I’m looking for a long lens (probably 600-900mm) to cover 4x5 that is small and compact and preferably inexpensive. Bellows draw isn’t really a issue, nor is a shutter. I have 35" and 47” Artars but they’re monstrously huge and heavy. A tele-Nikkor would be perfect but they’re pricey and hard to find. Is there anything like a process lens in those focal lengths but scaled down to only cover 4x5?
They are ill discoverers that think there is no land, when they can see nothing but sea.
-Francis Bacon
This may be completely off the wall, but would a 360 convertible Symmar get you where you need to go? Hardly what you'd call compact in a shutter, but I imagine a lot of the mass is in the front cell.
Fujinon lenses are usually less expensive. My 500 mm Fujinon is on par with all my Nikkor, Schneider and Rodenstock lenses.
I own Wollensak and Turner-Reich triple convertible lenses that are in shutter. They cover approximately 8" - 24" and are not expensive. The Wollensak Voltas is particularly good.
Keep the mathematics in the front of your head. A 600mm f6 will need a 4 inch glass. f12 will need a 2 inch glass. Turner Reichs are cheap. Protar VII's are scarcer and more loved. Cooke Series XV's need no explanation. Most loved, most $$$. Almost anything that fits the compact part of your equation must be a single anastigmat group from a convertible lens.
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks