Which good lens(es) do you have and not use?

Dan Fromm · May 19, 2008

Darin Cozine recently started a thread about boring lenses. The concept seems very strange. I can't see how a lens or a focal length can be boring. Why a lens might not be good enough to use is easy to understand, also why a focal length can be inappropriate to a situation. But boring? I don't get it.

Even so, I have a few perfectly good lenses that I can use but don't. Here are several of mine:

160/5.6 Pro Raptar -- wonderful lens, shutter runs a tad slow; its too close to 150 and a lot bigger/heavier than the 150/6.3 CZJ Tessar I do use.

12"/4 Taylor Hobson Telephoto -- again a wonderful lens, the longest lens by far that's comfortable on my 2x3 Speed; but much much bigger and heavier than the 305/9 Apo Nikkor that just makes it ...

What are some of yours?

Ole · May 19, 2008

360mm f:5.6 Symmar - tends to stay at home, and I bring the 355mm f:9 G-Claron instead.

but I think that's about the only one that doesn't get an airing once in a while!

2F/2F · May 19, 2008

I have a lovely Schneider Tele-Xenar 180mm f/5.5 that doesn't see much use anymore. It is a 2x3 lens, but I used it mostly for close-up pix using my Speed Graphic, so it covered fine. Made beautiful and sharp 4x5 transparencies. I was surprised at first because it is a 2x3 lens, a tele, and at such high magnification I expected usable images but not horribly sharp ones. Sometimes I would use it with an RH-10 back, and once on a Polaroid pack film back to make transfers onto watercolor paper. The fact that it is a tele helped a lot with the limited bellows of the Speed. I got it on a Graflex Press board, and there it remains. I haven't shot the Speed at all in studio since getting my Sinar, so haven't used the lens since. Maybe I will get around to putting it on a Sinar board some day.

Vaughn · May 19, 2008

Rodenstock CL 600mm f9 -- because I haven't figured how to get the beast on a 5.5" lensboard yet. Anyone want to trade it for a RD Artar 24"?

Vaughn

infest · May 19, 2008

Dan Fromm said:
Darin Cozine recently started a thread about boring lenses. The concept seems very strange. I can't see how a lens or a focal length can be boring. Why a lens might not be good enough to use is easy to understand, also why a focal length can be inappropriate to a situation. But boring? I don't get it.

Even so, I have a few perfectly good lenses that I can use but don't. Here are several of mine:
snip
/QUOTE]

yawn...

epatsellis · May 19, 2008

Ole said:
360mm f:5.6 Symmar - tends to stay at home, and I bring the 355mm f:9 G-Claron instead.

but I think that's about the only one that doesn't get an airing once in a while!

Ole, you really should send that over here, I could put it to good use, as my 360 componon gets quite a bit of use (as well as the 360 Symmar-S MC on the DB board)

erie

Logan Group · May 19, 2008

I have a lot of lenses that dont get used enough, but hopefully that will change later this year. A couple of brass ones (a Darlot and a who knows what) and a 120mm Nikkor AM ED. And then there are my more extreme focal lengths. At the wide end are both the 38mm and 47mm Schneider Super-Angulon XLs. Awesome lenses and when you have to have them there is no replacement for them, but so wide they are not practical for day to day use. On the other end of the spectrum I have a couple of Apo Ronars, 480mm and 600mm, that see little use. I have a 600mm APO Germinar that I bought for next to nothing thinking I would use it and then got an even better deal on the 600mm APO Ronar. I have never even shot with the Apo Germinar.

mwtroxell · May 19, 2008

I have one lens, a Fuji 450. I would love to be able to afford so many lens that I had ones that I considered "boring"

John McCallum · May 19, 2008

In the field, a 305 G-Claron. Dunno why. Find I do use for closeups though.

John Kasaian · May 19, 2008

A 12" Dagor--yup, I hardly use it though it is a wonderful lens.
A mint uncoated 127 Ektar the perfect lens for a 4x5 Speeder, but I supersized to a 5x7 Speeder so it sits collecting dust.
A mint 159mm Wollensak which I do use when I need something really, really wide on 8x10....only I find that I very seldom need something that wide on the 8x10.

Phillip P. Dimor · May 19, 2008

I don't think I have any good lf lenses.. but I can say that probably the least used lens I had owned was a 15" tele-optar in barrel. Too big and I never take portrait pictures these days. I sold it and don't particularly miss it. A better match for me but still equally unused is a 10" Enlarging Ektanon that is lumenized. This one is sharp, fits good on the speed and has a great look even for portraits. I still don't use it much.

Then comes the Aero Ektar (I can handhold it but it gets heavy real quick and i'm a little guy with little hands)

I probably use a 7.5" kodak anastigmat on my speed and a 135mm yamasaki congo on my crown the most. I don't like wide but it's a good sharp lens. The anastigmat is excellent with a lens hood.

makan · May 22, 2008

Will someone please put the OP out of his misery by telling him which of the lenses he asked about you have and you don't use?

Which good lens(es) do you have and not use?

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