Nikkor 250 vs. Nikkor 180??

[JoeA]

Hello all,

I recently purchased an ancient Nikkor Q Rangefinder 25cm (250mm) f4, with a Bronica mount. If my research is correct this lens is around 50+ years old.
I took it out for the first time last weekend with a roll of Ektar 100 and I'm happy with the results.
While this lens has really pleased me, I have a line on a 18cm (180mm) of the same vintage, possibly better, a Nikkor H at f2.5 and I am tempted.
So, how much is to be gained with the 180 as opposed to the 250?
They are both Rangefinder lenses with adapters, my 250 has the Bronica mount the 180 has the Nikon F mount, they would be interchangeable, affectively giving me 4 lenses, for the two formats.

Any ideas?

joe

 

[semi-ambivalent]

Hello all,

I recently purchased an ancient Nikkor Q Rangefinder 25cm (250mm) f4, with a Bronica mount. If my research is correct this lens is around 50+ years old.
I took it out for the first time last weekend with a roll of Ektar 100 and I'm happy with the results.
While this lens has really pleased me, I have a line on a 18cm (180mm) of the same vintage, possibly better, a Nikkor H at f2.5 and I am tempted.
So, how much is to be gained with the 180 as opposed to the 250?
They are both Rangefinder lenses with adapters, my 250 has the Bronica mount the 180 has the Nikon F mount, they would be interchangeable, affectively giving me 4 lenses, for the two formats.

Any ideas?

joe

My copy of Robert Rotoloni's Nikon RF book says the 180's only peer was the 180mm f/2.8 Sonnar for the Contax. I don't know if he's speaking as a collector or as an optician, but the 180 f/2.5 H has 6 elements to the 250's 4 so, hey. (I say this with tongue firmly in cheek because I've recently seen what a 4-element 90mm Elmarit-M can do...) If you can borrow it do so and shoot a roll and compare. I'm sure there's people here who go far enough back to have used this lens or own a few copies.

 

[Trask]

As a Nikon RF owner and user, and a Bronica S2/ECTL user, I'd be curious to know how good the coverage of these RF lenses is over the 6X6 format. I wish I could tell you anything about the 180mm RF lens but I've never had longer than a 135mm in Nikon RF mount. 180mm f/2.5, really? That sounds very impressive, but likely shallow depth of field so focusing it via the rangefinder built into an SP or S2 would perhaps be less than accurate. Perhaps intended for use with an external mirror box?

 

[JoeA]

I wasn't able to upload this last night, but I think i am today.
Her's a sample shot with the 250 & Bronica EC.
If I remember correctly, always a challenge, this was at f5.6.