90mm f/8 compared to 100mm f5.6

[Rusty Johnston]

I am looking for a new wide angle for my 4x5. Money is definately a concern. T he Nikon 90mm f/8 sells for around $850 while the 100mm f/5.6 sells for half tha t. What is the reason for this? Is there a sharpness difference? I shoot land scapes and some architecture with everything shot at f/16 to f/45. Thanks in ad vance for the help.

[Glenn Kroeger]

Russell... the Nikkor 100 f5.6 just barely covers 4x5 at f/22 with an image circle of 153mm. That means virtually no movements are possible, except for very careful back tilt and swing, and sharpness and illumination in the corners is going to be poor. The 100 is really not intended for 4x5 work with distant subjects. It is intended for use with roll-film, or perhaps for close-up work in 4x5, although not really optimized for macro distances.