Yes. They are the same size physically, but the Fuji throws a bigger, more useful image circle. They both have a very nice image quality to them, but I kept running into the edges of the Nikon's image circle, so I went back to my Fujinon C 300.
Yes. They are the same size physically, but the Fuji throws a bigger, more useful image circle. They both have a very nice image quality to them, but I kept running into the edges of the Nikon's image circle, so I went back to my Fujinon C 300.
While trying to find some information about the Nikkor-Q 300mm f/9, I found an old Nikon sales manual that finally gave me some answers (really I was just trying to find out if I could get a cheap(er) 300mm.) First, let me make clear we are talking about the version that sits in a Copal 1 and not the convertible which sits in a Copal 3. I don't know definitively if that is the same lens or not.
A poster said that Kerry Thalmann wrote that he thought the lens was introduced in late '60s or early '70s based on the "Q" designation. The "Q" represents "Quatour" originally - the designation reserved for four-element lenses (in this case a Tessar.) While the convertible may have been earlier, I believe the Copal-1 version came about in 1977. A Nikon sales guide from that year says they are offering a "new" series of large-format lenses. Included in this is the Nikkor-Q in Copal 1. All of the large format lenses are pictured with a chrome-ring Copal shutter. And the 300mm was not the only one to keep the old alphabetic designations. The Super Wide Angles lenses kept the "O" designation - though not the wide, which were given a "W" designation.
It has also been surmised that the coating is either single or an older inferior coating to the M. But, the literature from 1977 says that all of their lenses were coated using the Nikon Integrated Coating (NIC). They wouldn't change the coating until they went to Super Integrated Coatings (SIC) in 2000. So, that means the coating of the pre-2000 M would be the same as the Q.
In that same sales manual (attached), the specs of the Nikkor-Q are the same as the Nikkor-M with the exception of the weight which is .3 oz. lighter than the M. Interestingly, the manual lists the Q as designed for 8x10 (which I know is a great debate here.) In 1982, Nikon revamped the lineup, adding the "new" M series. Here we get the M in an all-black Copal 1 and the lettering moved to the outside of the barrel (similar to what Fuji had done.)
So, to answer this question from 13 years ago, I believe the Q and the M are the same lenses except for a more modern shutter and lettering. It is also possible that a post-2000 M would have the Super Integrated coatings rather than the Nikon Integrated Coatings that the Q and older M lenses have.
I've linked to where I've found, but if you don't want to download a 121-page PDF, I've attached the spec chart of the Q and the large-format page. I hope this helps any other consumer who may be looking for a bargain in a 300mm lens.
Attachment 188771Attachment 188773
Convertible or just not the original shutter? Did they ever make a convertible tessar? Sounds fishy.
It's not a "convertible" lens us usually understood. They're just two sets of lens cells that can use the same shutter (with different aperture scales, obviously).
Kumar
Exactly. Both aperture scales are printed on the shutter.
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks