneider and Rodenstock (90/4.5) are slightly retrofocus, so they give even more room, but they are very expensive.

 

[Don Wallace]

Given the limitations of the Korona (no bag bellows, no recessed board), a 135 would be a good choice. There is no "one size fits all" camera. Each has its limitations. If you want a very short focal length lens, it is very unlikely it will be useable on that camera.

On the other hand, if it really is a 5x7 camera, you might want to think along those lines too for a bit of versatility. A 135mm on a 5x7 camera is a fairly short lens. Also, 5x7 negs make beautiful contact prints.

 

[Perry Way]

Perry, I just measured the infinity focal distance from the flange seat (back of the shutter). Schneider's specs are right on.

Great, but.. what was the distance measurement?

 

[Perry Way]

By the way Perry, can you invert your front standard? On some camera designs that works.

The Korona is a field camera. I'm not aware of any field cameras having that ability. I can take it off the tracks and put it back on backwards but the bellows don't come off and go on backwards, in fact I'm not sure the bellows can come off without destroying them, so if I took it off the tracks and put it back on the other way the rear standard would have to be done also! On the other hand, my Cambo I can flip the front standard but it makes it worse to flip the front standard around in the case of trying to get closer to the film plane since it is already offset behind the standard. Flipping the rear is not even an option because you'd never get your film holders in with that flipped around.

 

[Mike1234]

Great, but.. what was the distance measurement?

126mm.

 

[Perry Way]

Which Schneider 90mm lens do you have? I think you get a little more flange-film distance with the 90/8 Super-Angulon than with the 90/6.8 Angulon. The more modern fast ultrawide designs from Schneider and Rodenstock (90/4.5) are slightly retrofocus, so they give even more room, but they are very expensive.

I've got the Super-Angulon f8. Its a very very nice lens. I really like it a LOT on the Cambo, except that edge to edge distortion is so minimal (practically nothing) I find it hard to purposefully get it to exaggerate the edges