Which 450mm has biggest image circle?

Hi all,

I'm thinking about picking up a 450mm for my 12x20. Which has the

bigger image circle, the Nikon f9 of the Fuji 12.5? Also, am I

correct in thinking the Nikon is better for infinity distance while

the Fuji is better in closeup?

Thanks!

I don't know about the Fuji, but the Nikkor-M 450mm lens is a Tessar type that covers 57 degrees at f/22 with a claimed image circle of 440mm. However, I'd say the usable image circle is actually somewhat bigger than that. It covers my 8x20 (diagonal 547mm) and is very sharp out to the edges when stopped down. I haven't had to use movements other than a little front rise. 12x20 has a diagonal of 592mm. Might be pushing it.

Emile I use my Nikon 450 on the 12x20 and have about 3 inches of rise/fall with it, after that you get vigneting on the corners, but the image circle is certainly big enough for rise, fall and tilt. I dont know about the Fuji, hope this helps.

You three deserve a medal; good question; good answers; all photography stuff; regards to all ..Kelly

Hey, wasn't them lenses made by JAPS??? Woops, time for my first cup of coffee this morning.

Emile,

 

I have found Nikon to be very conservative about its lens

specifications unlike other manufactures. I have six Nikkor

lenses ranging from 180mm to 720mm that are designed to

cover 4x5 or 5x7 that I use for my 4x10 camera. All of them cover

my 4x10 with movement to spare.

 

However, It is not as black and white as it appears. If you

exceed Nikons recommended coverage, then you can expect to

experience light fall off on the edges and corners. How you

choose to manage this is up to you. In my case, it is not severe,

and I actually like the effect that it has on the photograph.

 

Hope this helps.

The image circle of the 450mm Nikkor-M is much larger than

than of the 450mm Fujinon-C. The Nikkor will cover up to 20X24

when stopped down, with adequate peformance for contact

printing, while the Fujinon-C just barely covers 12X20, with

perhaps only an inch or so of movement.

 

I know this from experience since I have used extensively the

450mm Nikkor-M on 12X20, and did comparison tests with a

friend's 450mm Fujinon.

 

Sandy King

The Badger Graphic http://www.badgergraphic.com site has specs on both these lenses. Since the fujinon lens is in copal 1 vs. copal 3 for the nikkor, it should be considerably smaller and lighter. It looks to have the same coverage. I wouldn't make any assumptions about the quality of infinity focus in either one, my guess is that the fujinon is similar to the ektar formula and should have excellent infinity focus.

I can't speak for the accuracy, but I have found the table found on Tuan's site to be very helpful: http://www.largeformatphotography.info/lenses/LF4x5in.html. It indicates that the Fuji has a larger image circle.

I have both lenses and have shot them both with 12X20. Sandy is spot on: the Nikon covers at infinity with room to spare, the Fuji barely covers and is quite soft at the corners, not great even for contact printing. The Fuji is a great lens for smaller formats, but does not compare with the Nikon at 12X20.

 

Regards,

Nathan

Thanks everyone,

This has been a great help!