Portrait lens for 8X10 suggestions?

[philippe_metayer]

I very much like the Imagon 360mm lens. However, it does not allow

any axis displacement on the 8X10 formant. Is there any thing like

this lens in the 500mm range? I am looking for a modern coated lens

that comes in a shutter.

[steve_hamley]

Phillipe,

 

The short answer is probably "No", at least for traditional portrait lenses.

 

The reason is that portrait lenses generally have large maximum apertures to limit depth of field, and lenses longer than 300mm do not easily fit into conventional shutters. So no fast, long modern lenses have been made as the Copal 3 is the largest available shutter.

 

In addition, many traditional portrait lenses of 500mm would require very large lensboards like the 9" boards used on studio cameras like the Agfa or Century cameras. No modern camera has a lensboard large enough to accomodate them. A friend of mine has a Gundlach that's probably 7" (18cm) across.

 

IIRC, the 360mm Imagon, the 360mm Universal Heliar/Heliar did not come in shutters but could possibly be custom fit to a Compound #5 with a reduction in aperture to about f/5.6. There was also a 420 Imagon if I'm not mistaken, but again only in barrel.

 

Steve

[beepy]

Hmmmm... if you "very much like" a 360 Imagon, why do you want a 500?

<p>

I just like a 305 G-Claron people suggested to me a long time ago - it's single coated (?)

but generous. There's a couple old (I assume single or perhaps multicoated?) lenses - 355

G Claron

<a href="http://www.largeformatphotography.info/lenseslist.html">on the old lens

table</a>. Or the Fujinon CM-W 450 on the

<a href="http://www.largeformatphotography.info/lenses/LF8x10in.html">new lens

chart</a>. The latter has a lot of excess coverage - but when I was talking to Midwest

Photo about it they steered me away from it as it is a huge beast?

<p>

I need to poke around and see what is coated and how on these lenses...

[andrea_lee3]

The necessary length of a portrait lens for the 8x10 format doesn't follow the same

calculations as for smaller formats; you'll find that a 300mm has very shallow depth of

field as it is. The bellows draw for a 500mm lens, too, would require some gymnastics. For

a modern lens in a shutter I'd recommend the Schneider 300 but in Compur.

 

But for when you want to play around, there's always the ever-useful Sinar-Copal shutter,

which is very reliable and allows you to mount all sorts of lenses in front of it (top speed is

1/60, but is accurate and has flash sync). And if you're going for old-fashioned portrait

lenses, try and track down a Cooke, on which you can actually adjust the "softness" of the

picture.

[ole_tjugen]

I'll suggest an old 300mm Symmar convertible. The coverage is plenty, and if you find you need less sharpness simply unscrew the front element and use the rest as a 500mm f:12. They will have double aperture scales, and come in Compur #3 shutters. Not half as bad as the 360mm Symmar in the Compound #5.

 

Or get an old portrait lens and a behind-the-lens shutter of some kind .

 

BTW, why do you need a modern coating on a soft-focus lens? Flare control?

[emile_de_leon9]

Try a Dallmeyer. My 342mm f3 works fine on 8x10. Come to think of it it works pretty good on 12x20 too at portrait distances...wide open at f3 that is..a beautiful look. No shutter though...I use a hat! You might try a 300mm Fuji SF too. I have one and it is a good thing indeed! Emile/www.deleon-ulf.com/

[emile_de_leon9]

Actually it's a 250mm Fuji SF....lots of coverage for 8x10 + moves.

[john_cremati]

A Old masters trick is to use a longer focal lenght lens for perspective control and not having to climb up a models nose to get a good shot..... It puts the subject at ease being a little farther away.............. You can also shoot shadowless backgrounds as the background will appear much closer than it is...... In many cases you will need a long bellows..........John ....

[daniel_unkefer]

I have 360mm and 420mm Imagon lens sets, both in barrel, that I use on my Sinar Norma w/Sinar shutter. Coverage has never been an issue for me. The 420 is only available in barrel, it's got a pretty wide diameter.

[35mmdelux]

Rodenstock 480 APO, add shutter. I have one mint cond $325, never used. Going on eBay tomorrow. email me asap if interested before 4:00pm -(barrel lense)

[john_cremati]

Always remember that there is not a woman alive that wants her portrait taken with a normal lens...... Think soft focus......jc