Graflex.org

[aroundart]

I'm about to start using a speed graphic (for first time) once it gets here from ebay. Meanwhile I bought a Kodak anasigmat 170 lens in shutter that seems to work ok.But will it work on a speed? Being a raw beginner, I'm wondering how I can distinguish a lens appropriate for a 4x5 from one that perhaps came off a med format folding camera. Also, if i'm using a roll film back on the speed, does that mean I can use either format lens? (I usnderstand about focal length differences of effects from format to format. What I want to know is what lenses will actually function on my camera, period, and how to recognize them by sight!!) Thanks for your anticipated patience!!
David

[RichS]

I can offer some general suggestions from when I started with 4x5.

Of course you can ask here

My first source of lens coverage info was KEH. They usually list the lens coverage with everyone they have on-line, and it's a good price check. I've seen a lot of people pay far more than market value on ebay!
Then I started asking (and reading!) here and other places.
Then I found the "Large Format Optical Reference Manual" by J.L. "Woody" Wooden. An excellent lens reference that almost always gives a lens coverage along with other specs. So far I've only seen two lenses not in the book, which lists something like 800 lenses. He has a site at:
http://www.jlwoodywooden.com
where you can check out and purchase the book. Some photo book stores also carry it.


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"Ya just can't have too many GVIIs"
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[glennfromwy]

I have a very old, but perfect Kodak Anastigmat 170mm f:6.3 on a 4X5 Speed Graphic. The coverage is fine and it is quite a sharp lens. It is in a Kodak Ball Bearing shutter that tests accurate to within 1/6 of a stop at all speeds, if you can imagine that.

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Glenn

"Wyoming - Where everybody is somebody else's weirdo"

[Les]

"What I want to know is what lenses will actually function on my camera, period, and how to recognize them by sight!!"

There isn't a good clear answer or even a couple of rules to follow. Lens manufacturers did things differently so not every rule can apply.

If your looking at older lenses from the 60s and before here's something to keep in mind. This isn't the only rule, just one of many.
The Tessar lens was developed in 1903 and is a very fine lens design, but is now look upon as the cast off, so it can be picked up cheap.
Carl Zeiss designed the Tessar and you'll see these lenses on Pre-Anniversary Speeds. Zeiss also licensed the lens to Bausch & Lomb so you'll also see "Baush & Lomb- Zeiss lenses" too.
Now B&L also made lenses or licensed the lens design to Kodak, but they couldn't use the name Tessar, so they called theirs an Anastigmat.

After the war Zeiss was in no shape to complain about the US using their formula so Kodak came out with their Ektar series which were more or less Tessar lenses (the old Kodak Anastigmats). There were a few exceptions. The Wollensak Raptar and Graflex Optars were also Tessar lenses

Tessars came in to speeds f4.5 and f6.3. The f4.5 is called the 1c and the 6.3 the 2b. 99% of the time if you find a lens that's f4.5, it's probably a Tessar formula. Both lenses mentioned above are tessars.


While the Tessar was great for speed it didn't cover a lot, so you'll usually find Tessars being longer than other lens for covering the same format.

the shortest lenght of Tessar to cover 4x5 is 127mm. It's actually designed for 3x4 but 4x5 squeaks through, especially for press photography where a tack sharp image in the corner was uncessary.

If there is one rule to pick out I'd say it's the "Short, fast or wide, pick two" saying. Wide angle lenses are never very fast, so that 75mm f1.9 won't cover much over 35mm if that. on the other hand a 65mm f5.6 Super angluon will cover 4x5 is short and wide but not very fast, and in this case very large and heavy as f5.6 is fast for a wide lens.