I sometimes find myself longing for a longer lens than what I can reach with my XCD 135mm + 1.7x extender. I have been thinking about getting a lens mount adapter to Canon EF or Nikon F/G mount and get a longer lens for one of those systems.

Have you found a good set up for this? Any good or bad experiences with longer lenses? I'm mostly concerned with image circle size/vignetting.

Of course I'll lose auto-focus (but I mostly manual focus anyways) and will need to use the electronic shutter. I'm ok with that.

What are the hive-mind recommendations here?

Looking at lenses in the 300-400mm range, maybe zooms.

There are a variety of longer teles available for medium format cameras that would work well without the vignetting of lenses optimized for full frame.  One of the other forums had an extensive thread on this topic 1-2 years ago:  Pentax, Rollei, Mamiya, the Leica APO-Telyt modular series, and of course the longer Hasselblad Zeiss glass (250/300/350) come to mind.  Prices range from reasonable to stratospheric.

I had the Hasselblad Zeiss 250/4 FE and used it with a 2x Mutar.  Ended up selling when I got the 135/TC.  The 250 was not that sharp.  However, there are many good things to say about the Super Achromat versions of the 250 and 350.

...gregg

Have you considered the Hasselblad 300mm lens plus Hasselblad Extender - perhaps that would provide full functionality.

When I need very long teles I use Hasselblad V Zeiss glass. It can still be found today at relatively reasonable price (for how long?)

When used on a V body with the 907X back I have even a working leaf shutter, e-shutter on X bodies

V system Zeiss glass has unique optical corrections in Phocus software on X system what brings superb image results
(you have to write down shooting parameters and entrr them manually in Phocus as there are no EXIF datas)

Even with the 250 superachromat + Mutar 2x (500 mm) there is zero AC, very fine details and the lower contrast can easily be compensated in Phocus sorfware

When I need specialty glass I use old adapted Mamiya 645 lenses the are really cheap (they were quite expensive new in the past) such as 50mm shift, 145mm soft focus, 500mm reflex (for strange bokeh), the fabulous sharp 80 mm macro.

Which adapter  Mamiya 645 lenses for X2D for example?

I fully endorse JCM statement: Hasselblad V Zeiss lenses on a V body with the CVF back and leaf shutter for me.

Since the X2D is out, however, the option now (subject to having an X2D body of course) is between V body w/ leaf shutter and electronic shuter w/ IBIS, which in case of looong lens and steady subjects can be the right choice.

If the X1D only is available, then of course there is no option but ES, a good tripod and firm subjects.

In any event, all depends on expectations and the type of subject: I am afraid we all must rekon that the otherwise supreme Hassy gear cannot compare with a Z9+400/2.8TC (or the equivalent Canon, I guess) if you are shooting on a safari or motorsport...

Just my 2c/
Luca

Quote from: PeoOrvendal on April 13, 2023, 09:16:35 AM
I sometimes find myself longing for a longer lens than what I can reach with my XCD 135mm + 1.7x extender. I have been thinking about getting a lens mount adapter to Canon EF or Nikon F/G mount and get a longer lens for one of those systems.
Have you found a good set up for this? Any good or bad experiences with longer lenses? I'm mostly concerned with image circle size/vignetting.
Of course I'll lose auto-focus (but I mostly manual focus anyways) and will need to use the electronic shutter. I'm ok with that.
What are the hive-mind recommendations here?
Looking at lenses in the 300-400mm range, maybe zooms.

You can adapt the HC 300 and HTC for use on the XCD with AF (if the lens has firmware 19.1 or newer).
BUT - when I used this set up on the X1Dii the lack of IBIS/VR was notable. 
The weight is huge (as is the price)
YES there are image circle concerns but the bigger issue is the lack of Continuous-AF when shooting wildlife -- everything moves and Single-AF is a huge issue.

I have no experience with lenses longer than the 135+TC, but my first thought was that this is a very similar issue to Leica M cameras for fast and moving sports at longer distances.
The camera is simply not built for that, there are better systems for that.
In the meantime there are already adapters for the craziest combination, so that almost every task can somehow be accomplished.
But all in all, such applications are only ever an emergency solution.

I'm currently testing a few third party telephoto-lenses for the X-system. You can read about it on my blog nordhaugphotography.blog. Although I have tested mostly lenses in the 150mm-range, I have a couple of longer lenses coming up too, e.g. the Nikkor 200mm f4 and the Mamiya Sekor C 300mm f5.6. I have only tested the lenses in a quite specific setting close to how I mostly use telephoto-lenses myself, but I decided to publish it as it still may have some interest for others.
Cheers!

danord

Quote from: man-overboard on April 13, 2023, 10:06:40 PM
Which adapter  Mamiya 645 lenses for X2D for example?

Fotodiox makes an M645 to XCD adapter.  I have one that I would give to someone for the cost of postage to try.  My sample would not lock the M645 120/4 Macro that I had.

...gregg

Not 3rd party, but I'd second a vote for the HC300. You get full access to the 1/800 sync shutter (assuming a non-orange dot ver). It can be picked up for app. $1800 in clean shape, you can use flash (something not viable with e-shutter), no issues with vignetting and crap adapters, strong lens collar and foot, full Phocus post-shot corrections, etc.

With the empty-tube XH adapter you get 300/4.5, with the XH 0.8 it's 240/3.5 with improved performance, especially outside the center, and a resulting FoV as if the lens were mounted to the large sensor H6D-100C or H5D-60 CCD (202mm 35mm equiv). With both adapters, you've 2 lenses in one.

Thanks all for your thoughts. I appreciate them all. I am not sure why I didn't think to look at the V and H lenses, because as you point out, there are lots of options there. Apart from my XCD bodies, I also happen to have a 503cx, so I decided to pull the trigger on getting an XV adapter and a longer V lens, since I can then use it on both systems. The obvious most important (to me) trade-off being that I'm limited to the electronic shutter, but I'm mostly shooting landscapes and this will be for intimate landscapes, so it will mostly be less of a concern for me.

The HC 300mm looks really interesting too, especially with the XH 0.8 giving some more flexibility. @Conner999, do you have real world experience with this lens with an XCD camera? Any photos you can share so I can take see the results?

One important fact you may not be aware of, and that no one else has mentioned yet, is that the XCD 1.7 tele converter works perfectly with the HC 300 lens, yielding a 510mm telephoto. Since you already own the XCD 135 plus the 1.7 converter, the HC 300/4.5 lens would definitely be the best and obvious choice for a long telephoto.
And, of course, with the HC 300 lens, you would utilize its own built-in leaf shutter, without having to use the dreaded electronic shutter required with all other 3rd party lenses. You would need the standard XH adapter to mount. And yes - I do own & use this equipment.
Great Blue Heron - HC 300 + XCD 1.7 converter with XH adapter.

Here is a shot taken with Tele-ApoTessar f/8 500 mm CF with Mutar 2X bolted to the X1DII via Novoflex VX adapter. No sharpening in post of any kind.

Ah, being able to use the 1.7 xcd teleconverter does indeed make the HC lens a very compelling option. Thanks for that!

And thanks to Michael and to Grotte for posting those photos.