I've been searching the myriad of ads out there for "best buys" in the form of older or classic lenses in the 90 to 120mm range, covering 4x5 (mostly for landscape work). There are a lot of Angulons and Red Dot this-and-that; some are priced in the tempting $250 to $500 range, and others not so tempting, in a monetary sense. If I shoot exclusively B&W and don't necessarily need apochromatic correction, what might I be happy with? Your experience/expertise is appreciated.

-- Greg Nelson (gnelson@dodgecity.net), December 08, 1999

Answers

The gap between 90 and 120 has been a troublesome one. Here's some picks which should be within your budget. The later 90mm Angulons, the earlier 90mm Super Angulons, the Goerz 3 5/8" and 4 3/8" Dagors - I'm sure there are other favorites. I think you would be well served by any of these lenses - in general, I think they deliver more than most users demand. Given they are older lenses and to be purchased used, the condition of the lens should be worth greater scrutiny than the design. There is info you can link to from the main page on this site which will give you more data in terms of movements etc which may be important to you depending on the type of work you do. Good luck. DJ

-- N Dhananjay (ndhanu@umich.edu), December 08, 1999.

The Kodak 100mm/6.3 WF Ektar shows up here and there at good prices, as well. Small and lightwieght, 180mm IC at infinity focus.

-- Ron Shaw (shaw9@llnl.gov), December 08, 1999.