Nikkor SW 90mm f/8 - Fast enough?

[John C. Potter]

Hi,

I'm thinking of buying a Nikkoe SW 90mm f/8 lens for doing nature shots on my 4 x 5.

Question: Is this lens going to be fast enough to focus under low light conditi ons, say in the morning or the evening? The 4 x 5 has a fresnel lens.

John

[Ellis Vener]

Yes.

[Erik Ryberg]

(Barely).

[Jeff White]

This subject came up at a John Sexton Workshop that I attended a few years ago. John was advertising for Nikon at that time and could have any Nikkor lenses that he wanted. He chose the 90 f/8. His work is known for usually being made in low light and the speed was not a problem for him. He commented that the F/8 lens was a much sharper lens than the faster version.

[Ron Shaw]

Try it for yourself. Just stop your current lens to F8, and see if its bright enough for you.

[Tim Kimbler]

I just bought a 90mm F4.5 Nikkor. It came today by mail. I bought it for the brighter image. It looks like a great lens, can't wait to try it out. Now I wonder if I got the best lens. I want sharp images. How much difference is there in the image produced by the F4.5/F8?

[Jeff White]

Tim, I don't beleive that you bought an inferior lens. Sharpness is somewhat subjective. If in doubt, make some exposures and make sure that you are satisfied, if not most outlets have a reasonable return policy. But I will say again that I don't beleive that you bought an inferior lens.

[Patrick Raymore]

John,

I am not sure the advice of "just stopping down your present lens to F8 " to see if that aperture is adequate will work. There is a great deal of difference between F8 of a 150mm and F8 of a 90mm on the ground glass. This is partly due to light fall off characteristic of wide angles and partly due to the fact that fresnel screens that are optimized for longer focal lengths.

Tim,

It is wonderful to have the faster aperture, if you can stand the weight. The faster aperture, the brighter screen. This helps focusing accuracy. Focusing accuracy has for me been more important in delivering sharp pictures than what brand lens I am using.

[Sergio Perez]

I had a Nikkor 90/8.0 and I did not like it because focussing was to difficult and the center is brighter, but I have read so many good things about it that is difficult to belief that people are talking about the same lens. Today I have a rodenstock 90/4.5 and I really love it, the extra few ounces really are meaningless when you have a bright ground glass and you can check for sharpness every where at any time.

[josh_560]

Boy I hope so its the only I can afford.