I’m going to Yosemite in July and would like to take along a longer lens. For my 4x5 I have a 90, 150 and a 300. Only the 300 is used on my 8x10. I’d like a longer lens for the 8x10 that could also be used on the 4x5. Any suggestions?
I’m going to Yosemite in July and would like to take along a longer lens. For my 4x5 I have a 90, 150 and a 300. Only the 300 is used on my 8x10. I’d like a longer lens for the 8x10 that could also be used on the 4x5. Any suggestions?
Paul Ward
First real camera: Nikon F2, gift from gandfather (1980), still have and use it.
Wista m45 4x5
Calumet Green Monster
Agfa 8x10 Field Camera
“A big negative is really a positive…”
Check out the Fuji 450C. Incredible lens!
Hi Paul,
New/modern = $$
Maybe something like a 19 inch (just under 500mm) Artar. Likely half the $$'s of a modern.
Glass is fantastic, old shutters work fine given a proper CLA.
That was my solution. In the moderns, I'm fond of the 450 Nikon, wish I never sold mine.
bob
Longer glass is even cheaper if you don't need a shutter. If you can use just the caps as a shutter, or maybe a front mount Packard, the barrel lenses are much more affordable.
Single element protar.
Consider a Sinar Copal Shutter, which is a one-time expense. After that, all manner of barrel-mounted lenses can be used: modern and vintage, short and long. They are generally cheaper than their shutter-mounted equivalents.
For example, my 360mm APO Nikkor is deadly sharp, as good or better than my 300mm Fujinon A for example. My 210mm Macro Sinaron is the sharpest lens I've tested, even at infinity. Neither are mounted in a shutter. The 610mm APO Nikkor is also impressive, and I got mine - new in box - for around $250 if my memory is correct.
There are plenty of APO Ronars, Nikkors, and other barrel-mounted lenses longer than 300mm.
The APO-Ronars are long and often quite affordable. Though designed for 1:1 repro work, they perform fine at infinity as well.
I think one can also remove the rear element of a Symmar to double focal length (and roughly f-stop). I never tested this myself but read about this several times.
Peter
The Symmar previous to the Symmar-S is commonly known as the Symmar Convertible. Removing the front cell turns the rear cell into a much longer lens (about 1.75 times as long). I guess the longest I've seen that is commonly available is the 210/370, but the 300/500 comes up from time to time. The shutters that came with these had two aperture scales (the rear cell alone is an f/12 lens), and there is a bit of a focus shift so you have to check the focus stopped down. But it is a cheap way to get a long lens.
Rick "who has a 180/315 Symmar Convertible" Denney
Rick,
Thanks a lot for the correction. I love to learn and unfortunately don't have an old symmar to try it myself. Can you still do it with the later symmar-S?
Peter
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