Nikon 300/F9

[Steve Lewis]

Hi Guys

I use a 5x4 camera and have a selection of lenses including a Nikon 270 TED lens, which is a briliant lens, but very bulky. I'm looking to replace it with something in the same focal range, but lighter! What's your experiences of the Nikon 300/F9?
Thanks.

Steve.

www.landscapesofwales.co.uk

[Larry Gebhardt]

I just go one last Fall and I am very happy with it. It is light, bright enough, and very sharp. Colors seem nice, and it has nice contrast. I would buy one again. I have only tried it on 4x5, so it has more than enough coverage for me as well.

[Mark Sampson]

I like mine a lot, and it has an excellent reputation among its other users on this forum. I believe Kerry Thalmann has a review on his site.

[Gem Singer]

Hi Steve,

My experience with the Nikkor f9 300M was excellent. Mounted in a Copal 1 shutter, the lens takes 52mm. screw-in filters. It is sharp and contrasty. However, my experience with the Fujinon f8.5 300C was even better. The Fuji is also a compact 4-element lens, mounted in a Copal 1 shutter. It, too, takes 52mm. screw-ins. It is slightly lighter weight, faster, and throws a larger image circle than the Nikkor. Both lenses are capable of covering the 8X10 format. You cannot go wrong with either lens.

[Ralph Barker]

One possible issue, Steve, is bellows draw. You don't mention which 4x5 camera you're using. Most 4x5 monorails would have ample bellows for a conventional 300mm lens, but some field cameras may present limitations. Remember, you'll need about 300mm of bellows extension to focus at infinity, and somewhere between 1.25x and 2x that for close-ups.

[Ted Harris]

You should also look at the Fuji 240 A. A bit shorter but no problem in terms of draw for any field camera and best yet, it is in a #0 shutter and absolutely tiny and sharp etc....

If you ahfe the extensionto handle a 300 one final possibility is the Fuji 300A. IMO it is the best lens you can get in this focal length, you need to wait a few months sometimes to find a modern multicoated one in top condition since they have been dfiscontinued for a few years and are much sought after ... but it is well worth the wait. OTOH assuming the 300 M performs like its big brother the 450M there is absolutely nothing wrong with that either.

[Andrew O'Neill]

Great lens. Compact and sharp. Use mine lots.

[Jim Rhoades]

I have had one for three years now. It was my first and only "good" lens for my 8x10. It covered just fine. I have since re-mounted it for my 4x5. I will re, re-mount for my 4x5-5x7. The L/F Nikon's rule. I never heard of a Nikon having "schneideritis" either.

[John Kasaian]

Steve,

I have one on an 8x10. If you have the bellows, I suspect it would be a champ on a 4x5/5x7.

[Scott Rosenberg]

hi steve...

i had a fuji 300A, and as ted mentioned, it was a fine lens. however, if your goal is to reduce bulk, you would be well served to consider the nikon 300-m or fuji 300-c. i replaced my 300-a with the 300-c because the 300-a was overkill for 4x5, as it is considerably larger and heavier than the 300-c.

there are many, many, many, many threads on this site in which people praise the nikkor 300-m and the fuji 300-c. i would pick up whichever one you come across first and enjoy it.

[David Karp]

Steve,

I have the Nikkor M 300 f/9.0. I like it a lot. Plenty of movement for 4x5, and enough for 8x10 (I recently borrowed a friend's 8x10 and the lens covers with some movement). Photos are sharp (when I am functioning correctly), and I like the focal length for 4x5. To echo some of the other comments, I was looking for a used version of the Nikkor or the Fujinon C 300mm f/8.5. I would have bought either one and expected to be satisfied based on the many reviews on this site. It just so happened that the Nikkor came along first at a reasonable price. If you are thinking used, check with Jim at MPEX. He often has used Nikkor M 300s in stock. Normally they go for $495 or thereabouts.

[David Karp]

Steve,

I forgot to mention that depending on your camera's bellows extension capability, the Fujinon C 300mm can give you a few millimeters more than will the Nikkor M. The flange to focal length on the Fujinon is 282.3mm. The same distance for the Nikkor M is 290.0mm. Perhaps every millimeter counts if you are looking at a double extension camera with 12" of bellows. This information comes from the Ebony website, and might be of interest to you or some of the others. It is found at:


http://www.ebonycamera.com/cam/lenses.html (http://www.ebonycamera.com/cam/lenses.html)

[Paul Chaplo]

Its an excellent lens and very compact. Im not using mine and would consider selling it.

Best,

Paul Chaplo

www.chaplo.com

www.paulchaplo.com

[Diane Maher]

Steve,
I have a Fujinon-C 300 mm which I have used both on my 8x10 (which I bought it for) and on my Toyo 45AII. Sorry, but I don't have any experience with the Nikkor as when I was looking for an 8x10 lens, the Fujinon-C was recommended to me by Jim at Midwest Photo Exchange (where I bought both the 8x10 and the lens).

[Nature Photo]

How many are using it on a Tachihara? Thanks.

[W K Lam]

When i am deciding for my long lens, i struggle between the well known Nikon 300mm F9 vs Fujinon Tele 400mm f8. Finally i choose fujinon because of the requirement of less bellow extension, this means i can use for more closeup subjects. In addition, a bit of greedy, a longer focal length. I do find telescope design is inconvenience whenever you tilt your lens to make a clear focus from near to far subject. You need to recompose picture all again.....