Nikkor 500mm Tele - any problems with tilt/swing?

[Willie]

Have an image that is close with my 300mm lens. A friend will lend me his Nikkor 500mm telephoto lens which fits on my 4x5.

Image needs a bit of rear tilt so the boulders in the foreground loom more while the windmill a hundred yards away looks OK.

I know the normal lenses work find with rear tilt and swing. Anything I have to watch for using a telephoto lens with rear tilt for this image?

I do not like cropping and would like to get it right in camera. Focus is by viewing - and a loupe to check. He would send the lens - which is why I am checking before we do it.

[Huub]

With tele-lenses the front nodal point is way in front of the lens. This makes that if you use swing or tilt on the front standard the plane of focus moves in hard to predict ways. When applying tilt or swings on the rear standard you will be fine because the front nodal point won't move. They work as they would work with any other, non tele-photo lens.

[Doremus Scudder]

Rear movements are just the same with tele lenses and with "normal" ones. It's the front tilt and swing (not rise) that are trickier because the lens nodal point is actually out in front of the standard by quite a bit. Still, you can use these too judiciously if you fiddle with them a bit more. Watch for vignetting if you use more than just a slight bit of swing/tilt.

Doremus

[LabRat]

With Tele lenses in practice with front tilt, the lens doesn't tilt on axis, but will tilt on an arc... Which means the lens will seem to be moving forward/backward a lot changing focus more than tilting... There is also changes to the frame edges that needs to be tweaked and a smaller IC... It becomes manageable, but as mentioned rear tilt works better... The good news with the longer lens is they tend to "keystone" the image a little less severe than shorter lenses, so rear tilt is a little more tame...

A day in the field with one will answer your questions...

Have fun!!!

Steve K