Lens for 8x10

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Francis R

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Dear all,

I am seriously considering diving into 8x10 photography. One reason for that is contact printing, which would allow me to have an entirely analog process from the shot to the wall. I do not have enough space for a 4x5 enlarger.

I love shooting (studio) portraits, and rural/urban landscapes. Considering this, a key issue now is the choice of the lens, with a budget not exceeding 800-1000€. I heard nice stories about Commercial Ektars, especially for portrait use, but would they be OK for other uses as well ? Also, the Nikkor M or W 300mm seems a good choice for general purposes.

I would greatly appreciate hints, feedbacks about the above-mentioned lenses and also suggestions about alternative solutions.

Many thanks in advance !
Francis
 
Some lenses I use:
Fuji 300mm f/8.5 C - great lens, lightweight (Copal 1), no idea what the rendition is like for portraits.
Fuji 240mm f/9 A - great lens, very lightweight (Copal 0), extremely contrasty and high res.

G-Claron 210mm - very good lens for all-purpose landscape use, small, light, good coverage and plentiful/cheap, but perhaps not the first choice for portraits (mine is Dagor-type so maybe nice for portraits?). It's ended up being probably my most used lens on 10x8" alongside the Fuji 300mm.

Commercial Ektars = Tessar type, no reason why they would not work very well stopped down for landscapes, they were workhorses after all. They don't have front filter threads though, being designed for push-on filters/adapters which can be hard to find in the UK at least. Weight wise, the 12" in Acme #4 is heaver than the lightweight Nikkor M / Fuji C 300mm lenses but nowhere near as heavy as the comparable f/5.6 plasmats (Symmars, Nikkor W, Sinaron etc)
 
With that budget you could get 2 lenses a big 300 or 360 Symmar for studio they can be cheap and 5.6 aperture gives you more flexibility in lighting and depth of field .and a smaller portable G-Claron style for outdoors, with no enlargement 1:1 contact almost any lens with image circle/coverage will work there are lens tables on the largeformat forum page , some movements may be useful for the outdoor lens.
Regarding a 5x4 enlarger - they do not really take more space than a medium format enlarger as the base boards are similar and height requirements are not a restriction. When you can enlarge 4x5 it becomes very flexible , but obviously if you have no permanent space it’s difficult unless you use the Intrepid enlarger back on a 4x5 which if you already shoot 4x5 is worth considering.
 
Francis R said:
I heard nice stories about Commercial Ektars, especially for portrait use, but would they be OK for other uses as well ?
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If you search Flickr for "Commercial Ektar" you'll find loads of example shots from various focal lengths. They're very capable lenses for all sorts of uses. I've got a selection but don't use them too often because I don't like the old shutters they're in. There's so much praise on forums for these lenses with few example shots, that's where Flickr is excellent.
 
I think it would be handy to know which camera the lens is going to be attached to because I don't think all models and brands would be equally happy with the size and weight of faster lenses of 360mm and above. Especially regarding longer bellows extension for tighter compositions.

Another point, since you probably wish to use flash for studio portraits, pay particular attention to the flash sockets as not all older style shutters may be (directly) compatible.

Personally, I'm amazed how much can be fitted into the frame with a 300mm lens and I think I could quite easily live with a 240mm as my widest option in this format.

For portraiture, it surprises me how difficult it is to fill the frame. Even with a 360mm racked quite a way out, the working distance feels short. So here, anything longer might be a necessity or at least a "nice to have" in your toolbox.

In my view, 8x10 is nothing like medium format and hardly like 4x5. DOF feels none existent, and the focus needs to be spot on. Time, weight, speed, and movement work against you. Lenses need lots more stopping down and loads of light. Tripods and heads need to be of industrial standards. Everything's exponentially more expensive, like film. Then there's processing, which also brings its challenges.

What's not to like! ;)
 
Thank you so much for your prompt replies and precious hints.

My camera choice would be this one: https://woodymancamera.com/en/product/la-8x10/
I already owe the 4x5 that I'm quite happy with. It is light weight, flexible, easy to handle, and very nice ! Lenses slightly longer than 300mm will be OK I think.

Good point with studio flash. I have "old" Elinchrom flashes (500 and 1200S) that I use for studio portrait. I have to check if I could use them with Commercial Ektars.

MartyNL said:
In my view, 8x10 is nothing like medium format and hardly like 4x5. DOF feels none existent, and the focus needs to be spot on. Time, weight, speed, and movement work against you. Lenses need lots more stopping down and loads of light. Tripods and heads need to be of industrial standards. Everything's exponentially more expensive, like film. Then there's processing, which also brings its challenges.
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You're right. I think I'm prepared to that. At least I would like to give it a try :) !
 
The old Acme shutters often found on Commercial Ektars and other US lenses of that era tend to have a twin post type flash sync. It's easy enough to make an adapter to fit this, because the type of plug used on shavers and things like those Karcher window vacs will fit it and can be soldered easily onto whatever sync cable you need. I managed this with zero soldering or electrical skills. So I wouldn't necessarily be put off by the flash sync connection.
 
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I picked up this near mint 1963 300mm f4.5 Xenar in a Compound #5 shutter, last Spring from a dealer in Belgium, 350 euros inc VAT. It's huge, the front element diameter is greater than my 300mm f9 Nikkor M's shutter. In practice it's a much easier lens to use compared to the Nikkor M.

You need to think whether you want a 300mm that can also be used on your 5x4 camera, in which case the 300mm f9 Nikkor M, and similar is better, but usually that means using full bellows extension, and any wind is an issue. I found an excellent 360mm f5.5 Tele Xenar, which is far more practical or 5x4 & also 7x5.

I also use a 240mm f5.6 Nikkor SW, it's great for 5x4, 7x5, as well as 10x8, it is on a Linhof/Wista fit lens board, and I have adapters for the other cameras.

Personally, I would buy from Europe/UK, the Import tax, VAT etc are compounded on the Item cost + shipping costs, this makes buying from abroad expensive, and can add close to 40%.

Ian
 
Thank you Ian. I do not look for lenses that could be used with my 4x5. I already have 135, 150 and 210mm lenses and this is fine. I'm not interested in a "tele" lens.
For sure, buying in Europe/UK will reduce the cost. Howerer I feel that there is more choice in Japan, at least on the bay. But I should look for specific LF sellers websites.
I read in another thread that you will get rid of some lenses in the coming year. I'll keep an eye on your posts :)
 
I bought my 300mm f4.5 Xenar from Lamoral JSRA Second Hand Cameras. His items always seem to be very fairly priced, and in excellent condition, and/or his descriptions are very conservative in terms of accuracy. He has a really nice 210mm Heliar for 400 euros. . . . . . . . . . I just don't need another 8" or 210mm lens.

There are 2 or 3 UK eBay sellers to avoid. I won't post openly on a Forum.

Most of the LF lenses I will be selling are 135mm to 210mm, and you have the FLs. If I sell a 90mm, one of my friends wants to buy it :D

I will sell an 8" Petzval . . . . 135mm Triplet, 135mm Preminar - a Tessar clone made for ICA, outsourced by CZJ because couldn't make enough Tessars.

Ian

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Ian Grant said:
View attachment 5869

I picked up this near mint 1963 300mm f4.5 Xenar in a Compound #5 shutter, last Spring from a dealer in Belgium, 350 euros inc VAT. It's huge, the front element diameter is greater than my 300mm f9 Nikkor M's shutter. In practice it's a much easier lens to use compared to the Nikkor M.
Click to expand...
This looks like a lens I was testing out the other week. It came with a 10x8 Wista triple extension camera kit I picked up. I sold the camera because I already have a Tachihara triple I had new bellows fitted to but I kept the lens and 5x4 reducing back which ended up being free with some funds left over for film.
 
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