I have just been given a 90 mm F 4.5 Voigtlander Apo Lanthar on a compur shutter.

Before buying a lens board I would like to know if this this lens is any good for 4 x5 photography and how well it compares with, for instance, a Schneider super angulon ? Has anyone any prctical experience with this lens. Thank you in advance

Yours, LV

-- Laurent Vuillard (lv2@st-and.ac.uk), August 12, 1998

Answers

LV,

Nice Gift!! I have seen more of these legends available used lately and not cheap. I used on in photo school. They are a normal lens design and were the first apo chromatic lens that satisfied all quality criteria well and were fast. The 90mm must have been made for 6x7 fans. They also had 100mm for 6x9. I doubt if the coverage is any better than a normal Symmar which would not cover 4x5 at 90 or 100mm at f22. But it is an extremely sharp lens made just before Voightlander closed down. A couple of years ago I read that they were reopening their Braunshweig plant but never heard anything after that. They may not have had enough to come back with vs Schneider, Nikon and the like. And I believe the lanthanum flouride or other lanthanum compound that gives it its exceptional quality may be cost prohibitive due to supply problems. There just isn't enough of it in one place and only a few places known to get it in supply. So I have heard but don't mark my words. In short--hang on to it.

Ern Miller

-- Ernst Miller (ernst@worldnet.att.net), August 27, 1998.