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speedtrials
5-Oct-2009, 16:00
I recently bought (then sold) a 300mm plasmat lens. I was completely unprepared for the size it! I wouldn't ever know how big it was if I hadn't bought it and held it in my hands. I put this beside a 300mm fuji-c lens...the difference in size was ridiculous. I feel like someone just clubbed me with the clue stick :)

Oren Grad
5-Oct-2009, 16:27
If you liked the 300, you should try a 360 or - better yet - a 480. :)

Gene McCluney
5-Oct-2009, 16:30
If you need the extreme coverage and speed of a modern style plasmat, almost no other lens will do. The size makes little difference with studio still-life work.

speedtrials
5-Oct-2009, 16:36
Gene, of course you are right....I should have specified that I was buying it for field work.

Len Middleton
6-Oct-2009, 07:13
Then again, there is the 305 G-Claron which is also a plasmat lens, just a stop and a half slower.

Small enough to fit into a copal 1, and small enough for field work...

Nick_3536
6-Oct-2009, 07:46
The Fuji-W is smaller then the other similar speed lenses. It's still big enough to lose a small child underneath .

For field work it's not like an 8x10 field camera is that tiny either.

Drew Wiley
6-Oct-2009, 09:44
There is a beautiful Fuji 300A on fleabay at the moment. If you want lightweight with
good coverage and excellent close range performance, that's it! 305 G-Claron is also
excellent.

speedtrials
6-Oct-2009, 10:05
Thanks guys. I do also have a Fuji-C 300mm and a 12" Commercial Ektar so I'm not hurting for smaller lenses. My initial plan was to do a 3 way test of these lenses but the Schneider plasmat was so massive that I didn't want to bother. Hopefully I can get around to doing a 2 way test with the Fuji-C and the Ektar.

I AM curious to see how the 300A auction ends, given that you can get a new 300C for $700. I have a feeling the 300A will come close to that.

sanking
6-Oct-2009, 10:07
The 300mm f/9 Nikkor M is also a great lens for 4X5 or 5X7 landscape work.

http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/300f9.htm

Sandy King

Mark Sawyer
6-Oct-2009, 10:26
The 300mm f/9 Nikkor M is also a great lens for 4X5 or 5X7 landscape work.


I agree with Sandy, and will add that if you don't go crazy with movements, it works very nicely on an 8x10. It's a tessar, but the more I use tessars, the more I like them. If you need a bright 8x10 lens at a reasonable size, the Fuji-L f/5.6 300mm in a Copal 3 is very nice, and also a tessar. Not small, but smaller than an f/5.6 plasmat.

But as Nick already noted, if you're toting an 8x10 outfit in the field, the difference in lens weight is a small part of the total package...

ic-racer
6-Oct-2009, 10:43
I just got in the door after field shooting with my big 300mm Fuji W. I was shooting a rock formation and had the front standard almost to the top and I was right at the edge of the image circle. I guess I would not have been able to get the shot with a 'lesser' lens.

I pretty much built up my field 8x10 setup around the Fuji.

Did you buy the 300 to use with 4x5?

Everything is relative. The person that sold the Fuji 300mm W to me shoots 7x17 and the Fuji was actually his smallest physical sized lens :)

speedtrials
6-Oct-2009, 10:45
yeah I should have specified...I'm shooting 8x10

Drew Wiley
6-Oct-2009, 12:37
Tank-size plastmats are necessary only if you actually need a 5.6 or so max f-stop.
A G-Claron or Fuji-A at this focal length has ample coverage on 8x10 and is still fairly
bright. With the 355 or 360 focal length you have a lot of extra coverage. The only advantage to the big clunky plastmats for field use is that used ones are often available at bargain prices, simply because not many people want the extra weight.
Besides, many field camera won't support heavy lenses without the front standard
getting potentially shaky. But lightweight dialytes like the Fuji 300c or a Tessar like
the Nikkor 300M are going to be somewhat tight on 8x10 - fine with back tilt, but
not with a lot of rise or extreme front tilts. The most bang for the buck is the 355
G-Claron - it does use a number 3 shutter so isn't as light as a Fuji A, but has an
enormous image circle and is fairly compact, and often available used.

neil poulsen
8-Oct-2009, 21:52
If you liked the 300, you should try a 360 or - better yet - a 480. :)

For example, the 360mm Symmar-S. Huge. The filter size is something like 121mm.

SOLD IT!