bellows draw for Nikon Tele lenses

[Herb Cunningham]

I have a set of Nikon Telephoto lenses on the way for my Arca F line 4x5.

The question is; what rail extension is enough but not excessive? I have the long bellows and the regular rail setup.

The lens set is 600/800/1200

Thanks a ton

[steve simmons]

Figure that a telephoto lens requires an extension of 2/3 of its focal length for an infinity focus. So, for the 600mm I would want 400mm for an infinity focus and perhaps 100mm more to allow me to get closer if the need arises. For the 800 I would want abut 550mm for infinity plus another 100. For the 1200 I would want 800mm for infinity and perhaps another 100 or so to let me get closer.

steve simmons

[Kerry L. Thalmann]

I have a set of Nikon Telephoto lenses on the way for my Arca F line 4x5.

The question is; what rail extension is enough but not excessive? I have the long bellows and the regular rail setup.

The lens set is 600/800/1200

Herb,

The flange-to-focal (ftf) distances for infinity focus of your Nikkor-T-ED lenses are:

600mm T-ED ftf = 409.2mm (16.1")
800mm T-ED ftf = 527.4mm (20.8")
1200mm T-ED ftf = 755.7mm (29.8")

The 70cm long bellows is able to handle the 800mm without problem. I don't have the 1200mm, but obviously, the 70cm bellows wouldn't be long enough. Since this is the longest bellows ARCA makes for their 4x5 cameras, you'll need a second bellows (your standard bellows combined with the 70m long bellows would be plenty) and an intermediate standard.

For the rails, when I use the 800mm T-ED, I use the longest extension bracket I have, an older style 40cm bracket. For the 800mm T-ED, I use two rail sections, one 15cm (that I collapse the standards onto for transport) and one 40cm. I also use a trekking pole to help support the ront standard. Here's a photo of that set-up:

http://thalmann.com/Franken_ARCA/Trekking_Pod.JPG

For the 1200mm T-ED, you'll need to replace the rear rail section with something longer (either 30CM, or preferrably 40cm).

Kerry

[Herb Cunningham]

Thanks guys you are the best