G Claron 305 or 355?

Mike A · Aug 10, 2005

I've saved/hidden all my pennies and now I'm going to purchase either an 355 or 305 G Claron for 11x14 work.

What are the differences besides size?

I can't seem to locate any specs on image circle for the 305, is there more movement in the 355?

And finally is the 305 much wider than the 355 in 11x14?

Mike A

Mike A · Aug 10, 2005

Ok, I found the answer to rookie question #2, The image circle for the 305 is 381 and the 355 is 442.
I still dont know what kind of movement's to expect @ 11x14?

Jorge · Aug 10, 2005

Mike A said:
Ok, I found the answer to rookie question #2, The image circle for the 305 is 381 and the 355 is 442.
I still dont know what kind of movement's to expect @ 11x14?

Mike, you have to realize that published IC are very conservative. The 355 will cover 12x20 easily with a lot of movement. So for 11x14 that means you probably would have at least 6 inches in movement. That is a lot! Given the difference in focal length between 305 and 355 I would go for the 355. I think Jim has one now for a very reasonable price.

magic823 · Aug 10, 2005

Man you guys with the big cameras! I have big camera envy. I'm at 4x5 now, working towards 8x10 (just bought my lens (T-R triple) - now I have to build the camera - (see Camera Makers of Seattle Unite thread).)

Steve

sanking · Aug 11, 2005

Jorge said:
Mike, you have to realize that published IC are very conservative. The 355 will cover 12x20 easily with a lot of movement. So for 11x14 that means you probably would have at least 6 inches in movement. That is a lot! Given the difference in focal length between 305 and 355 I would go for the 355. I think Jim has one now for a very reasonable price.

My experience with the 355 G-Claron, and I have owned and used two of them on 12X20, is that it just *barely* covers 12X20, with less than a half-inch of movement at f/64, if that. But it would cover 11X14 with 5+ inches of movement.

Sandy

JG Motamedi · Aug 11, 2005

To my taste, a 355mm lens on 11x14 feels just slightly wide, much like a 120 on a 4x5, while a 300mm feels a bit wider. The 300 will give you about 2" of movement, while the 355 will provide you with at least twice that. For what is is worth, I notice that I have, on several occasions felt limited by the IC of the 300, while I have never felt this with the 355. If I were to have to choose, I would choose the 355mm not only for increased movements but also that it feels closer to "normal", if you like that sort of thing.

jimgalli · Aug 11, 2005

A slightly imperfect but useful conversion is to how we think about 35mm. 35mm is 1.5 inches wide. 11X14 is 14 inches wide. It's close enough to a factor of 10 to be very useful. I also use it in 5X7 by doubling. ie. 305 on 11X14 will look very much like a 30.5mm lens would on a Nikon. On 5X7 it would look like a 60mm lens on a Nikon. 355 would look like a 35mm on a Nikon or on 5X7, a 70mm on a Nikon. I didn't say it was perfect but it has been helpful for me to visualize what to expect on 11X14. With the 355mm you just have excellent movements. You can actually do architectural type work with that lens. The 305 has about an inch at f64. I still find the 305 VERY useful on 1114 even though it's not as generous as the 355. I have one of each to sell, I just haven't listed the 305 yet. The 305 will be $595.00 with 3% to APUG as always.

Ben Diss · Aug 11, 2005

Here's a little trick I use (that I learned from some book or on a forum somewhere) to visualize how a lens will look. Take a piece of wire and bend it into the shape and size of your film. Tie a string to it and then tie a knot in the string at the point that represents your lens focal length. Hold the knot against your cheek looking through the wire and what you see is pretty close to the size of the image you'd see on the ground glass.

-Ben

Mike A · Aug 11, 2005

Gentlemen,
Thank you for the input, I've been swayed to the 355 for a couple reasons.

One being the movements, the other being that the 355 appears to be a "semi wide" lens.
In 4x5 I loved using my 110XL so this should be a good match.
Mike A

G Claron 305 or 355?

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