nikkor t ed 800 / 1200 mm

[mircea nicolae]

Hi guys,

I've been considering buying the nikkor t ed 600 / 800 / 1200 set.

However, only recently have I understood that you need huge bellows draw for these lenses:
http://members.iinet.net.au/~cbird/nikkor/t.html#T600

for the 600 mm - flange focal distance = 409 mm
for the 800 mm - flange focal distance = 527 mm
for the 755 mm - flange focal distance = 409 mm

After loooking around for a camera that supports these numbers I found the Horseman L camera, which goes as far as 450 mm.

My questions to the people here on the forum who have these lenses and use them are:

1. What cameras do you use for these lenses? (especially for 800 / 1200 mm)
2. How does the setup perform in the stability / micro focus department?
3. Are you using two tripods? (the lenses seem to be heavy)
4. Do you have any idea how far these lenses go, in kilometers or miles? (if someone can indicate a table with ALL nikkor t ed lenses..)


Thanks,

MN

[Ken Lee]

Because they are telephoto designs, they require less bellows draw than their effective focal length: so they are a "bargain" in that department.

If you're accustomed to 4x5 field cameras whose bellows draw is limited to ~300mm, then these figures probably sound dramatic, but even among field cameras, there are several models which allow the use of 450mm non-telephoto lenses like the the Fujinon C or Nikkor M. Many monorail designs of modular design can be extended ad infinitum by simply attaching additional rails and bellows.

5x7 and 8x10 cameras routinely provide more bellows draw, like 600mm or more. Wind and shutter speed influence sharpness.

You might find this article interesting: 610mm APO Nikkor Gallery. It shows a 610mm lens (non-telephoto) in use on a 4x5 Sinar, with only 1 tripod (and not a particularly fancy one for that matter). The resolution test (1/60 second) might also be interesting.

[John O'Connell]

I had the 600/800T for a few years. I used it solely on a 8x10 Gowland Pocket View with 32" of bellows. Focusing the lens is no big deal, even at the low speed of the longer lengths. You still use a loupe, but I found the 600/800 lengths to be contrasty enough that the single rough focus knob on my camera was sufficient.

My experience was that the 600 was usable without extra support, but the 800 was marginal on a single tripod. It is an extremely large and heavy lens, and seriously alters the balance of the camera (not as much of a problem on a monorail).

Contrary to your thinking, however, the 600T is an incredibly convenient lens for its focal length--I could still reach the controls on the lens from behind the camera. And ~400mm of bellows is wonderful on a 600mm lens. The 800 is less convenient, and the 1200 was never even considered by me (see numerous threads on issues with the 1200T; I didn't want to have to get a new camera).

The easiest way to get enough bellows for these monsters on 4x5 is to cobble together Sinar parts.

[brianjnelson]

I have the 600T that I use with a Linhof 5x7 Technika V. I use one tripod with a Bogen Magic Arm attached to the front (fold down part of camera) and clamp to a tripod leg for added stability. The 5x7 linhof has enough bellows for the 600.

BTW- I used to have a 610 APO Nikkor that I used on a Sinar with multiple rail clamps and a couple magic arms front and back on the rail. Both on 4x5 and 8x10. The 600T is a much easier to work with.

[John Schneider]

Look at post #9 in this thread, which shows Reinhart Wolf using a long process lens (non-telephoto) on a Sinar. It's about 1m of bellows: http://www.largeformatphotography.in...=castles+spain

Or this image of the equipment he used for his Castles of Spain book; this lens looks even longer. Notice the compendium and several intermediate standards: http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=...QEwBQ&dur=6950

[mircea nicolae]

This is really useful. Thanks a lot to you all.

[Drewskers]

I have a Nikkor T ED 600/800. I originally used it in the late 80's on a Horseman LX 45 camera, which I don't have any longer. That camera had a telescoping rail that enabled me to focus the 800T. I used a Bogen 3058 tripod (the old 3058 which dwarfs the current 3058) and a Gitzo 470 Pan-Tilt head that had a long bed with two mounting screws. Horseman had an adapter at that time that was ribbed 1/4" steel about 1/ 1/2" wide and 12" long. It had 2 mounting blocks for the camera rail at either end. I would attach this adapter directly to the Gitzo head using both mounting screws. That camera/head/tripod were so rigid it was like they were machined out of a single block of steel. It never needed any additional support. And I could also balance the camera nicely despite the weight of the 800T.

Unfortunately, I injured my back using that rig. Go figure, lol. I sold the Horseman and bought a Linhoff Technikarden. This camera only has enough bellows draw for the 600T. I put it on a Gitzo 4-series tripod that weighs about a third of the Bogen. (The Bogen is still holding down the floor in my basement. It's that heavy.) The Gitzo pan tilt head was replaced with a Foba BALLA Super Ball with QR. I got a custom 8" long mounting plate from Kirk with two mounting holes lined up with the two mounting holes in the main rail section of the Linhoff. This adds some rigidity and allows for some balance adjustment as well (by sliding the plate in the QR mount). This setup, and the Technikarden, is not as rigid as the Horseman, but good enough. I have used a second small tripod a few times when it is windy. I don't attach it but just snick it up against the far end of the telescoped rail.

[Drewskers]

A correction to my post, and some additional information, as I found my Horseman catalog from way back when.

The Horseman camera I had was the L45EX. Collapsed, the rail was 460mm long, and it extended to 700mm. I always needed some extension to focus the 800T.

The mounting plate I mentioned was actually called the "Support Plate" and the part number was 27562.

That Horseman was a beautiful camera. Wish I had kept it!

[Dean Wilmot]

Hi all, re the nikkor t ed 360/500/720 and 600/800/1200 sets of lenses, firstly can someone please advise exactly what number of front and rear elements should come for each set of focal lengths in each set of lenses? Also can the 600/800/1200 set of lenses be used on the same setup as the 360/500/720 ie using the same copal setup?? Thanks in advance

[chassis]

Hi Dean,

The questions are answered precisely in the Nikkor large format lens catalogs. Google finds them quickly and easily. Here is some feedback:

Shutters are different, therefore the two lens sets are not interchangeable with one shutter, because of different lens to shutter thread sizes. Copal 1 and Copal 3 thread sizes are easily found using Google.

Nikkor-T ED 360/500/720
- Copal 1 shutter
- 4 items, excluding shutter, are needed for the set:
-- ED 360mm f/8 front lens component, includes 3 elements in 2 groups
-- ED 360mm f/8 rear lens component, includes 2 elements in 2 groups
-- ED 500mm f/11 rear lens component, includes 3 elements in 2 groups
-- ED 720mm f/16 rear lens component, includes 4 elements in 2 groups

Nikkor-T ED 600/800/1200
- Copal 3 shutter
- 4 items, excluding shutter, are needed for the set:
-- ED 600mm f/9 front lens component, includes 4 elements in 3 groups
-- ED 600mm f/9 rear lens component, includes 2 elements in 2 groups
-- ED 800mm f/12 rear lens component, includes 3 elements in 2 groups
-- ED 1200mm f/16 rear lens component, includes 4 elements in 2 groups