Hello , i'm about to buy me a 90mm super angulon lens(old one) for 500$ (hope not to much?) because i love to take pictures of castles and other huge buildings but here's my question : is the difference big enough between the 90mm and the 105mm i'm using now ? the 105mm does not have a big lens-circle(or how do you call it in english ?) and so i can't move the front or back of my camera .(cambo 4x5")

patrick.

-- patrick van gelder (patvangelder@hotmail.com), June 06, 2000

Answers

I'm probably not qualified to comment on the more technical aspects of your question, but I might advise that $500 seems a little high for some of the older style Super Angulons. I purchased a 90 mm f8 Super Angulon that is single coated and in a Compur shutter for a little more that $300. I've since watched prices for this style of Super Angulons, and that seems to be a typical price. If it is Multi- coated and in a Copal shutter, the price may be worth it. Might be worth a little more research on the style you would be getting and then price shopping a little.

-- Roger Rouch (rrouch@msn.com), June 06, 2000.

The image circle of the 90mm SA is 216mm.

-- sheldon hambrick (sheldon_hambrick@hotmaul.com), June 06, 2000.

I don't believe a Super Angulon 90mm is going to have a large enough image circle to satisfy architectural shooting requirements. I got rid of mine for exactly that reason and replaced it with a 110 Super Symmar XL. In architectural work, it's important to be able to do quite a bit of rise and fall to reduce the convergence one experiences when shooting from very low or very high vantage points. Perhaps a used lens designed for the 5x7 format would do the trick.

-- Robert A. Zeichner (razeichner@ameritech.net), June 06, 2000.

Where are you buying the lens from? And a 90mmSA will be fine for all but the most demanding of architectural shots. Check some of the retail establishments like Lensandrepro.com or Midwestphoto.com. See what their prices are like for the same lens. James

-- james (james_mickelson@hotmail.com), June 06, 2000.

I believe there is enough of a difference between 90mm and 105-110mm. I find that a 90mm is perfect for architecture shots. That extra 20mm of focal length doesn't seem like much, but it's nearly 25% more in horizontal angular field coverage. I use the 90/5.6 XL Super-Angulon. The image circle is large enough for extreme rise (e.g., you can get a shot Half Dome and Mirror Lake in Yosemite w/ a 90XL, but not w/ a 110XL).

-- James Chow (drjchow@earthlink.net), June 06, 2000.

On eBay, 90/8 Super Angulons go between $183 and $900, with an average price of $524.

This lens will give you about 36mm rise at the front lens standard in the portrait (vertical) position. The Schneider 110XL will give you about 75mm rise, but for a dramatic increase in price.

It sounds like $500 is too much for an old Super Angulon. Check the serial number and see when the lens was made:

http://www.schneideroptics.com/large/serial.htm

Consider a 90mm Nikkor-SW f/8.0 lens also. It covers an addition 5 degrees more than the Super Angulon f/8 lens. Average eBay selling price is $588, and they sell there regularly.

I own a Nikkor 75mm SW and am entirely satisified with it.

-- Bruce Gavin (doc@compudox.com), June 07, 2000.