Telephoto lens recommendation for Toyo 45AX

[squiress]

You can also use a 360mm lens with a 'tophat' lensboard. Any longer than that and it is gonna get real tipsy.

'Tophat' would be the reverse of recessed I take it. I am likely to go the 400T route, but the Osaka approach might be great to see how much I really want to run down this road. Glass out of China is getting better all the time.

Thanks again to all.

Stew

[William Stone]

Stew -

I shoot my Toyo 45A with a Schneider 400mm tele-xenar compact (in Copal 3)

See:
http://www.schneideroptics.com/ecomm...D=165&IID=1853

It's not a small lens, but your Toyo will handle it just fine. It's an excellent performer, but not inexpensive.

Good luck -- Bill

[Dave_B]

There is a nice set of Linhof style top hat lens boards available. They add about 35mm to the draw of the camera. I have my Nikkor 360-500-720 lens mounted in one and it all fits very nicely. The rear lenses fit inside the well with just enough room. For use with my Toyo 45AII, I have a Toyo-Linhof adapter which adds something like an additional 10mm to the length. The top hat lens boards can be gotten from Badger or Robert White, among others. The top hats are modular and one can buy faceplates for it with holes for various shutters as well as tubes of different lengths. They are not cheap but each lens only needs a new faceplate, not an entire lens board so you can save some there.
The Nikkor T 500 needs 350mm of draw at infinity and the Nikkor T 360 lens needs 261mm. My 45AII has 324mm of range plus the 45mm described above gives ~370mm. The 500mm lens is pretty marginal, the 360 is a dream to use on this camera. Both lenses are superb performers but not cheap or easy to find on the used lens market.
Toyo also makes an extension back (~100mm) that new costs an amazing amount of money ($530) for what it is. I have been looking for a used one for a long time and have only seen one used copy that was on Ebay which was part of a complete camera outfit. I have never seen a individual one for sale. I guess that the new cost means that there are not a lot of them out there to eventually end up on the used market.
Cheers,
Dave B.

[Dave_B]

One final note on the top hats. Jeff at Badger just confirmed this. One or more tubes can be stacked together. Also, the face plate can be screwed directly into the lens plate. The tubes come in lengths of 17 and 35mm and so one can have extensions of 0, 17, 35, 52, 70, 87, etc. At some point vignetting will occur but this set gives you a pretty cheap way to add extra length to your camera for a telephoto lens.
Cheers,
Dave B.

[Ted Harris]

The other point too is that with the top hat you don't have to reort to a telephoto lens, you can use regular long focus lenses and avoid the inherent problems of using LF telephotos.

[Don Hutton]

The other point too is that with the top hat you don't have to reort to a telephoto lens, you can use regular long focus lenses and avoid the inherent problems of using LF telephotos.

When you use normal lenses on tophat boards, you end up with exactly the same issues - the nodal point is moved forward of the axis on the front standard.

[naturephoto1]

When you use normal lenses on tophat boards, you end up with exactly the same issues - the nodal point is moved forward of the axis on the front standard.

Hi Don,

That may be true, but if there is enough exension with either the Telephoto lens or a "normal" lens you will generally experience less interference with the bellows and the rear cells when using rise/fall, shift, tilts, and swings.

Rich

[Don Hutton]

Hi Don,

That may be true, but if there is enough exension with either the Telephoto lens or a "normal" lens you will generally experience less interference with the bellows and the rear cells when using rise/fall, shift, tilts, and swings.

Rich

Personally, I have no issues using a telephoto lens - I'm just pointing out that using a top hat board does not "avoid" the issues - they may be slightly less, but they are still there. I'd also add that using a tophat board usually introduces in particular flare - which really can muck up a good shot.

[naturephoto1]

Personally, I have no issues using a telephoto lens - I'm just pointing out that using a top hat board does not "avoid" the issues - they may be slightly less, but they are still there.

Hi Don,

Agreed. One advantage though of using a top hat and "normal" lenses over a telephoto can be a reasonable weight savings. As an example, the weight of my Nikon f11 500T ED T lens + UV filter and Technika lens board is 31.8oz. To use the Fuji f12.5 450mm C MC lens on my Toho Shimo FC-45X I have an Ebony Top Hat with 105mm of extension. The weight of the Ebony Top Hat with 105mm extension (with flocking paper to elliminate flare), Fuji f12.5 450mm C MC lens and UV filter weighs 18.2oz. That is a weight savings of 13.2oz.

Rich

[stompyq]

I use a Fuji 400T lens in copal 1 shutter with my Wista DX. It's a very good lens and has enough movements for 4x5. My copy is very sharp and seems to go toe to toe with my fuji 240A. Camera shake is the only problem with this lens. You have to be very careful since the lens does make the wista slightly front heavy. I use a long cable release and wait patiently for the wind to die down.