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primus96 · Posted: Wed Jan 05, 2005 6:35 pm Post subject:

I am starting to consider the purchase of a 90mm wide-angle lens.
Is there anything which will NOT fit in a Pacemaker for whatever reason?

I see the older Angulons, mostly badged for Linhof. The Super Angulon is also in a #0 size shutter but I was concerned about the diameter of the rear lens cell.

Just about anything will do, even a Congo 90mm. The opinion out there would suggest that they are awfully variable in quality.
Anybody out there with some actual experience to offer a honest opinion?

Dan Fromm · Joined: 14 May 2001 Posts: 2144 Location: New Jersey

David A. Goldfarb · Joined: 03 Sep 2004 Posts: 142 Location: New York City

Not sure about the issue of what fits, but I have both a 90/6.8 Angulon and a 90/8.0 Super-Angulon. The S-A is unquestionably a sharper lens from corner to corner with more coverage and offers a lot of value at current prices compared to other lenses. The Angulon, however, is very small and compact and takes smaller filters, so when I need to go really lightweight, I use that.

45PSS · Posted: Wed Jan 05, 2005 10:10 pm Post subject:

A 90mm SA will fit a Pacemaker without cell removal procedure.

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The best camera ever made is the one that YOU enjoy using and produces the image quality that satifies YOU.

primus96 · Posted: Thu Jan 06, 2005 9:14 pm Post subject:

I dont suppose that you could close the camera with a Super Angulon in place, could you?

I am not going to be blowing the images up to ridiculous extremes so perhaps a regular Angulon would suit.

When I asked about the Congo lenses I thought that they might be a alternative.
Most of the Commercial Congo lenses seem to be Tessar types with some exceptions.
The 90mm had four elements.
Has anybody experience of their products?
The Congo's are said to be of variable quality control. This would apply to a Angulon as well wouldn't it?

David A. Goldfarb · Joined: 03 Sep 2004 Posts: 142 Location: New York City

I'd be very surprised if there were any 4x5" camera that could close with a 90/8.0 Super Angulon. The 90/6.8 Angulon is tiny, though. It should close.

45PSS · Posted: Fri Jan 07, 2005 2:31 am Post subject:

To close a Pacemaker with a 90mm Super Angulon attcahed, Release bed and fold bed up to lens, place in a hydraulic press and operate press.
NOTE: This procedure works only once.

_________________
The best camera ever made is the one that YOU enjoy using and produces the image quality that satifies YOU.

primus96 · Posted: Fri Jan 07, 2005 7:11 pm Post subject:

really funny about the press..not.
I havent seen or used either sort of 90mm Angulon. I think that the Super Anglon wouldn't be worth spending money on.
The second-hand lens market must be a bit of a lottery, especially on THAT auction site.
I wondered whether a new Congo 90mm was a better idea as one is getting a brand new shutter as well as a multi-coated lens.
Anyone know if they have an agent in Europe?

Dan Fromm · Joined: 14 May 2001 Posts: 2144 Location: New Jersey

RichS · Posted: Fri Jan 07, 2005 8:05 pm Post subject:

If you're "not going to be blowing the images up to ridiculous extremes", then I almost hate to suggest... Why not an Optar 90mm? They were made for the Speeds and many people find them perfectly fine. Even though I'd love to have a SA or Nikkor SW, my 90mm Optar causes me no grief and I'm happy with them... But I'm not too picky and tend to strive for the "100 year old look"

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disemjg · Joined: 10 Jan 2002 Posts: 474 Location: Washington, DC

I have several Optar 90's and while I will admit that I have not used them a lot, they seem to lose performance at the edges to a noticiable extent. They are compact, and are generally fairly inexpensive. They are servicable, but not what you would call impressive.

I also have a 90 Angulon, one that is Linhof badged. Given the discussions that have been recorded before on this site regarding the inconsistent performance of the Angulon, I had some doubts when I bought it but figured that the Linhof samples were doubtless hand picked. It is a fine lens, far superior to the Optar. And very compact, with no problems closing the camera.

The SA is better yet, especially regarding covering power as well as overall performance. I have several, they are all fine, and I have not heard anyone ever complain about a SA. You pay a higher price, but the real drawback is the size. If you have a view camera as well as the press camera the movements allowed by the superior covering power would be a significant advantage.

Dealers seem to want a lot of money for the Angulons, especially the Linhof lenses. I would never pay what they want (you would all cry if you knew what I paid for mine, and all it needed was a Ronsinal bath). You can find a 90 f8 SA for 200~300 if you shop hard, and to me that makes more sense than paying 150~225 for the Angulon. But if extreme compactness and light weight are serious considerations, then the Angulon with Linhof badging makes sense.

45PSS · Posted: Sat Jan 08, 2005 3:17 am Post subject:

I was conveying the practical necessity to close with the SA attached primarly, humor secondary.
I have a 90mm f8 Super Angulon in copal 00 that the screws that hold the sections together came loose and allowed the shutter blades to fall out of place. I disassembled it, put the shutter blades back in place but could not make sence of the service manual on how to reassemble the gear track. I put all the parts in the right place, just didn't get them linked into one another as they once were. It was a smooth operating shutter before the screws came loose. This is a common failure of the 00. SK Grimes quoted a $125 service fee a few months before Steve's passing. I replaced the lens with a 90mm f8 Super Angulon in copal 0 from ebay for about $350, had to wait a while for it.
Both are nice lens.

and don't expect this one to go for very little.
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While a picture may be worth a thousand words, a quality photograph is worth a million.

[ This Message was edited by: 45PSS on 2005-01-07 21:26 ]