Originally Posted by
Sal Santamaura
Not a very insightful analogy/comparison.
At 300mm, the Nikkor M barely covers 8x10 without movements (325mm image circle), accepts 52mm filters and weighs 290g. The 300mm Nikkor W has a 420mm image circle, takes 95mm filters and weighs 1250g. To get that 95mm greater coverage, one is faced with a 3,310% weight difference and filters that are 82% larger.
In the 450mm focal length, image circle of a Nikkor M is specified as 440mm, while weight is 640g. A 450mm CM Fujinon W (which I own) has a 540mm image circle and weighs 1140g. The M filter thread is 67mm; CM-W accepts 86mm filters. For a 78% weight difference and a 28% larger filter, one gets an image circle 100mm larger. One, I might add, that's uniform right out to its edge, unlike the Nikkor's. Yes, many use the Nikkor for much larger formats, but they're inevitably contact printing and not critical about resolution in the corners.
Not all focal lengths are created equal. At 450mm, while not small, I wouldn't call the CM Fujinon W "huge." It is somewhat larger and heavier than the Nikkor M, but provides advantages that make dealing with its size/weight worthwhile in many applications.
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