What telephoto lens is used?

[Naphtali]

In the 1993 motion picture, "The Pelican Brief" (Denzel Washington, Julia Roberts), Washington attempts to identify a potential source by staking out the pay telephone booth from where the source calls Washington. Washington photographs the man in the phone booth using a Nikon camera with telephoto lens. I have not seen such a lens with as large an objective lens that was not used from a tripod. Please identify the lens.

 

[Carlisle Blues]

"just My Trusty Box Brownie "

 

[Dixon Cannon]

Do you have a screenshot? I'd like to see said lens. It certainly is possible to shoot a long lens handheld using the reciprocal of lens length as a minimum shutter speed to prevent camera shake blur. Not always possible. If the subject is for I.D. purposes only and not art or commercial, camera shake may not matter.

Still would like to see this lens and see how it's being used.

-dixon cannon

 

[Naphtali]

Do you have a screenshot? I'd like to see said lens. It certainly is possible to shoot a long lens handheld using the reciprocal of lens length as a minimum shutter speed to prevent camera shake blur. Not always possible. If the subject is for I.D. purposes only and not art or commercial, camera shake may not matter.

Still would like to see this lens and see how it's being used.

-dixon cannon

I do not have the ability to create screen shots from commercial DVDs. I will not unless I migrate to OS X. On consideration, the lens may be too short to be a telephoto. It looks like a super-fast lens -- like Nikon's 58 mm f1.2 or some such -- huge front lens for light gathering. I know just enough about these lenses to know I know very little about them.

Super fast makes more sense -- verisimilitude -- than telephoto. Washington's purpose for the camera is surveillance. Fast lens with fast film would allow acceptable identification photographs to be taken at night, or in otherwise poor light.

Of course, I still have no idea what lens is shown.

 

[Dixon Cannon]

I'll rent the movie and see what he's got! I'm intrigued now!

-dixon cannon

 

[Doctor Strange]

Chances are that whatever lens it was, it was still impossible to actually get good results hand-holding it, even with superfast film.

My observation, as a lifelong movie buff AND a former pro photographer (I grew up working in my parents' commercial studio in the 1960s) is:

Cameras appearing in movies rarely have anything to do with reality... As long as they can get the audience (99.9% of whom are not even aware of the technical photo issues) to believe what they're showing in the context of the story, their work is done. And the vast majority of resulting photos shown in movies look nothing like they would if taken with the equipment - and under the lighting conditions - shown.

It's all part of the illusion of the movies!

 

[Naphtali]

Interested in ideintifying the lens. Less interested in whether lens would be functional for its intended [movie] purpose.

 

[Brent Sealy]

It's a Nikon Nikkor AF 300mm 2.8

 

[MisterCairo]

It's a Nikon Nikkor AF 300mm 2.8

This it?

 

[Brent Sealy]

This it?

View attachment 382864

That's the f/4 version. The one used in the film was the f/2.8.

 

[alanwake82]

It will increases focal length. To view far away objects with accurate perspective and with a level of precise detail.
Currently, nikon telephoto lens are one of the best in the market.