Which center filter for SW-Nikkor 65/4?

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Unlike Schneider and rodenstock, Nikon does not market center filters for their LF lenses. Which center filter would be appropriate for the 65/4 SW lens? TIA, Åke

-- Åke Vinberg (ake@vinberg.nu), February 26, 2001

Answers

I owned the Nikkor 65mm for a couple of years and bought for it, recommanded by Robert White, the Schneider IIIC (2stops) center filter. It worked perfectly well. Now I replaced the 65 mm with the Rodenstock 55mm and the center filter still works nicely.

-- Jean-Marie Solichon (jardin-exotique@monte-carlo.mc), February 26, 2001.

Heliopan, Rodenstock or Schneider

-- Bob Salomon (bobsalomon@mindspring.com), February 26, 2001.

The faloff is severe with that lens. I use my Super-Angulon 47XL center filter on it with good results. (+ 2 stops)

-- Paul Schilliger (pschilliger@smile.ch), February 26, 2001.

Hoya also makes center filters, 2 stop, a lot cheaper. You can buy them from Adorama.

-- bmgmusic (ar7786@hotmail.com), February 26, 2001.

Ake, I'd go with the Heliopan 0.45ND center weighted filter, but to determine the strength you should run a couple of tests shooting a very large even toned and evenly lit surface, making sure the camera is focused at infinity, to see how much fall off there actually is. Do your tests with the lens centered and then shifted to the point where you see the edge of the image circle in two corners. My recommendation of the Heliopan 0.45ND center weighted filter is based on my experiences with that brand and strength when used on a Rodenstock Grandagon 90mm ƒ/4.5.

While the physics of why you may need a center filter are pretty fixed, I do know that Nikon uses a different optical formula from that used by Rodenstock & Schneider. Might this be an influence on what strength filter you need? perhaps, and that is why you should test. o rlisten to someone (not me!) who uses that lens either with or without a c.w.f.

-- Ellis Vener (evphoto@insync.net), February 27, 2001.



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