History: The Ross lenses are very well known and respected, especially the Ross Cabinet portrait petzvals are among the fines optics ever made. This specimen is not a portrait lens per definition, but is still very fascinating, or maybe even more because of that. There is not much to none info on the Ross Wide Angle Xpress line on the net. In the catalouges only the standard Express line with F4.5 is mentioned.

You can find some small versions of the wide angle xpress, which have around 140mm focal lenght and can be used up to 5x7 and sometimes even up to 8x10 formats. But this is the first and only 200mm (or 8") version of this line that i ever had in my hands.

The most impressing here is not only that the lens has a wide angle design (which offers a very large image circle compared to its F) but it also offers a F4 starting aperture! There are plenty of wide angle lenses out there, but i dont know any which have this combination.

The image circle of this lens is very big, around 40cm and the lesn can be used up to 11x14 formats as an ultra wide angle lens for interiors or landscape shots.

Condition: The brass looks very good here, there is minimal to no wear. It is unpolished and still shows the fatnastic patina. It is coated with a dark golden laquere which still protects the brass beneath. Lens comes with a working iris aperture, which moves smoothly from F4 to F45. The glass is a good condition, showing minimal cleaning marks, which wont affect the image quality. There is no haze or fungus.

With its focal lenght of about 200mm and an image circle of around 400mm it will cover formats up to 11x14. 

The lens comes with a fitting flange!



height: 7cm
width: 6cm
weight: 700gr

Insured and tracked shipping cost:

Germany - 10 eur
EU* - 30 eur
Worldwide - 90 eur

*(the site offers only 2 shipping variations, DE and worldwide. buyers from EU please either contact me beforehand for a reduced EU cost, or after buying so i can send a refund over the difference)

Importent Note: This item comes from my private collection and is around 100 years old (antique). I try my best to describe all the faults and major damage which are relevant for the function of this item. But the actuall item can show signs of wear and also some cosmetic blemishes/damage which is not described in the auction text! When buying this item the buyer agrees to this terms.