Almost everything I've read in this forum and elsewhere (except advertisements) indicate that lenses for the big four are essentially all equal because of non-o ptical limitations like camera stability, film plane flatness, focusing errors, etc. It comes as a surprise though to hear from one of the very highly recommen ded salesperson (static pages) and respected contributor to this forum that I sh ould consider getting an APO-Sironar S instead of a Nikon W.

How many people doing large format seriously think that these two lenses have re al observable differences? and if so, at what degree of enlargement? I've obser ved (B&H catalog) that the Nikon lenses are almost always significantly cheaper than comparable lenses from the other three manufacturers without really sacrifi cing image circle, etc. The Nikon W and SW series are a few examples. Why do p eople still buy lenses other than from Nikon? Are they just after the very last bit of sharpness that cost so much, like some 35 mm photographers who spend so much and go for Leica and Contax instead of Canon and Nikon prime lenses?