Is a 300mm lense a use focal length for 4x5???

[stradibarrius]

How often do you use your longer focal length lenses in LF? Say 300mm and longer?

[Nathan Potter]

I see I used the 360 and 500 Nikon T ED just 30% of the time for quan. 400 4X5s' in 4 years. Lots more than I thought. But that includes 3 months in the Canadian Rockies.

Nate Potter, Austin TX.

[Drew Wiley]

I'm assuming you are referring to such usage with 4x5 film, in which case I use 300 frequently, 360 a lot, and 450 rather
frequently too. The nice thing about these longer lenses is that they generally have enough coverage for 8x10 film too.
I select from Nikkor M, Fuji C, and Fuji A. None are telephoto design.

[IanG]

In twenty plus years twice - a 300mm f9 Nikon M, it was rare I used longer than 150mm although I'm beginning to use a 203mm or 210mm more in the past 2-3 years. It depends what & where you shoot, I don't shoot in wide open landscapes very often. My Nikon 300mm also fits my 10x8 cameras.

Ian

[welly]

I used my Fuji 300mm for the first time on my 4x5 last week. Originally bought it for my 8x10 but I can see myself using it a bit more. Big old thing though.

[Mark Stahlke]

My Fuji 300mm is one of my "don't leave home without it" lenses. I use it a lot.

[biedron]

I use my 360mm and 500mm Nikkor T-ED lenses a lot - more than I ever expected to. I shoot landscapes so a lot of time moving in closer is not possible/practical. Just got a 720mm rear cell so I am looking forward to trying that out too.

Bob

[Vaughn]

Never, but then I never own anything over 210mm for 4x5, and used 150mm 99% of the time.

A lot of work in the deep forest, so longer lenses are not used as much (by me, anyway).

[Leigh]

As with any lens selection, it will depend on your subject matter, shooting style, and personal preference.

I have Nikkor M in 300/9 and 450/9 and a Nikkor W 360/6.5. I use all of them regularly.

One common scenario for me is to take overall shots (architecture for example) using a wide lens, then
close in for details using the longer focal lengths.

- Leigh

[vinny]

all the time.

[stradibarrius]

How would a 300mm 0r 360mm work for portrait and /or product photography? That would be like a 100 or 120mm in 35mm correct??

[Leigh]

How would a 300mm 0r 360mm work for portrait and /or product photography?
A bit long, giving a flattened perspective.

The effect might be flattering, depending on the subject, lighting, etc.

In 35mm work an 85mm is often the lens of choice for portraiture; not that much different.

- Leigh

[BrianShaw]

How often do you use your longer focal length lenses in LF? Say 300mm and longer?

Can't really say "how often" but I can easily say 'when'. I use 300 for portraiture frequently and much less for landscape or general photography, and never for architecture.

[Mark Sampson]

If I could only keep two lenses for 4x5, one would be my 300/9 Nikkor-M. (The other would be my 135/6.3 Wide-Field Ektar.) The only lens I desire, but don't own, is the 500/11 Nikkor-T.

[Preston]

My 300 Nikkor-M gets used quite frequently. I would also like to own a Fuji 450.

--P

[Peter Gomena]

I have a 305mm Schneider G-Claron. It gets occasional use on my 4x5 and does double-duty on my whole-plate camera. My 150 and 210 get more use on 4x5. I also own a 360mm Tele-Xenar, which doesn't get a lot of use, but it's there when I need it.

[rdenney]

I use mine often enough to think of it as a basic part of my kit.

Rick "who might look for a 300mm plasmat this year, just for the modern shutter as much as anything" Denney

[jp]

How would a 300mm 0r 360mm work for portrait and /or product photography? That would be like a 100 or 120mm in 35mm correct??

I really like 4x5's made with my Kodak 305 Portrait lens, but not everyone is into that style. The lens was made for 5x7 and usable with 8x10.

[Shekhjs4]

Yes

[stradibarrius]

Here is a link to a Nikon brochure on the 300m f/9 and the 450m f/9 I'm sure it will clear up any questions about the design and coatings etc. Also is a "Tessar" design 4 elements in 3 groups?
http://www.galerie-photo.com/manuels/nikkor-lenses-for-large-format%20cameras.pdf

[sethlatimer]

I love my 300 f9 lens for landscape. I like the angle of view so much that I am thinking about getting another 300 that is faster for portraits and still life.

[Mark Sampson]

stradibarrius, the Nikkor-M lenses are indeed designed to the Tessar formula.

[Tobias Key]

The 300mm is a dangerous lens. If you buy one you'll start thinking about shooting 8x10... so it could end up costing you a lot of money ;)

[E. von Hoegh]

The 300mm is a dangerous lens. If you buy one you'll start thinking about shooting 8x10... so it could end up costing you a lot of money ;)

A 12" Goerz Red Dot Artar doesn't cover 8x10, so it's safe.
There was a really nice 30cm C.P. Goerz Berlin Dagor, in a Compound, on feepay recently...

[Mark Stahlke]

The 300mm is a dangerous lens. If you buy one you'll start thinking about shooting 8x10... so it could end up costing you a lot of money ;):D That's what happened to me. I realized I had lenses that would cover 8x10 but no 8x10 camera to mount them on. Of course I had to rectify that situation.

[Vaughn]

Has anyone actually bought a Fuji W 300/5.6 for a 4x5?

I use a Gowland 4x5 Pocket View -- weighs about 2 pounds. Not only is the front standard too small to take a Copal 3 mounted lens, the lens would out-weigh the camera!LOL!

I do love it on my 8x10, though!

[stradibarrius]

I am suprised that so many people have responded! It is almost unanimous that the 300, 350 even 450 are very useful lenses. This afternoon I bought a Nikon 300m f/6 form someone on this forum. I felt that it would be really useful.

[AJ Edmondson]

I still have one but use it infrequently... during the years when I was in Arizona, Texas and California I used it much more frequently but here in the southeast I seem to be more concerned with opening up the space than compressing the distance. Again it is one of those things where you have to decide for yourself - based on your own photographic vision - if it works for you.
Joel

[munz6869]

Yes - on my 5x4" Wista the bellows are out as far as it's possible to get them, and I wouldn't want to focus on anything too close... but I have got some smashing shots with that focal length!

Marc!

[EdoNork]

I have been looking the Nikkor lenses catalog and there are two type of long lenses, Type T and Type W (this is a broad rage of lenses). They mark T as real telephoto lenses. What is the real difference between two types? They are fisically very differents, one short, others long, for similar focal lengths.

[Len Middleton]

I have been looking the Nikkor lenses catalog and there are two type of long lenses, Type T and Type W (this is a broad rage of lenses). They mark T as real telephoto lenses. What is the real difference between two types?

Take a closer look at the specifications for the two lenses.

The W is a general purpose lens (plasmat design) with a large image circle (300 covers 10x12) and requiring a lot of bellows (approx 300mm at infinity).

The T is a telephoto lens (telephoto design) with a smaller image circle (the 360 covers 5x7), but requires much less bellows.

For 4x5, the 360 T would cover and could likely accommodate the bellows draw of a small 4x5 camera.

[EdoNork]

Thank you very much, Len.
Any word about image quality?

[Nathan Potter]

Edo, I've used both of these lenses but now stick with the 360 T ED, mostly because I can convert it to a 500 mm by changing the rear section. I have a sense in general that the 300 might have a slight edge in sharpness but the 360 T uses some ED glass which appears to yield better contrast for longer landscape images. For portraiture I'd choose the 300 W.

Nate Potter, Austin TX.

[EdoNork]

I will be using it for landscapes. 360 T is the choice, the image circle is enough.
Thank you.

[Brian Vuillemenot]

450 mm is at least my second most often, and perhaps most often used, lens on 4X5. I use the 300 mm quite a bit, too.