Longer lens for view camera (digital + film)

[anyone]

Hi there,

I am looking for a longer lens (>240mm) for my view camera(s). I'd like to use it primarily digital, but if the image circle is large enough I certainly also would like to use it on 4x5" film.

Apart from the issue that they are tremendously hard to find, I'd like to ask about recommendations which ones to look for in the first place. My cameras have limited bellows extension, so I'm looking for tele lenses. To my knowledge, there is no such lens optimised for digital in the market, so most likely it would be a film lens, but I'm wondering which one is good enough to perform on a digital back too?

Thank you very much!

 

[MartinN]

I have a Yamasaki Tele-Congo 400mm f8 which I use for 4x5. Can't say how it performs on digital but at least it is cheap, nothing like digital lenses. From what I remember the Tele-Congo was made in two different focal lengths. You could try one and keep it for 4x5.

 

[MartinN]

For digital you probably need a new camera, the Mamiya RZ Pro IID and the APO RZ lenses. They are long and have very good optical performance.

 

[GregMO]

Fujinon makes a T (telephoto) series for large format cameras- 300, 400, 600. They require less bellows then typical similar focal length lenses. Can get them for a few to several hundred dollars. Keh.com & ebay (sellers in Japan often have them) are good places to look.
FUJINON LARGE FORMAT LENSES SORTED BY SERIES (scroll to near bottom of page for T Series)

I have the T-600 f12 for my 4x5 & 5x7 cameras. No experience with it on a digital back.

 

[anyone]

Thank you very much for your answers. Changing the camera is no option for now, I would like to stick with what I have.

The Fujinon T Series looks interesting. How does it compare to the Nikkor-T or Apo Tele Xenar?

My Wista 45 has a max bellows extension of 300mm, the Linhof Techno of 250mm. I saw the flange focal length in the table, but I wonder what bellows extension is needed in practice for infinity focus?

Anyone shooting long lenses on digital?

 

[JohnL]

Thank you very much for your answers. Changing the camera is no option for now, I would like to stick with what I have.

The Fujinon T Series looks interesting. How does it compare to the Nikkor-T or Apo Tele Xenar?

My Wista 45 has a max bellows extension of 300mm, the Linhof Techno of 250mm. I saw the flange focal length in the table, but I wonder what bellows extension is needed in practice for infinity focus?

Anyone shooting long lenses on digital?

I have used the Fuji t300 and the Nikkor ED t270 on my Linhof Techno and P1 3100. I found the Fuji a bit soft in contrast, some CA at F8 but with decent resolution, improving at F11. Nothing to sneeze at using it on my P1. The Nikkor ED t270 is contrastier and a bit sharper, approaching, but not quite reaching, some of the Digitars. I use the Nikkor more now when long focal length is needed.

The flange focal length would be approximately the bellows extension from the sensor plane to the lens mount board for infinity focus.

Tested the Nikkor 270 against a 250mm Zeiss Superachromat - the Zeiss noticeably better on 100% crops of test charts, but not necessarily blowing away the NIkkor. Special adapters needed for the Zeiss to work with view/tech cameras and is larger and heavier than either the Fuji or the Nikkor. The Fuji and Nikkor have much bigger image circles as well.

In my experience, using a digitally dedicated view/tech camera such as the Linhof Techno, Cambo, Alpa, etc. with precise movements and sensor plane to lens plane parallelism is much better, easier, and more accurate and satisfying than using a digital back on a "regular" view camera such as the Wista, Ebony, etc.

Hope this helps.

 

[JohnL]

Thank you very much for your answers. Changing the camera is no option for now, I would like to stick with what I have.

The Fujinon T Series looks interesting. How does it compare to the Nikkor-T or Apo Tele Xenar?

My Wista 45 has a max bellows extension of 300mm, the Linhof Techno of 250mm. I saw the flange focal length in the table, but I wonder what bellows extension is needed in practice for infinity focus?

Anyone shooting long lenses on digital?

I have used the Fuji t300 and the Nikkor ED t270 on my Linhof Techno and P1 3100. I found the Fuji a bit soft in contrast, some CA at F8 but with decent resolution, improving at F11. Nothing to sneeze at using it on my P1. The Nikkor ED t270 is contrastier and a bit sharper, approaching, but not quite reaching, some of the Digitars. I use the Nikkor more now when long focal length is needed.

The flange focal length would be approximately the bellows extension from the sensor plane to the lens mount board for infinity focus.

Tested the Nikkor 270 against a 250mm Zeiss Superachromat - the Zeiss noticeably better on 100% crops of test charts, but not necessarily blowing away the NIkkor. Special adapters needed for the Zeiss to work with view/tech cameras and is larger and heavier than either the Fuji or the Nikkor. The Fuji and Nikkor have much bigger image circles as well.

In my experience, using a digitally dedicated view/tech camera such as the Linhof Techno, Cambo, Alpa, etc. with precise movements and sensor plane to lens plane parallelism is much better, easier, and more accurate and satisfying than using a digital back on a "regular" view camera such as the Wista, Ebony, etc.

Hope this helps.

 

[Alkibiades]

For digital work the apo sironar - n (sironar-n) is the best choise you can make.
It is ceap and sharp, perfect correction. Apo symmar is the same from schneidet.
If you want te best than take apo sironar s 75 deg. That have ED glass. It is expensive. All rodenstock digital lenses are rebranded apo sironar S lenses- only HR are differentstory and nothing for film. The tele constractions are always not that sharp like them, foget them for digital work. The apo xenar is the best, tele arton mc follows him close but all sironars- symmars are better. On techno there will be no problem with 210 mm lenses but for 240 mm could be.

 

[dchew]

This is a good summary page for Rodenstocks:
Rodenstock lenses for large format cameras

Dave

 

[anyone]

Thank you very much for all your answers, they are very helpful to make up my mind.

Currently my gear is a Linhof M679CS (to be replaced with the Techno) for digital, and Wista 45 for film. My (long) lens is a Apo Sironar S 210mm (also a solid performer on digital). I also own a Hasselblad system with flexbody and Superachromat 250mm (still looking for the 350mm, but its very hard to find). So if I don't want to use much movements, I maybe should just stick to the Hasselblad system. The only downside is that while hiking I cannot carry both.

From all what I figure out from this thread I need to go separate routes for digital and film. The Linhof Techno has a bellows extension of just 250mm -> therefore, the longest lens I could find is the Nikkor-T 270mm. Glad to hear its performing well, so I might just want to go that route. Unfortunately, the Nikkor-T 360mm requires slightly more bellows. I saw sometimes long lenses mounted on a sort of "extension tube", maybe that works? Would be nice to get a few extra mm of focal length. Does anyone know how well the Nikkor-T 360mm works digitally? Or the apo tele xenar?

For film, 4x5, even 400mm seems a little short. However, the bellows of the Wista is restricted to 300mm -> therefore, the longest focal length might be just in the 400mm range, and from what I read the Fujinon-T 400mm seems to be just fine for that purpose.

 

[Peegeenyc]

Yes, you are right, you'd need different lenses for digital vs film, for various reasons including:

- different resolution requirements - digital is far less forgiving of things like CA
- different image circle coverage
- differing effective focal lengths.

If you want to go digital, you can get some of the longer length Mamiya 645 lenses, especially the 300 and 500mm ones.

The 300mm APO came in f2.8 (hard to find and $$, only 1000 ever made) and f4 (easy to find, and more affordable). I've used both and prefer the f4, anyways - too much LCA on the 2.8, to use wide open. ES has really boosted results from these lenses - we had no idea how much shutter vibration was costing until ES arrived. With that you can see just how amazing some of these are optically, without the vibrations of a shutter, even with Mirror Up.

The 500mm I have never owned/ used.
These all work on a Phase One DF/XF with their digital backs.
There's also the Contax 645 Tele ApoTessar 350mm f4, for that system. Another excellent lens.

With all these 645 options, you will get an even longer effective focal length as a digital sensor is smaller than film 645 format. And even longer still on crop 645 sensors. Of course none of them will cover 4x5" film.

Good luck.

 

[JoelM]

The Fuji A line is both underrated and fantastic. I believe on the long end, there is a 240 (I used that one a lot) and a 360 (not as much). They're not telephoto designs, but they are extremely well corrected and sharp. They also easily cover 8x10 and possibly 11x14.

Otherwise, the Nikkor Teles are the way to go.

Joel