Did anyone notice a mint one went for a whopping $1825? I have a hard time believing this could go for nearly the price of a brand new 400mm APO Tele Xenar Compact which is likely a better lens as well. Do you think this is just Ebay frenzy or are these lenses really that great?
Could it be inflation?
Not sure I'd pay that much for one but IMO they are that great. I own a 240 A and a 300 A and they are oth great. The 300 A is oneof my most used lenses and, after my 110 SS XL and 150 Apo Sironar W is the one I would be least likely to part with.
On the extraodinarily rare occasions when the 600 and 1200 A's come on the market the prices are even higher. My recollection is that a 600 sold several months ago for nearly 4K.
I've got one just like the one on eBay. IMHO, it's really that good. Razor sharp, very small and lightweight.Originally Posted by Doug Dolde
Bruce Watson
Hard to justify when a new Fujinon C 300 /8.5 is only $700, and a new Fujinon C 450 /12.5 is only $900, and a new Fujinon T 400 /8 is only 995. (Both the 300 and 450 are smaller than the 360; not sure about the size of the 400 T).
Unless you're a collector, in which case whatever floats your boat!
However, the 360 A covers 11x14 with movements, which neither the 300 C or 400 T do, nor the 400mm Apo-Tele-Xenar.
$1825 is certainly high though.
Arne beat me to it. They are vastly diffeent lens designs with different coverage. The 360 A has a 504mm image circle and the 300 A a 420mm image circle (possibly the largest of any lens this length in a #1 shutter) and is sharp edge to edge. These were very expensive lenses to produce and were the among the most expensive on the market when the were new. The 300 sold new for 1170 and the 360 for 1557 in 1988.
In addition to their sharpness at distance and at close range, the A series lenses are often smaller and lighter than others of comparable length.
The 300A for example, takes 55mm filters, and weighs only 410 grams.
Just to add to Arne and Ted's comments... The 360mm Fujinon A is the only 360mm non-telephoto ever made that came in a No. 1 shutter. In a non-telephoto, it is also the longest focal length many 4x5 cameras can use. For the 4x5 user, it's a lot smaller and lighter than most other options in the 360mm range - which are either in the much larger, heavier Copal No. 3 shutters, or telephoto designs that are heavier and take bigger filters, but have much less coverage. Comparing it to the 360mm Nikkor T-ED telephoto and the 360mm APO Ronar non-telephoto:
360mm Fujinon A - Copal No. 1, 465g, 58mm Filters, 504mm IC
360mm Nikkor T-ED - Copal No. 1, 67mm Filters, 210mm IC
360mm APO Ronar - Copal 3, 550g, 58mm Filters, 318mm IC
So, the 360mm Fujinon A is the smallest, lightest lens in this focal length range. This makes it an ideal long lens for 4x5 and 5x7.
But, not everyone shoots these formats. Neither the Nikkor T-ED, nor the APO Ronar cover 8x10 (officially, the APO Ronar will if your willing to exceed the manufacturers specs, but the movements will be limited). The 360mm Fujinon A makes a much better all-around lens for 8x10 than either of these, or the any of the 400mm telephotos which won't come close to covering 8x10. The next lightest, smallest lens in this fcoal length range that makes sense as a general purpose lens on 8x10 is the 355mm G Claron. It comes in a Copal No. 3, weighs 855g and takes 77mm filters. While they are excellent, the 360mm f6.3 - f6.8 plasmats are huge and heavy by comparison - typically weighing > 3x the 360mm Fujinon A and taking 95mm - 112mm filters. Fine for in the studio, but a real pain to haul around in the field.
And, for even bigger formats, the 360mm Fujinon A will cover 11x14 and hit the corners of 7x17.
So, it's a very versatile lens. Combine that with the fact that it was very expensive new, and was only in production for about 10 years, and there are very few on the used market. It all comes down to supply and demand. Usually, only two or three come up for sale on eBay each year. So, they tend to fetch some pretty high prices - although I think $1825 may be a new record. ~$1500 had been the typical selling price over the last few years.
Kerry
Depends on what you need. Suppose you're an 8x10 landscape photographer and you already have a nice 240mm wide angle. A 300mm is awfully close to the 240mm you already own. In this case a 360mm makes more sense - and all other 355mm - 360mm lenses usable on 8x10 weigh 2 - 3x as much and take much bigger, more expensive filters. The 400mm T won't work as it doesn't come close to covering 8x10.
The same argument could be made for 4x5 or 5x7. What if you already have something like 110mm, 150mm, 240mm... a 360mm would be the next logical choice in your focal length progression - and the 360mm Fujinon A is the smallest, lightest available in this focal length range. And many 4x5 cameras don't have enough bellows extension to use the lovely little 450mm Fujinon C.
I actually think most people who are lucky enough to own a 360mm Fujinon A actually use them. I know I do. It's just too good and too versatile to set on a shelf.
Kerry
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