Nikkor 120 SW Center Filter

[Former Member 27732]

Just wondering what people are using for center filters on the Nikkor 120 SW. I read the Schneider 3b does the trick. True? Anything else?

[tgtaylor]

If that's the f9, then I don't think that you need a center filter - especially if you're shooting with a 4x5 camera. I've used it a couple of times with an 8x10 and didn't notice any light falloff even though I used some rise.

Thomas

[Former Member 27732]

That's surprising Thomas!
I'll use it mostly on an 8x10 shooting Velvia. I have a Schneider 150 XL and that definitely benefits from the 4A filter. I'll see what results I get when it arrives.
Thanks

[hoffner]

Frank, make yourself a favour and google Nikkor 120 SW centre filter . You will then get the whole truth about your query.

[Leigh]

I'll use it mostly on an 8x10 shooting Velvia.
The Nikkor SW 120/8 won't cover 8x10, at least the new ones won't. The image circle is only 312mm.

You might be able to just squeeze an image at infinity, with possibly slight degradation at the corners.
Of course that problem will diminish as the subjects get closer.

- Leigh

[tgtaylor]

I recall several posts which suggested that the published data regarding the image circle was "consertative." If it were me I'd wait until I got the lens and then make that determination. I bought mine new from B&H around 2007 so it is clearly the latest version and now use it exclusively on my 8x10 Toyo-View as an extreme wide angle.

I originally bought it for the 4x5 but the FOV is just an insignificant tad shy of my 150mm apo-sironar S that I thought that it was a stupid investment until I acquired an 8x10 for which I now have a "perfect" spread of FL's: 120, 240, 360, and 480mm. I wonder if there is a 600mm out there?

Thomas

[Former Member 27732]

Leigh, I expect it will be good enough. I have sironar 210 with an ic of 302mm and that covers 8x10, with barely a hint of vignetting.

[Leigh]

I hope you'll find it satisfactory. It depends a lot on the type of subjects you shoot and your personal style.

That's a very nice lens. I use mine frequently.

- Leigh

[Drew Wiley]

Shooting Velvia without a CF would be just plains nuts, unless you deliberately want your corners going black. But for the CF to work properly, you'd have to stop it down to at least f/22, which you'll have to anyway if you hope to cover 8x10. The Schneider 82mm 3B works absolutely perfectly on my Nikkor 90/4 SW, just as it did on the old 120 SA it was originally designed for, so there's a probability it will work well on a Nikkor 120 too, which is similarly designed, though I've never personally tested this exact combination.

[Leigh]

Shooting Velvia without a CF would be just plains nuts, unless you deliberately want your corners going black.
Drew,

That's ridiculous.

I've shot many hundreds of sheets of Velvia with absolutely no problems. I don't even own a center filter.

I expect there might be a problem if I used a really short lens, like 65mm or 75mm, but I don't.
I have both of those focal lengths, but I don't use them for chromes, only b&w.

- Leigh

[Corran]

The 120mm f/8 Nikkor certainly does cover 8x10, and stopped down as you would use it, there's even some movements. I've used it on 8x10 a lot. Excellent lens.

I do not own a center filter, I only shoot b&w in 8x10. I've never noticed any problems with corner darkening in my usage at f/32-f/64 usually.

[Stephen Willard]

I use a bunch of 4x5 Nikkor lenses with my 4x10 camera. Even though they are not suppose to cover my 4x10 camera, in practice, they do an excellent job with virtually no light fall off and achieve excellent sharpness from edge to edge. Nikkor specs are very very conservative.