Originally Posted by
Drew Wiley
I have no reason to doubt that the German equivalents are excellent too, but you're still talking about high-end graphics lenses made to higher standards than ordinary taking or enlarging lenses. But price-wise, unless you're talking custom mfg for astronomical, aerospace, or survalliance use, Apo El Nikkors are undeniably the top of the food chain. Everybody knows that, and almost nobody can afford it, esp since they're now no longer made except in fixed aperture, and were recently in high demand for specialized high-end art scanning cameras. But methinks there's a little bit of uninformed sheer bias on your behalf, without any actual experience involved. I use BOTH German and Japanese top-end optics in the lab on a routine basis. But no foul, no harm. Get the job done with whatever you prefer. Yet it reminds me of people who are prejudiced against Fuji LF optics, even though they're one of biggest and most advanced pro lens manufacturers in the world. Nikon itself is a huge player in medical imaging and machine optics. Don't confuse their name with just consumer snapshot equipment and digi 35mm. They have a real industrial footprint too, just like Fuji dominates a big segment of TV and pro video imaging with some very pricey lens options. If you want something even better, it can be custom made just 5 minutes up the highway from me; just bring along your NASA or NSA credit card, without a credit limit !
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