Fujinon 210mm issue?

[NoBob]

I just bought a Fujinon 210mm f5.6 from eBay.

Been testing it out today and found that the manual opening and closing of the aperture doesn't work. When I switch the lens to open, the aperture is fully open and I can't change it. Is that a quirk of this lens or a problem?

I have a Fuji 90mm and 150mm. I can manually open and close the aperture to check sharpness with those.

[richardman]

You have a problem lens. Return it for refund.

Actually, does the aperture lever moves? If it does not move, then may be the shutter is too tightly fitted onto the lens board. If it moves but the blades do not, then you have a problem lens.

[NoBob]

Yes, the aperture lever moves okay. The lens triggers okay and it looks like the correct aperture when it triggers. Just cannot manually open or close the aperture with the lever. It just stays open.

[richardman]

Well, I have a number of Fujinon, including the 210, and they do behave as expected. If you think the aperture actually closes correctly when it triggers, then it's for you to decide what to do...

[NoBob]

Thanks, am going to ask for a refund. I like to be able to close down the aperture to check sharpness (corner sharpness especially).

[JimL]

Sounds like a press shutter. When you fire the shutter, do you cock it first with a lever or just depress the cable release until it fires? The press shutters keep the aperture fully open, I assume because press photogs would want to be able to flip the lever to be wide open for quick focusing, and then right back at shooting aperture when the shutter's closed. I have, in the past, opened press shutters and cut off the little tab on the lever that keeps the aperture wide open :).

[Ari]

Is it a Copal or Seiko shutter?
They work in different ways. The Seiko must be cocked before you can open the diaphragm, the Copal doesn't need to be cocked.

[NoBob]

Hi Jim,

To fire it, I just need to depress the cable. It doesn't fire if it's open.

According to the seller it has a Copal shutter, Ari. How can I check if it's Copal or Seiko?

There's also a second hole to screw in the cable release, next to the lever that manually opens the shutter. If I screw in the cable release into that, I can open and close the shutter slowly or fast by depressing the cable release.

[StoneNYC]

Hi Jim,

To fire it, I just need to depress the cable. It doesn't fire if it's open.

According to the seller it has a Copal shutter, Ari. How can I check if it's Copal or Seiko?

There's also a second hole to screw in the cable release, next to the lever that manually opens the shutter. If I screw in the cable release into that, I can open and close the shutter slowly or fast by depressing the cable release.

The shutter will actually say what it is... Google Copal shutter, you'll see images they look very different from Seiko

But the shutter name should be on the shutter...

[Ari]

Hi Jim,

To fire it, I just need to depress the cable. It doesn't fire if it's open.

According to the seller it has a Copal shutter, Ari. How can I check if it's Copal or Seiko?

There's also a second hole to screw in the cable release, next to the lever that manually opens the shutter. If I screw in the cable release into that, I can open and close the shutter slowly or fast by depressing the cable release.

It will say Seiko if it's a Seiko.
It sounds like you might have a Copal Press shutter, as JimL stated; try looking up instructions and photos to make sure that that is indeed what you have, and to make sure that it is working as it should.

[NoBob]

It only goes up 125th so it seems like it is a press shutter.

I can't figure out how to close down the aperture to say f22 or f32 to check focus, instead of wide open. I read you should set it on B(ulb), but can't figure what to do next.

If I open the lock on the cable release and depress slightly, I can close the aperture as much or little as I like and hold it there, but I don't know what aperture it is exactly.

[richardman]

Ah good points. Sorry, I forgot that LF lens have been made since Apatosaurus was Brontosaurus and forgot that older shutters might be used.

All mine are modern Copal shutters.

[NoBob]

Been thinking about the top 125th shutter speed. For a 210mm, is that too slow for (urban) landscapes? Or is it just a case of switch to a slower film?

[Old-N-Feeble]

Been thinking about the top 125th shutter speed. For a 210mm, is that too slow for (urban) landscapes? Or is it just a case of switch to a slower film

Or use ND filters :)