8x10 Lens Selection

Quick Guide to 8x10 Camera Lens Selection

8x10 Lens Selection is slightly more complex than the other formats. While on smaller formats resolution and contrast characteristics of the lens will determine the choiymost of the time, on 8x10 they can serve different purposes. With negative this large many photographers are increasingly using contact prints.

Full 8x10 film coverage requires 300-305mm of image circle. Lenses in this range or close to this range work well on point and shoot style cameras or for portraits/close-ups. Image circle gets larger when lenses are focused closer. If movements are needed, image circle larger than minimum will be needed. It would depend on how much movement is needed.

This determines two different paths in choosing the right lens for every photographer. In some cases the lens choice can converge for both paths.

The first path is going for maximum resolution and contrast. Whether it's for landscape, table top, portrait or architecture it will lead to modern lenses of higher quality with large image circles. This will produce images that look good both at higher magnifications and lower magnification reproductions all the way down to contact prints.

Some good choices:

Rodenstock Sironar (N) 210mm f5.6 just covers 8x10
Rodenstock Sironar (N) 240mm 300mm and 360mm cover the format nicely with progressively larger amount of movements available.
Schneider Kreuznach Summary lenses in the above focal lengths are equally good choices.
Wide angle options Schneider 120/121mm Super Angulon and Rodenstock Grandagon (N) fall very slightly short or just cover the 8x10 for Point &Shoot style cameras.

For all of these, please check the datasheet to make sure there's enough coverage for your purposes.

The second path is for use at actual size and lower magnifications. Requirements for resolution are much lower and in addition to lenses that work for the first path, many other lenses can be used. This would be determined by the desired results. Throughout photographic history many lenses were made and they served different purposes. Whether one is pursuing film or wet plate/alternative processes that will determine lens choices. Wet plate/alternative processes have their own look and many photographers prefer the esthetics of older portrait and different historic brass lenses. Many of these lenses were designed with certain amounts of imperfections and flare to offer varying degrees of soft focus or attractive bokeh or combinations of both.

In addition to the lenses listed above, there's a long list of lenses that would work great on 8x10.

Some interesting choices are Wollensak Verito, Cooke Portrait, different Voigtländer models, Dallmeyer and many others. They're usually in 300mm/12” or longer focal lengths for full 8x10 coverage.