Best long lenses usable with Linhof Master Technika

[epines]

I'm looking for recommendations for long lenses (say, 360mm - 450mm) that are usable with the Technika's bellows draw. I know the Fuji 400T will work, but those who know the lens seem to say that it's just good, not great. Or perhaps I've read the wrong comments? I know that the Nikkor 360mm f/8 and the Fujinon 360mm f/10 are among Kerry Thalmann's classics.

I'll mostly be shooting at infinity, so I won't need to push the bellows much beyond that. But of course I'd like to able to focus closer than infinity as well.

Thanks
ethan

[JMO]

That Nikon, which I haven't used, is another telephoto and has a 210mm image circle and weighs 800gm, versus 220mm and 600gm for the Fuji 400T. I've been satisfied with my Fuji 400T. Good luck finding one of those Fujinon 360A f10 lenses, and if you can find a good copy it will be EXPENSIVE. It has a HUGE 500mm image circle, so is favored for 8x10 and larger formats, but that is far larger than what you'll need with your LMT 4x5. If you're talking about the Nikkor W 360mm f6.5, that has a 494mm IC but weighs 1420gms!

I've used a 360mm APO Ronar f9, which has a 318mm IC and weighs 550gm. It has a Copal 3 shutter, but has worked well for me on my LMT, and it weighs in at about 550gm per Rodenstock's brochures.

[Len Middleton]

Ethan,

With about 16" of bellows draw, it will be capable of managing a 14" (360mm) non-telephoto lens.

My Technika V with a dialyte-type 355mm Repro-Claron can focus to about 10 feet., but obviously not cammed.

Hope that helps,

Len

[Rick Rycroft]

I'm happy with my Fuji 400T.

[Drew Wiley]

Yes, we can be nitpicky. But the Fuji 400T was prized by everyone I know who used one for 4X5 distance applications. No, it's not in the league of a Fuji 360A/ f10, which is a completely different animal, close-range (macro) as well as infinity corrected and with a huge image circle generous even by 8x10 standards, and not a telephoto at all - so you need the full bellows extension, which your Technika might not even have. Dunno. It's a lot more compact than a tele, and in a lightweight no. 1 shutter, but quite rare and expensive now; it's one of my most-used lenses, especially on 8x10, but sharp enough even for 120 roll-film back applications.

Otherwise, I've known of even 600 Fuji T's being used on Master Technikas at infinity at least.

You won't want to be in the field with a big general-purpose studio plasmat 360 in no. 3 shutter unless you just can't find heavy rocks to sit on any other manner.

[Mark Sampson]

Even a 300mm will give you some reach if you intend to use a roll-film back, as you mentioned in your other thread.
I've used a Nikkor-M 300/9 and a roll back successfully on a lightweight 4x5 camera. True, a Fuji 400T or a Nikkor-T 500/11 would have been even better, but I didn't have either of those.

[LabRat]

With triple extension bellows, you can usually get a non-tele 300mm to work at infinity and maybe a little closer... Measure the film to iris distance with a tape measure to see how much extension you have to work with, and look up lens specifications to see if a candidate lens will work...

On my older Tek III, Regularly use a 270mm process lens (with a rear mounted shutter) and I can easily focus from infinity to about 15 feet...

Steve K

[Len Middleton]

My Technika V with a dialyte-type 355mm Repro-Claron can focus to about 10 feet., but obviously not cammed.


To be clear, that is with a flat lens board.

A "top hat" lens board should get you closer, or allow use of a longer lens.

[Mike Lewis]

I use a Schneider Apo-Xenar 400mm lens with my Technika V. It is a telephoto lens. It is supposed to use a custom Linhof lensboard but I had a machinist drill out a Technika blank lensboard for the lens. I don't really recall, but I think I had to have the hole made centered instead of offset like other Technika lensboards. It works.

[Corran]

Nikon 360/500. Works with tophat lens board. Very versatile.

[Daniel Casper Lohenstein]

I'm looking for recommendations for long lenses (say, 360mm - 450mm) that are usable with the Technika's bellows draw. I know the Fuji 400T will work, but those who know the lens seem to say that it's just good, not great. Or perhaps I've read the wrong comments? I know that the Nikkor 360mm f/8 and the Fujinon 360mm f/10 are among Kerry Thalmann's classics.


The Fuji T 400 is excellent. The EBC coating is excellent, especially in backlight. This picture was taken with the Fuji T 400.

http://fotografie.ist/lohensteins-sicht/gantrischkette-01a.jpg

The wonderful EBC-Fuji T 600 also fits the camera. The Fuji T 600 can be focused to infinity. But I still use it with a large tophat lens board. This gives me a shooting distance of 15 m.

The affordable Rodenstock Apo-Ronar 9/360 also fits on the camera, on a flat lens board. You can't store the lens in the camera. But you can move this lens very well.

The Apo-Ronar 9/300 can be stored in the camera. The Apor-Ronar 9/300 in the Copal 1 is a very good lens for traveling.

The Linhof Technika is very stable. I can't imagine attaching a heavy Fuji T 600 in a tophat lens board to a Chamonix, Tachihara, Shen Hao, Intrepid etc. Even with the flat Apo-Ronar 360, I would have reservations.

[epines]

Thanks, all, for the terrific suggestions. Yeah, I think the Nikon 360/500 might be the way to go. I'm going to be hiking and shooting peaks with this setup, so it's certainly handy to have the two focal lengths in one. If the extra weight ends up being too much, I'll swap it for a Fuji 400T. Much appreciated.

[Greg Y]

I'm looking for recommendations for long lenses (say, 360mm - 450mm) that are usable with the Technika's bellows draw. I know the Fuji 400T will work, but those who know the lens seem to say that it's just good, not great. Or perhaps I've read the wrong comments? I know that the Nikkor 360mm f/8 and the Fujinon 360mm f/10 are among Kerry Thalmann's classics.

I'll mostly be shooting at infinity, so I won't need to push the bellows much beyond that. But of course I'd like to able to focus closer than infinity as well.

Thanks
ethan

Ethan, attached is a stellar photo by Canadian Rockies photographer Craig Richards, taken with a Fuji 400T on a Linhof. Craig was the head of the photography department at the Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies in Banff, & our kids grew up together. The 400T is one of his favourite lenses. I've seen 16" x20" and larger darkroom prints of this image...& it lacks nothing: Mt. Wilson

220830

[Philippe Grunchec]

Tele Xenar 5,5/360?

[Bob Salomon]

Tele Xenar 5,5/360?

We sold a lot of the Tele Xenar and the Tele Arton for Technikas. The Tele Arton sold better.

[abruzzi]

I have the 360 tele-Arton, and with a 5.5 aperture, it’s a big heavy lens. It’s why I got the Nikkor 360/500 bundle. It’s slower, but both lengths together are still smaller and lighter than the tele-Arton. I’m guessing the tele-Xenar is in the same ballpark as the tele-Arton.

[Drew Wiley]

Bob, I was under the impression that the 360 Tele-Xenar was not all that well corrected for color film. My brother frequently used one with his Super Technika V, and the color shots were so-so.

[Bob Salomon]

I have the 360 tele-Arton, and with a 5.5 aperture, it’s a big heavy lens. It’s why I got the Nikkor 360/500 bundle. It’s slower, but both lengths together are still smaller and lighter than the tele-Arton. I’m guessing the tele-Xenar is in the same ballpark as the tele-Arton.

Tele Xenar was quite a bit lighter.

[Drew Wiley]

And cheaper, I assume, Bob. My brother was on a tight student budget when he bought his.

[Bob Salomon]

And cheaper, I assume, Bob. My brother was on a tight student budget when he bought his.

Quite a bit cheaper.

[Jim Andrada]

I have the Nilon 360/500/720 set and they're very sharp. No complaints. I use the 369 and 500 on the Technika and the 720 also works beautifully on my 5 x 7 Kardan Bi or other 5 x 7 cameras. The only issue with the 720 is the f/16 maximum aperture. It gets a bit dim.