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Don Hall
24-Nov-1999, 22:39
Can someone tell me if the Fuji 450 C is practical to use on a Linhof Tech IV, I .E. what is the bellows extension required at infinity or perhaps even closer ?? ? Thanks, Don

Robert A. Zeichner
25-Nov-1999, 09:21
I'm not certain of what bellows draw a Linhof Technica IV has, but unless a lens is of a telephoto or retrofocal design, the flange focal distance at infinity is going to be about equal to the focal length of the lens. I know of no retro lenses for LF. These are common in the world of MF though, where mirrors prevent a normal design from getting close enough to the film. Telephoto lenses typically have an FFD of about 60% of their focal length. The Fujinon you mention is a compact lens, I believe, not a tele. Fujinon does make tele LF lenses. I owned a 300T that I used on my Horseman 45FA and it was a great lens. The FFD was about 180mm, which placed it closer to the film than my 210mm. You do need some extra bellows not only for subjects nearer than infinity, but also to allow for any movements you might desire.

Patrick Raymore
25-Nov-1999, 14:53
You will need a 4 inch extension board to make it practical on you IV. It is possible to make one or buy the commercial version. Wista makes such boards and can be obtained from B&H.

Don Hall
25-Nov-1999, 20:15
Thanks for the info, I think I will go with the telephoto design.

Robert L Jones
30-Nov-1999, 02:13
I believe that the tessar type design of the Fujinon C-series lenses are sharper (and without question, lighter) than their telephoto counterparts. Obviously, to use a non-telephoto design, one must overcome the problem of bellows extension. To make using a 450mm lens on a Linhof, I made some calculations and found that I could create an adapter that together with the lens would still be ligther than the 400mm Fujinon telephoto alone.

I'm presently using the Fujinon 450/12.5 C-series on my Linhof V. Since the normal maximum bellows draw is about 430mm, I needed to extend this by at least 50mm and preferably about 100mm.

What I did was fairly simple. I took a Technika board drilled for a Copal #3. Into this opening I epoxied a Rollei SL66 extension tube. They made (make) 2 sizes: 40 and 80mm. I bonded the 40mm tube to the board (the tube fits perfectly into the #3 opening with no further filing or drilling required).

Next, from Hadley Chamberlain (HEChamberl@aol.com), I purchased a Rollei adapter plate that I drilled to a Copal #1 for the Fuji lens. I leave this lens-adapter on an 80mm tube and bayonet it onto the bonded 40mm tube when I want to use it on the camera.

I keep a separate adapter plate with a Nikkor 300mm M-series lens to use directly on the 40mm tube. Both lenses work perfectly, there is no vignetting, and the design is very light. The 40 + 80 + adapter plate add a total of about 125mm of extension, now giving me close to 550mm, which is sufficient to allow close-ups with the 450/12.5 lens.

If these mods are not clear

Paul Schilliger
30-Nov-1999, 07:09
Robert, Having myself a Tech V, I am interested in your idea but how is the ext ension coping with shutter shakes? Is the use of slow speeds OK ?

Robert L Jones
30-Nov-1999, 16:49
Paul, I just got back from a Thanksgiving shoot around Lone Pine, CA where I took images varying from 1/15 to 30 sec with this setup on Provia 100F. The images are bitingly sharp. (As for wind drag, the extension tube has better aerodynamics with a lower Cd than the bellows--which as you know can behave more like a sail in a full bre

Paul Schilliger
1-Dec-1999, 14:54
Funny like savings can be made by DIY! I just got from an army disposal an alum inium bottle that'll make a perfect barrel to mount an Imagon on my Pentax 67. Just had to pay for a bayonet mount.

Kerry L. Thalmann
2-Dec-1999, 19:53
I also have the 450mm Fujinon C. It is a wonderful, sharp, contrasty, multi-coated lens. It is also the longest non-telephoto (as in compact and light) focal length ever offered in a #1 shutter. At less than 10 oz. with a 52mm filter size, it makes a great long lens for use with a lightweight filed camera, IF YOU HAVE ENOUGH BELLOWS.

Just to clarify a few things about this lens. It is not a telephoto design. The ftf (flange-to-focal distance at infinity) is 425.3mm. It is NOT a tessar type (4 elements in 3 groups), but is of 4/4 construction (celor? dialyte?). All the Fujinon C series lenses are of 4/4 design. The Nikkor M series, which are often mentioned in the same breath as the Fuji Cs, are modern tessar types (4/3). Perhaps that has lead to some confusion.

Here's a quote on the Wista extenders that I sent to Don Weston earlier today in a private email:

I had seen the Wista extenders listed in the B&H catalog, but no pictures and a rather vague description. So, I called Jeff at Badger Graphic (800-558-5350) and he faxed me the Wista specs (in Japanese, of course, but it does have pictures) on the extender boards. Basically, they come in two versions. Both come with Wista lensboard with a extender ring mounted on it (hard to tell from the fax, but this ring is either 33 or 35mm long) This ring is threaded to accept additional rings (both models come with two additional 28mm rings) or the lens mount. The lens mount is where the two models differ. The "A" model comes with three discs (#0, #1 and #3) for mounting the lens, and then the disk screws into the front of the extension rings. The second version, model "B" comes with a adapter that takes standard Wista lensboards. So, I guess it's handy of you have more than one long lens you want to use with the extender, or if you want to use the same lens on another camera with a flat board. I didn't get the exact price, but I think they are in the $200 range.

So, using all three rings, will give an additional extension of about 90mm.

Hope that helps, Kerry

-- Kerry L. Thalmann Large Format Images of Nature A Few of My Images Online at: http://www.thalmann.com/