The Bellows draw on a Wisner traditional is 500mm.
Would anyone consider using a non-telephoto 450mm (the small Fuji) on this camera for landscapes, or is it just too restrictive?
The Bellows draw on a Wisner traditional is 500mm.
Would anyone consider using a non-telephoto 450mm (the small Fuji) on this camera for landscapes, or is it just too restrictive?
Restrictive is in the eye of the photographer ... all depends on what you want in your image. My 450mm Nikkor M is one of my less used lenses for 4x5 but when I want tight composition and can't move closer then I am very happy to have it in my kit.
Ted, would you even be able to use it if you had only 500mm of bellows draw? That's what I mean by restrictive. I have this nutty idea of doing wildlife photography with a 450mm.
I'd think a 450mm lens on a 500mm bellows should be fine. There's a formula for figuring out how close you can focus but I don't know what it is, probably some of the more mathematically inclined here can provide it. But apart from math, I use a 12 inch lens with a 13 inch bellows and can focus that to about 10 - 12 feet. That's roughly 10% more bellows than focal length, which is about what you would have with a 450mm lens and 500mm of bellows. I don't find 10-12 feet to be unduly restrictive, when I use a 300mm lens it's usually for a distant object, not something up close. But using a 450mm lens on a 4x5 camera for wildlife? Apart from the other obvious problems, I wouldn't think it's long enough. With 35mm 300mm is usually considered a minimum length for wildlife and the 4x5 rough equivalent of a 300mm lens in 35mm is about 1100mms.
Brian Ellis
Before you criticize someone, walk a mile in their shoes. That way when you do criticize them you'll be
a mile away and you'll have their shoes.
Like Brin says you can figure the math for how close you can get with 500mm of bellows but a bit more detail. The Fuji 450 C that you mention has a flange focal length of 425.3mm which gives you a good bit of room to play with a 500mm bellows. The question is how close? Not to mention I question getting up very close to wildlife with a LF setup unless you are going to setup in a blind and just wait for the critters to wander by .... or come to my place and setup on the Farmers Porch outside the barn . What are you thinking about in terms of distance beetween your camera and subject?
The Nikon 450mm M is the longest lens I use on my Linhof Technikardan 45. Bellows is 485mm and I use the macro/telephoto rail. I use it for distant landscapes when I can't move closer.
I would be interested to know what wildlife would be tame and patient enough to let me go through the gyrations of set up to pose for a picture. Are you planning to set up in advance in a blind? If shooting close be sure to check how close the lens you choose can focus. I remember having difficulty focusing for a test on a wall that was about 22 feet away.
John
By wildlife, I'm imagining "environmental portraiture" of slow-moving critters, not close-up of a bear's tooth as it chases down an antelope.
I'm thinking something along the lines of a herd of buffalo in Yellowstone. They don't move too fast (usually). What I'm imagining is a shot with a 450mm being no different than a 450mm on a 35mm camera, except that you can see more of the surroundings.
I did not realize the 450mm Fuji had flange distance of only 425.3mm; that's certainly helpful.
Would a 500mm or 600mm telephoto be more suitable for what I have in mind?
Coincidentally I had similar ideas and posed such a question about a year ago. I would encourage you to read the APUG thread of advice I received clear to the end. The stories are both amusing and frightening. http://www.apug.org/forums/forum54/2...ographers.html
John
I use the Fujinon C 450 on my 4X5 Wisner TF all the time, and it is probably my second favorite lens. From the looks of it, there is still at least around 4-6 inches of bellows extension remaining when it is focused at infinity. I believe the TF has a bit more extension than the Traditional and Expedition models, but they should both be fine with this lens. I've used it to shoot quite a bit of wildlife, including a number of mad cows up in Sonoma a few weeks ago!
Brian Vuillemenot
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