Zone VI and Grandagon 90mm f/4.5

As the heaviest of all 90mm 4.5 lenses, I'm wondering if the wood

standards might flex too much for precise tilting. Both the

Schneider and Nikon lenses weigh a 1/4lb less.

 

thanks,

Aaron

I wouldn't worry. I use a 254mm f/4.5 lens on my Tachihara 4x5, in a #4 shutter, and it's just fine.

I think the most serious point{s} will be the front axis tilt and the lowest points on the front standard.

 

Both are simply friction holding screws. With a 90, the focus tracks will not compress enough to get the lens to reach infinity.

The fix is to slant the front standard back and tilt the lens forward and move it up the standard to keep it centered. This places additional stress on the joints.

 

Any movement like front rise or forward tilt without the bag bellows taxes the friction holding even more.

 

In short, I would not try it. The designer of the camera was a fan of the 90 f8 SA. The camera works fine with this lens and there is adequate movement for field work. That is what I use.

Which Zone VI camera do you have? There were several rather different cameras sold under that name (http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=00Cilx), and the answer to your question depends on which camera.

 

I will assume that you have the "Classic", the camera with interchangable bellows which Fred Picker helped design. I used this camera for years, including with a 90 mm f8 lens and and the 120 mm f8 Nikkor-SW. Both lenses really need the bag bellows, and the somewhat awkward manuver that Rondald describes. But I diverge from him and wouldn't immediately conclude that the camera is incapable of supporting the weight of a 90 mm f4.5 lens. The 120 mm Nikkor-SW that I used weighs, according to Nikon, 610 g -- this is 10 g more than the 90 mm f4.5 Nikkor-SW. I never had any problems with the 120 mm lens slipping, so I expect a lens that weighed another 1/4 pound would be OK.

FWIW, I just weighed my 254mm f/4.5; with shutter and lensboard it weighs just under 660 mg. I feel even more confident saying that you won't have any trouble with the 90mm Grandagon.

Thanks all!

 

I've got the "classic" variant with both types of bellows. I'm currently using a Symmar-S 210 that weighs 550g. The Grandagon weighs 700g. I guess price will be a major factor in dictating which one I choose.

 

cheers,

Aaron