I am thinking of buying a 75 biogon for 6x12 and 4x5 use on my linhof master technika-how does this lens with only single coating compare with current wide angles ?? I use the following- schnieder 90 XL schneider 150 APO symmar nikon 360 T ED. hasselblad swcm cf38 biogon which i have found all excellent.

-- adam forrester (aforrester@callnet0800.com), June 25, 2000

Answers

I haven't used a 75 mm Zeiss Biogen, so I can only guess. My guess is that a single coated Biogen will not be better than the multicoated 72 or 75 mm super-wide lenses currently produced by any of the big four (Fuji, Nikon, Rodenstock, Schneider). I have found the lens coating to be more important for wide angle lenses. Biogens tend to have quite high prices, apparently because of their relative rareness and a perceived Zeiss mystique. It would probably make more sense to buy a recent lens, new or used. If you like your 90 mm Super-Angulon XL, why not try a 72 mm Super-Angulon XL?

-- Michael Briggs (MichaelBriggs@earthlink.net), June 26, 2000.

A nice lens, but I believe you will have limited movement (or at least less than the other lenses mentioned above) and it weighs something like 4.5 lbs. And it is quite expensive, as noted.

-- Donald Brewster (dpbrewster@prodigy.net), June 26, 2000.