Pros/Cons Fuji 600tele vs 600c for 8x10?

[bobbysandstrom]

I have a tachihara 810 double extension (22" bellows) and am thinking of doing 1 of 2 things:

1) By the Triple and a 600c and a 750
2) keep the double and get the tele with other components

Any deal-breaker pros/cons for either lens?

Thanks

bob

 

[Loose Gravel]

I don't have the any of this equipment exactly. I have the 450C which is light and small. I have the Nikkor 600/800T. It is big and heavy and really should be used with a support bracket that I made for my 57 Deardorff. Because tele is big and heavy, it doesn't get out much. I figure I can use the 450 and crop.

 

[Eric Leppanen]

You have the familiar dilemma of lighter camera/heavy lenses versus heavier camera/lighter lenses that we all struggle with. Which way you go depends heavily on your particular usage patterns and priorities.

The Fuji 600T (I presume this is the tele you are referring to?) has only a 260mm image circle, and will not cover 8x10. The Nikkor 600T and 800T would be your best telephoto option for your existing camera. The Fuji 600C is a bit sharper and more contrasty than the Nikkor 600T, although if you are contact printing this may not make much of a difference. If your goal is big enlargements, or your shoot color, then I would prefer the 600C. In either case, the camera should be stabilized with either a second tripod or a long-lens support arm, as camera stability is without question the biggest factor in getting good results with long 8x10 lenses. The 600T is easier to stabilize than the 600C, in that it requires 164mm less extension at infinity focus.

Personally I tested the Nikkor 600/800/1200T and Fuji 600C, and preferred the Fuji because I shoot mostly color and appreciated the greater contrast and color saturation the Fuji gave me. More recently I replaced the 600C with an APO Tele Xenar 600/800 telephoto, a superb lens that gives me the best of both worlds (excellent color and contrast, reduced extension of the telephoto); but this lens is extremely expensive. My camera has over 900mm of extension so I was free to select lenses without regard to extension limitations.

 

[df cardwell]

Hey Bobbie

I think you want something that is exceeding the design of the camera.

Compare the use of ( for example ) a Deardorff with a 600 Repro Claron ( C Fujinon, Apo Nikkor, Red Dot, etc ).

Or, for even more solidity with long lenses, a C-1 Calumet.

That's easy-peasy.

.

 

[Rob Skeoch]

I haven't used the Fuji 600C but own the 300 and 450C lenses. I wouldn't take a chance on any other but would pick up the 600C myself.
-Rob Skeoch
BigCameraWorkshops.com

 

[rbarker]

We don't have enough bellows for a 600mm lens of non-tele design, Bob. (I have the same camera.)

 

[bobbysandstrom]

After further scouting, it seems most feel the tele ain't that hot and that a cropped 450c shot is as sharp as a full shot from the 600t. So, I guess it's gonna be a Tachihara Triple. Thanks for all the input.

bob

 

[df cardwell]

After further scouting, it seems most feel the tele ain't that hot and that a cropped 450c shot is as sharp as a full shot from the 600t. So, I guess it's gonna be a Tachihara Triple. Thanks for all the input.

bob

Small rate of return with the 600 tele over the 450 !

AND it is an ABSOLUTE headache to do movements with a tele !

d

 

[naturephoto1]

Small rate of return with the 600 tele over the 450 !

AND it is an ABSOLUTE headache to do movements with a tele !

d

Yes and no on the headache for movements with a tele. I have the Nikon 500 T ED for my Linhof Technikardan 45S. Not too much problem using the tele for rise, fall, and shift. However, at least for landscape, I use rear tilts and swings largely due to the weight of the lens and the nodal point. You can check my website for a photo of Moonset, Hallett Peak

http://www.nelridge.com/picturepages/moonsethallettpeak.htm

The 50" copy is almost as sharp as the 24" copy. You just have to stand a few feet back. Photo was taken on the original Gitzo 1228 Mountaineer Carbon Fiber Tripod with Arca B1 Ball. Exposure time of 1/8 sec at F32. Everything is in sharp focus from the cones in the Pines from about 1/4 mile to the moon. Exposure time due to need for the depth of field and need to stop the moon moving through the field (any longer and the moon would have blurred) between gusts of wind.

Rich

 

[jp80874]

I have the 600C with an old Phillips Advantage with 30" of bellows, and like it very much. I don't really use it a lot because with my choice of subjects I can usually simply move closer and use either my 450 Nikon M or the Standard 300 Schneider
APO Symmar.

I hate to be this vague but I would encourage you to do a Google search on the 600 telephoto. I remember reading several reviews that were not favorable on the quality compared to the 600C, but I cannot site URLs. sorry.

John Powers

 

[rbarker]

Before you jump one way or the other, Bob, would it make sense to discuss what you're shooting, the type of shooting environment, and your objectives with the longer lens on the 8x10?

For example, if you're doing landscape-type work, and the objective is to get tighter compositions in situations where you can't move the camera position, what are the other trade-offs? The added bellows of a triple-extension may introduce more wind-induced vibration or stability issues, offsetting the potential added sharpness of the 600C over a 600T. While tilts with a tele design are more fiddley than with a conventional lens, they are not impossible. But, with the tighter image circle on the tele design, you may not have room for much tilt, anyway.

Obviously, I'm adding more questions than answers here, but that might be the point. There are additional considerations beyond what has been discussed so far.