Fujinon 450 C vs. Nikon 450 M for 11x14/8x20

[William_5776]

Judging from what I have read, the Nikon 450 M covers 12x20, but the Fujinon 450 C does not. I am wondering if the extra coverage of the Nikon 450 M over the Fujinon 450 C is of much help with 11x14 and 8x20. Would someone who uses the Fujinon 450 C for these formats tell me if the lens ever leaves you wishing for more coverage?

[Donald Hutton]

I have both lenses. The Fujinon covers 12x20 straight on with very little room and is not as sharp in the corners as the Nikon on this format. I would imagine that on 8X20 it should be OK depending on what you shoot. I love the Fujinon because it is tiny and light, but I favour the Nikon on anything bigger than 8X10 (in fact last week, I had a shot on 8X10 where I ran out of image circle with the Fuji on 8X10; but it was a pretty extreme shot...). About 1.5 inches from the edge of the actual image circle, the Fuji starts getting a little mushy.

Depending on your subject matter, you may be fine with the Fuji on 8X20 - if you shoot mostly landscapes and don't often use a whole lot of front tilt, you should be fine. That said, I think on any format which is as cumbersome as 8X20, the extra weight of the Nikkor is hardly a significant extra burden. The Nikkor is also apparently out of production, so if you intend shooting these formats for years to come, I'd find a good one now (you can still buy them new at a lot of dealers).