[LargeFormat] Re: long lenses and rollfilm formats

[Paul and Paula Butzi]

> Anybody know whether long lenses (eg 300mm  Symmar-Sironar- Xenar) are
> inherently sharper than telephotos of similar focal length, or much more
> compact in the outfit bag?  Obviously the telephoto construction is likely
> to narrow the maximum field of view/movements but used with rollfilm backs
> this does not much matter.

I don't have much experience with telephotos but can cite some info from
literature I have on hand.

The Nikkor T 270mm f/6.3 weighs 590 grams (20.8 oz), and is 98mm long,
and takes 67mm filters.  Flange focal distance is 187.6mm.

The Nikkor T 360mm f/8 weighs 800 grams (28.2 oz) and is 119.6mm long,
taking 67mm filters.  Flange focal distance is 261mm.

Both Nikkors fit in Copal #1 shutters

By way of comparison, the 300mm f/9 Nikkor M weighs 290 grams (10.2 oz)
and is 35.6 mm long, and takes 52mm filters.

The 300mm Fuji is similarly sized to the Nikkor-M.

I don't think there's a plasmat (e.g. Apo-Symmar, Apo-Sironar, Nikkor-W)
longer than 210mm which doesn't require a Copal #3 shutter (and is therefore
huge and heavy).  As an example, the 300mm Nikkor-W f/5.6 weighs 1250 grams
(44.1 oz) and is 90.5mm long, taking 95mm filters!


> On a related point, in the UK it is possible to buy good used ApoRonars or
G
> Clarons about 300mm for a lot less than TeleArtons.  F9 doesn't look too
dim
> on the groundglass in daylight; these graphic arts lenses evidently are
> corrected for close work- does this make them unsuitable for distant
> subjects or do they just need stopping down?

I own (and use quite heavily) a 300mm Nikkor-M, and it seems like most of
the landscape 4x5 photographers I know or run into in the field have one
in their bag.  It's light, sharp, flare resistant, and relatively
inexpensive.  For
a while it was impossible to find used but I see them run by on Ebay
regularly
now.

Both the Nikkor and the equivalent Fuji are optimized for infinity.

I can't really comment firsthand on what the G-Claron or Apo-Ronar
performance would be like at infinity.


-Paul