Experience with "Convertible" lenses?

[mandonbossi]

Awesome! Thanks so much for all the responses! So I think with all the advice given, it might be a case of buying a 300mm and cropping. My intention was to focus to infinity, so some options are out.. Unless I am mistaken, the 360mm is uber expensive and telephotos do not give me infinity focus?? To Ken Lee, is that correct? Or i have I missed something here? Also, to KGM, the only references to a 400mm Schneider Telephoto ran somewhere in $2000+ range? IS that correct?

Ok, thanks so much again. Much appreciated!

[Ken Lee]

My intention was to focus to infinity, so some options are out.. Unless I am mistaken, the 360mm is uber expensive and telephotos do not give me infinity focus?? To Ken Lee, is that correct? Or i have I missed something here? Also, to KGM, the only references to a 400mm Schneider Telephoto ran somewhere in $2000+ range? IS that correct?

The 360mm Fujinon A, if you can find one, will almost certainly be expensive.

Telephoto lenses require less bellow draw than normal lenses of the same equivalent focal length.We can focus to infinity, and also much closer than with a normal lens of the same length. When we have a camera with limited bellows extension, telephoto lenses are a good option.

A used 400mm Fujinon T should be an affordable choice.

[mandonbossi]

Hi Ken, Thanks so much for that! She is a large one by the looks of it but used prices seem the goods.. Any idea how much that one weighs? thanks so much for your input, I am very thankful...

[Ken Lee]

Fom my web site:

"The Fujinon 400T is a telephoto lens for 4x5: even though it gives a 400 mm effect, it requires only 250 mm of bellows draw. It works great on cameras like the Tachihara wooden field camera - which is otherwise limited to 300 mm lenses of "normal" design. Mounted in a Copal #1 shutter, it takes 67 mm filters and weighs 700 grams. "

[Roger Hesketh]

Looking at cheaper lenses. A 15" Wollensak telephoto only needs about 9" of bellows draw for infinity focus. A Dallmeyer 17" f4.5 telephoto a little over 10".

[Ole Tjugen]

I have the full set of convertible Symmars, and the 360/620mm when converted can JUST be focused to infinity on my large antique 24x30cm camera - with a bellows draw close to 1m. Not a thing to plan for unless you have a huge camera!

[mandonbossi]

Hi, Thanks so much to everyone for the responses, much appreciated! Big thanks to ken Lee for all your help and advice! Will keep a look out for the Fujinon 400T. One last one, is there a longer telephoto that will work with my 395mm of bellows draw? Thanks again.

[Ken Lee]

You might find this thread helpful:

"the Fujinon f/12 600 mm lens requires only 383+ mm extension and Nikkor9s f/9 600 mm lens requires only 409 mm extension at infinity focussing..."

"...there is a lens no one seems to mention and it is perhaps overlooked, it's the Yamasaki Congo T500. This lens is big (15 cm) and has just enough image circle for 4x5". But on the good side, it is short on bellows (287 mm), in Copal #1, weighs only 500 g and has a f9.5 luminous aperture."

Kerry Thalmann has a copy of the Fujinon T brochure on his web site, and it lists the flange focal length of the 600T as 383.9mm.

If you could find one, it would probably cost more than a new camera. There are several field cameras with much longer bellows, such as the Wisner Technical Field, Ebony, Canham, and even the newer models of Chamonix.

Another option is to get a 5x7 camera and put a 4x5 back on it. Even my humble 1930's Kodak 2D has enough bellows draw to use a 450mm non-tele lens, the Fujinon C. You can get an old wooden 5x7 for a very good price.

If that isn't enough, you can get an old 8x10 wooden camera and put a 4x5 back on it. For an 8x10, 600mm of bellows draw is no big deal.

[mandonbossi]

Hi Ken, Thanks so much again! Will take those options on board. Thanks again, is greatly appreciated!