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Thread: Going Long on 5x7

  1. #1

    Going Long on 5x7

    To buttress the going wide post, I'm interested in a telephoto design for my 5x7 Chamonix. I've never used the T type lenses. Are there any that you can particularly recommend? I have a 300mm 5.6 Caltar, so preferably a good bit longer that that. I've sort of gravitated to tele lenses lately for my landscape stuff. It's just so much easier to make a simplified composition without all that pesky foreground.

  2. #2

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    Re: Going Long on 5x7

    There are the Schendier 360mm f/5.5 Tele-Xenar & Tele-Artar. Both heavy. The Artar is better, but also heavier.

    Nikkor's 360/8, 500/11, 720/16 trio is really really good and has the advantage of modern ED glass. It's in a Copal #1, so the size/weight of the 360mm f/8 compares well to the Schenider lenses in size/weight, too.

    Fuji has its tele lenses, too. I don't have experience with them though.

  3. #3

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    Re: Going Long on 5x7

    Have shot a few with the Fuji 400 tele on 5x7 and it works OK.(going back over old Chromes and notes - the 600mm Fuji also) After a comparison with the Nikkor 360/500/720 - using the 500 glass, I went with the Nikkor. (I have not tried the 360 element) Nothing wrong with the Fuji. The Nikkor seemed to give a touch more contrast to the chromes when I compared them. The 720 element of the Nikkor is usable on 8x10 as well. No movements but it does cover. On 5x7 it is really nice and the light weight makes for easier carrying along with the 500 so I am more likely to have it with me.
    Last edited by Willie; 11-Nov-2020 at 07:27.
    ” Never attribute to inspiration that which can be adequately explained by delusion”.

  4. #4

    Re: Going Long on 5x7

    Very cool, I'll look for the Nikkor set at some point. Seems like a good investment if I can get 720 on both my 8x10 and 5x7.

  5. #5

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    Re: Going Long on 5x7

    Realistically for my taste the 720mm is a bit too prone to atmospheric effects impacting resolution in many conditions if used at infinity so I only use the 500mm. Also it’s hard to get the stability needed at 720mm unless there is no wind whatsoever.

    Another option would to get a 450mm non tele that will more than cover 5x7 and covers 8x10. You can go for a Nikkor 450mm M f9, or if money’s not a limit but weight is, the Fuji 450mm C f12.5.

    Of course the tele allows less bellow extension so the camera is less sensitive to wind. But the Nikkor T 500mm won’t cover 8x10. So that’s the trade. You’d have to jump to the Nikkor T ED 600mm (800mm/1200mm) to get something that works for 8x10. Heavy and expensive though.

  6. #6

    Re: Going Long on 5x7

    I'll definitely be interested in your thought process here, especially IIRC you work with a hybrid workflow. After all, you could crop a 5x7 negative shot with your 300 to the equivalent 500mm focal length and still be working with slightly more film area than you have on native 4x5. For myself, I've had a hard time justifying anything much longer than 360mm, with the 450mm options mentioned seeming to represent a classic case of lots of money chasing after marginal increases in performance.

  7. #7
    Corran's Avatar
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    Re: Going Long on 5x7

    The 360/500/720 is a great lens but definitely bigger and heavier than most "field" lenses.

    If you shoot 4x5 and like long lenses I think it could be a good purchase, and frankly the prices on them have fallen a lot in the last several years. I saw a full set sell recently for $800 which is honestly crazy for the value and versatility. But just like ultrawides these lenses are certainly more niche use-cases.

    I found myself using a 180mm on 6x9 a lot in a recent trip - about a 400mm lens on 5x7. I will have to try my Nikkor-T set on 5x7 sometime (haven't quite found my stride on 5x7).
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  8. #8

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    Re: Going Long on 5x7

    Suggest a 600mm f/12 Fujinon T. Barely covers whole plate at infinity, so you would have some movements with 5x7. Very sharp lens and can be found for little money.

  9. #9
    Eric Woodbury
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    Re: Going Long on 5x7

    I used the Nikkor 600/800 Tele. Great lens, but very heavy. Now I use the Fuji 450mm C. If I need longer, there is plenty of negative and I crop.

  10. #10

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    Re: Going Long on 5x7

    Avoid telephoto design LF lenses if possible. They are intended for cameras with insufficient bellows draw trading off size, weight and optical performance.

    Short tele for 5x7_13x18cm would be 360mm/14" to typical tele of 450mm/~16" to 480mm/~19" to long tele which is anything over 600mm/24".
    As for lens types, APO process or four element air space dialyte formula (APO artar, APO ronar, APO nikon and ...) is often a better choice over a LF tele design where possible.

    ~Again, a camera imposed limitation/trade-off~

    These are smaller physically, optically better and easier to apply front camera movements.
    They are often less $ for a long list of reasons.

    Best of the Tele LF design lenses were the Schneider Tele APO Xenar at significant $$$$..


    Bernice

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