NikonGear'23
Gear Talk => Lens Talk => Topic started by: richardHaw on October 05, 2016, 07:48:08
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Haven't been active here lately as far as replying goes, very busy this month plus health issues and friends and family visiting Tokyo this month.
check this thing out. you could smash somebody's skull with this. :o :o :o
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Crocodile Dundee would perhaps not be pleased by the performance of the 1200 lens head ... It is shown with the old focusing adapter that binds during focusing with the longer lens heads. The AU focusing adapter is the one to get.
I am currently travelling with the 1200/11 ED-IF which is *the* long lens to bring. If you put it on a proper tripod, that is.
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How about turret mounting those bad boys in the bed of a Ute? Hydraulic stabilizers like those on a backhoe might be needed if shutterspeeds might drop below 1/8,000th second. :)
Dave
Ansel Adams use to have platforms on the top of some of his vehicles. I've shot from the bed of a pickup and even a 3/4 ton 4 wheel drive is a bit unstable. I wonder if AA had a secret or just moved super carefully.
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I am currently travelling with the 1200/11 ED-IF which is *the* long lens to bring. If you put it on a proper tripod, that is.
When considering a slightly shorter long lens is the 800/5.6 ED-IF equal or similar in performance to the 1200?
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Much better than the non-ED 1200, probably also better than the ED.
These überlong lenses are quite tricky and difficult to use in practice.
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Again, to paraphrase Mr. C. Dundee of OZ fame: *THIS* is a lens .... With proper support, one can shoot at any speed.
(1200/11 Nikkor ED-IF on a Sachtler ENG2 CF HD/Video 20, camera D3X). IR snapshot on the D5300.
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Impressive, Bjorn! How heavy is it? THX. LZ
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Bjørn,
I have a Canon FD-n 800/5.6 which actually has the exact same length and a similar weight to the 1200/11 Nikkor ED-IF. I've used it at high shutter speeds but not lower speeds. I also just acquired a Sachtler ENG2 CF HD and a Burzynski ballhead (the latter was years of Ebay patience plus some real luck). Is this still too flimsy of a setup for a lens of these dimensions at slow shutter speeds? If a fluid head is recommended, would the Sachtler Video 15 be adequate?
Thanks!
Bill
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It's a bit beat up, but how about a 350-1200mm f/11 for $2400? (Not my auction).
http://www.ebay.com/itm/SIGMA-350-1200MM-f-11-APO-LENS-NIKON-MOUNT-/231359096289
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Impressive, Bjorn! How heavy is it? THX. LZ
Not very heavy, around 3.8 kg if memory serves.
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Bjørn,
I have a Canon FD-n 800/5.6 which actually has the exact same length and a similar weight to the 1200/11 Nikkor ED-IF. I've used it at high shutter speeds but not lower speeds. I also just acquired a Sachtler ENG2 CF HD and a Burzynski ballhead (the latter was years of Ebay patience plus some real luck). Is this still too flimsy of a setup for a lens of these dimensions at slow shutter speeds? If a fluid head is recommended, would the Sachtler Video 15 be adequate?
Thanks!
Bill
The tripod itself is more than adequate. I do have some reservations about using a ball head for such physically long lenses, though, even a Burzynski. This is because such lenses needs dampening as well as basic support. You might try, it could work in practice with some care paid to using proper technique (MUP, cable release, *not* touching* the lens or camera). The Video 15 is good, but beefier fluid head is even better.
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When I was at Spa-Francorchamps to follow car endurance races, I saw a film team with a monstrous Sachtler tripod, mounted with a platform, the size of a small table (I'm exaggerating 😉). They look very stable, but you need at least two Sherpa's to carry the beast 😊
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The impression might fool you. Sachtlers are surprisingly lightweight for their load support. Thus the ENG 2 CF HD, the beefiest of the 100 mm class, weighs only a smidgen above 4 kg.
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Waw, this is a good surprise 👍
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The tripod itself is more than adequate. I do have some reservations about using a ball head for such physically long lenses, though, even a Burzynski. This is because such lenses needs dampening as well as basic support. You might try, it could work in practice with some care paid to using proper technique (MUP, cable release, *not* touching* the lens or camera). The Video 15 is good, but beefier fluid head is even better.
Bjørn, thanks for your advice. My standard tripod technique is live view focusing, mirror up, wait a few seconds, remote release, and no touching of camera, lens, or support after the mirror goes up. My past use of the 800/5.6 was with a Really Right Stuff gimbal head which is very user-friendly for aiming and works well for fast shutter speeds. I'm fortunate to be at a much lower latitude where there is the sun is usually higher in the sky and there is more light (~38 degrees latitude vs. 60 for Oslo), but I want to be better able to handle low-light situations with long lenses.
The impression might fool you. Sachtlers are surprisingly lightweight for their load support. Thus the ENG 2 CF HD, the beefiest of the 100 mm class, weighs only a smidgen above 4 kg.
I can confirm that this tripod is surprisingly light for its bulk. I resisted going this route until recently due to the expense. Cost is also why I was looking at the Video 15 rather than the 20, though the used copy of the 15 I was looking at is now gone as of this morning. Back to watchful waiting...
Edit: The fluid head is actually still available. What about using a sandbag on top of the lens to provide more dampening?
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Thats not a big lens. This is. Unfortunately its a Canon. Shitty optics ;)
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Hahahaha, Børge, tell me more about this packaging for shit :D
Where did you capture it???
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actually BW, Mongo is quite impressed with this. The build quality and optics have an excellent chance of being better than some Nikkors Mongo has purchased in the past.
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It`s in Trondheim, Norway. I saw it driving by in a boat. I don't know what it is so, naturally I assumes it was a discarded Canon lens of the less portable kind :) It is certainly worth a closer look. But now we`re way off topic..
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Sorry, really busy to reply :(
saw some sample images of this lens and the performance is not as good as i hoped but i can imagine this lens opening lots of possibilities before. :o :o :o
this looks like it belongs on the rollbar of a landrover fitted with a custom mount
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An example with the 1200/11 ED-IF is posted here:
http://nikongear.net/revival/index.php/topic,4483.msg70860.html#msg70860
Do note the shutter speeds ranged from 1/8 to 1/15 sec ... A challenge to sort the adequate from the inadequate as far as tripod support is concerned.
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by the way, i Gave the sn to Roland Vink and he confirmed that this is indeed one of the rarer ED version but the focusing unit is that of the older type, am I correct? :o :o :o
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by the way, i Gave the sn to Roland Vink and he confirmed that this is indeed one of the rarer ED version but the focusing unit is that of the older type, am I correct? :o :o :o
The ED version of the 1200/11 lens head is very rare and probably performs well, if the 800/8 ED is anything to judge by (amazingly sharp long lens). However, where is the golden ring to signal the lens is ED? Not visible in the opening photo.
The old adapter is well-nigh useless with any of the lens heads except for the 400/4.5 Nikkor. The reason is that Nikon made the helicoid way too short and the leverage of the longer lens heads will make the helicoid stick or bind badly. Get the newer AU-1, it works like a charm.
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by the way, i Gave the sn to Roland Vink and he confirmed that this is indeed one of the rarer ED version but the focusing unit is that of the older type, am I correct? :o :o :o
What is the Sn# on this lens ?
Not many AU-1 on the marked,,,
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... Not many AU-1 on the marked,,,
So very true. I had to buy another 600/5.6 Nikkor lens head in order to get the AU-1 it was attached to. Thus I now own both adapters and have duplicate 600/5.6 Nikkor-P lens heads. I will give away the 600/5.6 - for free - to any party interested ... if Erik refrains from picking it up first ....
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I have looked high and low but no AU-1 anywhere I can see,,, :-\
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The ED version of the 1200/11 lens head is very rare and probably performs well, if the 800/8 ED is anything to judge by (amazingly sharp long lens). However, where is the golden ring to signal the lens is ED? Not visible in the opening photo.
Below is a picture of a 1200 ED I saved from ebay, it has a gold ring between the tripod mount and aperture ring. The aperture ring has a square-pattern grip similar to K and AI lenses. The lens Rick posted looks very similar, but no gold ring in the same place, and the aperture ring is the old scalloped style, so I'd say it was not the ED version. Either they gave the wrong serial number, or we have an ED lens put into an old barrel, or ED serial number put on a non-ED lens (which is unlikely since they are different optically and unlikely that parts can be interchanged)
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That is how my 800/8 ED lens head looks, apart from being shorter. Thus the lens illustrated in the opening post is not an ED type.
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Hello. I cannot find the image in the outbox so Inwill ask Roland for the serial again. Yhe serial falls in between the sn on his database. :o :o :o
¥120,000 is also a nice price according to another collector friend of mine considering that it comes with that casket looking box.
Can it be that this is an interim version? ::) i know nothing about this lens
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Ok, i found the picture of the sn. I asked the shop to check their records and they gave me this :o :o :o
They usually don't give out sn but i am a good customer ::)
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The serial number (150048) is that of an ED 1200/11, around the mid point of the very short production run of < 100 units. However, the outward appearance is *not* of an ED lens head of that vintage, as already noted by Roland and me.
I find it highly unlikely that Nikon should use "scrap parts" from the earlier model to make a new unit in their new lens series. Most likely parts from the non-ED model won't fit the ED version at all.
Thus, per the principle of Occam's Razor, we end up with the plausible explanation of a non-ED lens with a misrepresented serial number. Perhaps the wrong serial number was taken down or their serial number records are confused.
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It could very well be. :o :o :o
This looks like a P.
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I do know one of our European members (AndyE?) has one of these rare ED lens heads. Perhaps he could come up with more info?