Nikkor 500mm coverage

[Hippie]

Hi,

I'm working on a ULF camera and need a lens. The nikkor t 500mm f11 is the longest lens I own, and I was wondering how large of a film size I could go? Basically what is the image circle size? Right now the idea is to do 24x20 paper negatives, but i've heard conflicting opinions if the 500 was long enough.

Thanks for any help!! :)

[Oren Grad]

Nikon specified the 500 T as a 5x7 lens, with an image circle of 210mm at f/22.

[Dan Fromm]

Here https://onedrive.live.com/redir?resid=8D71BC33C77D1008!1005&authkey=!ACp3Kf30SHN3MwY&ithint=file%2cdocx is a list of links to lens makers' catalogs and more.

If you want to shoot 20x24 at infinity you'll need a lens that covers ~ 800 mm at infinity. If you want to shoot head and shoulders portraits at ~ 1:1, a lens that covers around 400 mm at infinity will do.

[Hippie]

Nikon specified the 500 T as a 5x7 lens, with an image circle of 210mm at f/22.

Haha that's kinda funny, we've been using it on a 8x10 forever at my school. Looks like I'll have to start looking for a new lens, thanks for the help!

[Hippie]

Here https://onedrive.live.com/redir?resid=8D71BC33C77D1008!1005&authkey=!ACp3Kf30SHN3MwY&ithint=file%2cdocx is a list of links to lens makers' catalogs and more.

If you want to shoot 20x24 at infinity you'll need a lens that covers ~ 800 mm at infinity. If you want to shoot head and shoulders portraits at ~ 1:1, a lens that covers around 400 mm at infinity will do.


Thanks!! My estimate was around 600mm, and I was just hoping I'd get lucky with the nikkor. The goal is to take larger than real life portraits. Anyone have recommendations for where I should start looking? Red dots, xl schneiders, etc. are out of reach financially.

[Dan Fromm]

Budget constraints are a sometime thing. If you look patiently you might find a lens that will do you need at a lower than usual price. You might scrape together more money than you thought possible. And you might be less ambitions and build a smaller camera.

If I were in your situation, I'd think "process lens." Please follow the links I gave you to Arne Croell on soviet lenses, to a piece describing Nikon process lenses, to the archived Schneider site to learn about G-Clarons, to the Rodenstock brochures on my One Drive to learn about Apo-Ronars, and so on. Today's offers and what Arne says about RF-3, -4 and -5 coverages make them look very attractive. An RF-4 or -5 will give you the coverage you need. A Packard shutter should do for you. Or, if you're going to shoot at 1:1 or higher a cup-shaped adapter that holds the lens in front of a #1 shutter and a Polaroid MP-4 Copal #1 Press shutter will do the job. Its ages since I bought such a big adapter, they used to cost around $135 from SKGrimes. The lenses I mentioned are available for < $50 plus shipping.

[Corran]

The Nikkor-T 500mm will cover 8x10 focused in close. I estimate the IC at infinity to be around 280mm or so. The Nikkor-T lens IC spec of 210mm seems to be, from my experience, for the 360mm lens at infinity. The longer lenses have more coverage (the 720mm covers 8x10 at infinity, I pleasantly discovered).

If you are taking "larger than life" portraits, I assume you mean past 1:1. If so, I would say the 500mm should cover 20x24 at 2:1...but you'd have to try it. You've already got the lens anyway so should be possible to test it - perhaps just in a studio with some directed light at a subject and a piece of white foamcore to see the projected image.

[Hippie]

Thanks for the help guys! In retrospect i've realized that nearly everything I need to know could have be found if I searched long enough on this form, sorry for the spam. Anyways I've already changed direction, thanks to your guy's help, and have picked up a Rodenstock process lens that should cover 20x24 even with some movements. The plan is to use a strobe as the shutter in a darkened studio to get around the lack of a shutter.

Thanks for the help!! You've helped me get around the main stumbling point of this project. :)