Folks,

I've been looking around for a 300mm Imagon and, sort of by accident (because I found it and it was a great deal) acquired a pristine 200/5.8. This is the older-style imagon, with the three rings. Came in original box, with green filter, etc., etc. Very cool!

Anyway, I know it's a 6x9 lens -- I can just use it with a 6x9 back. This really is a "for the fun of it" trial, but can anyone who has experience with or knows these lenses offer any tips or comments? Or, heck, even thoughts on value (I picked it up for a song).

-- george (geod@sbcglobal.net), February 03, 2002

Answers

Hi George, all Imogons have three rings. The design hasn't changed since the beginning, the only dif between old and new would be the shutter. I wouldn't discount it for 4*5. For portraits and close-ups, and Imagons are very good for portraits, you will be up close with bellows extended, and so don't discount 4*5 until you try it. I've used my 250mm for portraits on my 8*10. Begin experimenting with the disk with the largest hole. Close the little holes, focus the lens on your subject, then open the little holes until you like the image (don't refocus). At this time you might have to add the filter which should slow things down about two stops. And you can see you might want to have slow film for sun light. And it helps in the beginning if you have a highlight like a car bumper in the image. For specifics, you can email me direct. Best, David

-- david clark (doclark@yorku.ca), February 03, 2002.

"Hi George, all Imogons have three rings. The design hasn't changed since the beginning, the only dif between old and new would be the shutter"

All 300mm Imagons in Copal shutter come with 2 dsks. The largest disk, 5.8 to 7.7 has not been made for the 300 Imagon for over a decade as the shutter has too smal an opening for the 300 to be used at 5.8.

Old 300mm Imagons in other shutters had 3 disks.

-- Bob Salomon (bob@hpmarketingcorp.com), February 03, 2002.

You can probably use that 200mm on 5x7. I use my 300mm, intended for 5x7, on 8x10. I'm just talking about lens coverage (and so is David in above response). Little or no movement, but I don't use movements for portraits and don't know who does to any extent. But the point is this: Even though that 200mm will probably cover 4x5 and 5x7 (with restricted movements), it is a wider angle lens on 4x5 than on 6x9 and wider still on 5x7. The main reason a 300mm is suited to 5x7 is that a lens of that angle is somewhat "long" in the 5x7 format. That is good for portraiture, as is the shape, in vertical, of the 5x7 format. Whatever uses the Imagon might be put to, it was made principally for portraiture. That's why the older ones came with the green filter, the default filter for black and white portraits of caucasians. On 5x7 in particular, a 200mm lens is not a good match for 5x7 -- the angle is too wide. Really hard to get close for a head and shoulders, maybe impossible, as a practical matter, for a head and shoulders.... One final point: I don't know much about it, but have always heard that 6x9 format is pretty cool. -jeff buckels

-- jeff buckels (jeffbuck@swcp.com), February 04, 2002.