Apo-Nikkor 600mm f9

[RTucker]

I just got a apo nikkor 600mm f9, and I have a couple of questions. First question would this lens be any good for shooting 8x10? It came with 4 waterhouse stops marked 600, they all look to be the same, and what do you use them for? Lastly it is missing its retainer ring any idea where I can locate one? Any thoughts on this lens let me know.

[Drew Wiley]

Don't know about the ring. Perhaps a machinist could directly thread a lensboard for it. It would make a wonderful 8x10 lens - plenty of coverage and very very sharp,
though I only know about the later 4-element dilaytes, not old tessars, which would be rare anyway if they ever were made in 600mm. You should have a multi-bladed aperture in there anyway - no need for waterhouse stops. They'd use those to control specific dot shape in prepress halftone work on the process cameras which used these kinds of lenses. Or they'd slip gel filter into the middle of the lens with those things. You'll need a huge shutter for this, but if you're comfortable with the lens cap method of exposure or have some other alternative.... But by all means, shoot with the thing!

[Drew Wiley]

... Oh... the last place I know about who sold these new was Samy's camera in LA. You might call them about the ring, or hit the usual web search whatevers...

[Dan Fromm]

Per Nikon, the 600/9 ApoNikkor's mount threads are M90x1. It covers 400 mm at infinity so should be good for 8x10. The Waterhouse stops go in the slot in the lens' side, there should be a lever that moves through 90 degrees to open/close the slot.

Drew, for a complete, I think, list of Apo-Nikkors see http://www.galerie-photo.com/apo-process-nikkors-en.html The list has all of the lenses, lacks full information for one.

[Drew Wiley]

Thanks for the link. All of mine are dialytes. One remark I have made before is that the official image circle specs are related to a standard of dot shape reproduction far in excess of normal photographic needs. In other words, the usable image circle for general photographic purposes is significantly larger than the published one.
These are also superb enlarging lenses. I guess if someone actually encountered a tessar, it would stand out like a sore thumb because it would be so conspicuously
heavy. But a tiny warning - unless you do have a shutter behind them, it's important to keep the cover to the waterhouse stop closed before you pull the darkslide or
expose using the lenscap, or you'll let light in. Not something we think about with ordinary view lenses.

[RTucker]

thanks for the info. I will step up my search for the retaining ring, and mount this on my Deardorff.

[Tracy Storer]

I've been using one of these on the 20x24 lately, though I have not checked infinity covereage. You will never, ever run out of movements on 8x10 and may want to use a lens shade to minmize "bellows flare" (aka light from excess coverage bouncing around off the bellows onto the film.

[trundrumbalind]

take a look at this:
http://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/showthread.php?116331-VIDEO-APO-Nikkor-480MM-f9-14X17-amp-16X20-infinity

This is my 480mm, so the image circle is smaller that yours, but still, it confirms what Tracy's saying.

[StoneNYC]

Thanks for the link. All of mine are dialytes. One remark I have made before is that the official image circle specs are related to a standard of dot shape reproduction far in excess of normal photographic needs. In other words, the usable image circle for general photographic purposes is significantly larger than the published one.
These are also superb enlarging lenses. I guess if someone actually encountered a tessar, it would stand out like a sore thumb because it would be so conspicuously
heavy. But a tiny warning - unless you do have a shutter behind them, it's important to keep the cover to the waterhouse stop closed before you pull the darkslide or
expose using the lenscap, or you'll let light in. Not something we think about with ordinary view lenses.

Can you snap a picture of your lens collection to show us?