300mm lens 4x5" landscape

[Kiwi7475]

What I carry for hiking with my 4x5 is a Nikkor M 300mm f9. Unlimited coverage for 4x5, can be used even for 8x10 in a pinch, very light.

To me that’s the best trade off. An f5.6 will be a heavy lens. I only carry it if I need to shoot for sunrise because I need the extra light to focus.

[Greg]

For my 4x5 Chamonix I use a 300mm f/6.3 Komura in a COPAL 1. Tele lens so relatively little bellows extension needed. Yes larger than a G-Claron but not all by that much. Excellent OEM lenshood stores backward over the lens. Very happy with this optic. I think that they are very undervalued and thus underpriced on the used market.

[ic-racer]

What does your teleconverter do to your viewable light?

2 stop less, so the lens is an f11 300mm. Still with 300mm FL, so not a telephoto, even though they call it a "Teleconverter."

[Jeff Keller]

Fujinon C 300mm f/8.5
Fujinon A 300mm f9
Nikkor M 300mm f/9
Ronar 300mm f/9
G Claron 300mm f/9

other focal lengths (small, & light)
Fujinon C 450mm f/12.5
Fujinon A 360mm f/10
G Claron 270mm f/9
Fujinon A 240mm f/9
Ronar 240mm f/9
G Claron 240mm f/9
Nikkor M 200mm f/9
Fujinon A 180mm f/9

[Bernice Loui]

4x5 with a 300mm f9 _ish lens should be bright enough on the ground glass due to the narrow angle of lens projection to focus and
work with easily out outdoors.

Given the camera has enough bellows and extension, a 300mm lens of f9 _ish full aperture meets the size-weight-portability
needs as requested.


Bernice

[Tin Can]

I have that set

Very clumsy, so I never use the rear extension

Horseman folders have too small lensboards, but I still use mine, as I like camera precision and sturdiness

2x less, so the lens is an f11 300mm. Still with 300mm FL, so not a telephoto, even though they call it a "Teleconverter."

[Jeff Keller]

For my 4x5 Chamonix I use a 300mm f/6.3 Komura in a COPAL 1. Tele lens so relatively little bellows extension needed. Yes larger than a G-Claron but not all by that much. Excellent OEM lenshood stores backward over the lens. Very happy with this optic. I think that they are very undervalued and thus underpriced on the used market.

300mm / 6.3 = 47.6mm
copal 1 hole = 41.6mm
?

240mm / 6.3 = 38.1 mm
240mm Komura ? (a new version of the kodak, 10" commercial?)


300mm / 41.6 = 7.2 max f
or 41.6mm x 5.6 = 233mm max for f5.6 lens in copal 1

[Mark Sampson]

I've used a 300/9 Nikkor-M for landscapes for almost 30 years. Perhaps my favorite lens. It's worked well on featherweight Japanese folders, a Zone Vi 4x5, and a Sinar Norma. I plan to use it for as long as I can. You can't go wrong if you get one.

[Greg Y]

I'd suggest the Nikkor-M 300/9 or the Fuji-A 300/9. I have the 12" Dagor and have also used the 305 G Claron. The Nikkor M and Fuji A are smaller and lighter.

[Drew Wiley]

The 300 Nikkor M would perfectly equate to your expectations. It's with superb color film too. Another time-tested favorite, harder to find these days, would be a 300 Apo Ronar, provided it's the infinity-corrected version in shutter. Then there's the 300 Fuji C - it has a somewhat bigger image circle in case you want something more practical for 8x10 format too. These are all especially compact optically superb lenses in lightweight no.1 shutter. And all of them are plenty bright for outdoor landscape use, even though they are f/9 maximum aperture. You don't want anything way bulkier in a big no.3 shutter with that little Chamonix!

The Fuji A 300 makes sense if you want something deluxe predominantly for 8x10 format down the line, but also light enough to be practical in a 4x5 field kit. Not as compact as the lenses I just mentioned above, harder to find, and apt to be seriously expensive.