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Sharpest Wide-Angle for 4x5 w/o shutter?


john_patronie

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I want to buy a super sharp wide angle lens for my 4x5.

I realize that all of the work I want to do is with very long shutterspeeds so

I do not really need one with a shutter. I got into the habit a while back of

using a hand held shutter to start and stop my exposures.

The no shutter quest of mine is also financially inspired. I suppose a wide

angle lens without a shutter will be less expensive.

Can anyone recommend a super sharp multicoated lens with no shutter in the

75mm-115mm range?

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"Can anyone recommend a super sharp multicoated lens with no shutter in the 75mm-115mm range?"

 

Maybe I'm mistaken, but it seems to me that by the multicoating era most lenses were sold mounted in shutter.

 

Perhaps an enlarging lens? In my experience, sharpest wide-angles are Schneider XLs (all sold only in shutter, I think) - but the cost would be an issue...

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John,

 

Let's not get de-focused on your original question, sharp, wide angle, and no shutter. Sorry, you probably can't have all three as noted before. However, if you are willing to settle for two, consider the Schneider 80mm Super Symmar XL and the 110 mm Super Symmar XL. They meet all your criteria except shutter - which is a small cost in comparison to the glass - and they are flare resistant as well. I have both and recommend them.

 

Cheers,

 

Steve

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The original question really has five requirements or preferences: wide-angle for 4x5, sharp, multicoated, no shutter and inexpensive (implied by "The no shutter quest of mine is also financially inspired.") The no shutter requirement is really a derivative requirement of the inexpensive requirement.

 

I don't think such a thing exists. As already stated, multicoated wide-angles for 4x5 are virtually always sold in shutter. Recent (i.e., multicoated) 4x5 wide-angles aren't inexpensive new; some common ones on the used market, such as 90 mm aren't so high. Your only chance of a bargin is finding one that is partially damaged so that it is still usable but it looks bad. Short focal length enlarging lenses are designed to cover medium format, not 4x5. The Super-Symmar-XL lenses are very fine, but clearly fail on the inexpensive requirement.

 

My advice is to give up on multicoating as not of extreme importance for LF lenses and look for an older wide-angle, such as a Super-Angulon or a Grandagon. You might find an even lower price in a Caltar, which will be a relabeled Schneider or Rodenstock. If these are too expensive, a more obscure lens, such as an Ilex or a less common Japanese brand. I don't think you will find one not in a shutter. Maybe if you keep looking on eBay, one in a shutter that needs a CLA.

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If you want to find an inexpensive 75mm lens consider an older Fujinon SW f8 75mm. These are single coated and normally shutter mounted in Seiko shutters but the price is about as good as you'll get and they are good sharp lenses. I would take one over and older single coated SK super angulon any day of the week. However it may take some time to locate one as they are not as common.
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I agree with Michael Briggs on this one - a lens that embodies all these qualities is somewhat againts the laws of nature.

 

A wide angle anything with decent resolution will be expensive unless it's such a rat you're afraid to touch it.

 

A Schneider with a minor amount of "Schneideritis" (cell separation around the edges, peculiar to Schneider, but present in other brands sometimes) may be cheaper than most offerings but not by much.

 

Be ready to invest in a Packard shutter. I believe they're still made and while not "cheap", surprisingly inexpensive. Flash sync is available.

 

Sometimes, loose front and rear cells are available but that requires you know the spacing between the two for mounting or, at least, be willing to experiment with this yourself.

 

Watch what you buy, however - some of the cheaper WAs are for a smaller format (i. e., Grayflex type cams) and won't cover a 4x5 negative without being racked out for a macro shot.

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John: You might consider advertising or otherwise looking for a wideangle mounted in a *broken* shutter. Since you don't particularly care about getting the shutter fixed, you might pick it up cheaply...

 

Perhaps the usual purveyors of good quality lenses can put you on to some little sweethearts that happen to have shutters that are just not worth fixing.

 

Best of luck.

\donw in Victoria

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What about the Sinar DB line of lenses? They're in barrels. Sometimes they come up used, and the lack of shutter brings the price down. Maybe an old 75mm or 90mm f/8 Super Angulon would do the trick. Not multicoated, but you'll most likely not notice any difference.

 

If you're willing to go real old, no coating, but pretty sharp, get a 4x5 (90mm) or 5x7 (110mm) Protar V! But that just might run you more than the Sinar lens and they're pretty rare. Sometimes those come up in Volute shutters with times up to 3 seconds -- when they work they're great; if not, they're fairly easy to work on.

 

By the way, I think the enlarging lenses in those focal lengths are not going to cover 4x5.

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Now that you have a collection of wrong information here is some accurate information.

 

All, repeat ALL, Rodenstock lenses currently manufactured by Linos are available in Copal

shutter, Copal Press shutter, for 0 shutters only both of the preceeding shuttered lenses

are available mounted in the Rodenstock helical focus mounts. For Rodenstock lenses for

0 and 01 shutters those lenses are also available in Prontor Magnetic shutter and in Rollei

Linear Motor shutter.

 

IN ADDITION, ALL RODENSTOCK APO SIRONAR-N, APO SIRONAR-S, APO MAKRO SIRONAR,

GRANDAGON-N, APO-GRANDAGON, APO SIRONAR DIGITAL, APO MACRO SIRONAR

DIGITAL and APO SIRONAR DIGITAL HR LENSES ARE AVAILABLE WITHOUT SHUTTER.

 

Lenses in shutter other then in Copal or in DF mount without shutter are available on a

special order basis.

 

So yes, you can easily order any Rodenstock wide angle lens from 35mm to 90mm for

film in a DF mount and from 28mm to 55mm for digital work and from 28mm to 55mm

for roll film work.

 

However, while these match most of your requirements they will not be inexpensive.

 

You can find most of these lenses without shutter used by simply trying to locate the

wide angle lenses that SInar owners used with the Sinar shutter system. If the lens is in

Sinar DB mount it does not have a shutter.

 

You will find that what you are trying to find will probably be as much, or more, then just

buying the lens in it's shutter and just leave the shutter set to T or B (with a locking cable

release) and you will accomplish exactly what you are trying to do. Unless, that is, you

have another, unannounced, need for not having a shutter.

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