I am thinking about buying one to use as a wide angle on a 4x5. Does anyone know what the coverage of the lens is or how it compares to the major makes of wide angle lens? Thanks

-- Beau Schwarz (ejschwarzjr@hotmail.com), August 25, 2000

Answers

Well it isn't a lens which will cover 4" x 5" at infinity! It is infact an enlarging lens (Rodenstock) which was used by the Polaroid MP-3 copy-camera. On the good side, the shutter can be used with any enlarging lens with a 42x1 thread. The most modern versions of this combination created for the Polaroid MP-4 has a different make of shutter(Seiko I believe, can check upstairs, I own one!) and lenses by Tominon , a Polaroid typical brand. For close up work will be very good but you cannot use it for general purpose photography. They retail for not more than $100 and very often for less, the Polaroid MP series can be also transformed in an 4"x5' enlarger. Mp-3 is an Omega product I believe and the Mp-4 is a Fujimoto. Good luck

-- andrea milano (milandro@multiweb.nl), August 25, 2000.

I've checked and it is a copal. By the way do not underestimate the use of a copy/enlarging lens a 135mm f4 tominon is extemely luminous and not at all bad, I' ve used it for quite some time! Of course most people will say that it is worse than better lenses(!) but believe me the important thing is get going! Have a look at the pictures of Sally Man taken with lenses which do not even cover the entire format! Good luck and keep me posted.

-- andrea milano (milandro@multiweb.nl), August 26, 2000.

Flame me; shame me. But once again I think this is pertinent.

http://members.aol.com/onelucent/LF/shoe.html

-- David Stein (DFStein@aol.com), August 26, 2000.

Very good David! That's exactly what I meant, actually on the technical side the use of the Ysaron in question would produce even more fall-off. However the point is that large format photography can be a way to produce images of beauty regardless of formal perfection. Regards

-- andrea milano (milandro@multiweb.nl), August 26, 2000.

Being poor, I am looking for a very inexpensive lens to use while figuring out my CC400. I saw a 127 mm Ysaron in a Prontor shutter for $65 on ebay today. For the first 6 months to a year I will be shooting landscapes with polaroid B&W film. Movements will be minimal at first. What kind or results can I expect?

-- Edward Kimball (edward.kimball@ns.sympatico.ca), May 23, 2001.