Anybody knows anything about this lens? So far I learned that is a retrofocus design so it focuses at infinity with about 10 cm of bellows draw and that it covers 4x5.

Any ideeas about the exact coverage, sharpness, flare control?

-- Sorin Varzaru (svarzaru@bigfoot.com), March 11, 2002

Answers

I have this lens and I like it. I have never tried to measure the coverage but at f22 (which is what I use it at most of the time)it does cover 4x5 with a little bit of movement. I just recently made some 16x20 enlargements of a photo I took with this lens and I was more than happy with the sharpness throughout the entire negative. I have never had a problem with flare, but I am careful to shade my lenses when I shoot. You probably would have some problems if you pointed it into the sun. At f22 I can't detect any light fall off in my negatives, at least for the types of photos I shoot, so I have never felt I needed a center filter. And finally, one thing I like about the lens is that it extends far enough either side of the flange so that I can use it on a Crown Graphic (which I like using as a field camera) without even dropping the bed. I hope somebody else will be able to provide you with more specific numbers.

Tom

-- Tom Hieb (thieb@cybertrails.com), March 11, 2002.

Tom, can you guess how much you can shift the lens without vignetting ?

-- Sorin Varzaru (svarzaru@bigfoot.com), March 11, 2002.

Just guessing, maybe 10 to 15mm. I use the lens mostly for landscapes and find that I don't usually need a lot of shift or tilt at this focal length. If I can figure out how to do it, I will try to measure the image circle within the next day or two.

-- Tom Hieb (thieb@cybertrails.com), March 11, 2002.

Add on question since this looks like an inexpensive way to get a 75mm lens... Is this lens appropriate for color work? (My understanding is that older lenses, which I assume this to be, are often good for B&W but badly corrected for color.) I am interested in large prints. If I can't do at least a decent 20x24 in color, I'm not interested.

-- Noshir Patel (nosh@bigfoot.com), March 12, 2002.