Fuji L and Fuji W lenses

[Willie]

Am looking at a few 300mm Fuji lenses and can't find the differenc in the L and W series. Know the L are older lenses. Different image circles? Different filter sizes? Difference in sharpness, contrast, etc?

Have checked the comparison charts and Kerry Thalmanns page and still looking for information to help in the buying decision.

[Peter De Smidt]

L's are Tessars, and, to my knowledge, they're single coated. I have a 420L, and it's a fine lens. The "W" lens might be faster, and there are multi-coated versions. It's a plasmat, and originally it was quite a bit more expensive than the 300L. Some people prefer the out-of-focus rendering of the Ls.

[David Karp]

This site will help you with the filter sizes, image circles, etc. http://www.subclub.org/fujinon/byseries.htm

[Alan9940]

This might also help too: http://www.thalmann.com/largeformat/fujinon.htm

[Willie]

This site will help you with the filter sizes, image circles, etc. http://www.subclub.org/fujinon/byseries.htm

Have tried your link a number of times now and it won't show up. Even doing a web search for the site/group gets me links that don't work.

[David Karp]

I don't know what to say about that. I just looked at it again right before typing this for you. Here is the main page. Maybe it will work. http://www.subclub.org/fujinon/

[David Karp]

I just clicked on the link from my post. I went right to the site. Works in both Chrome and Firefox for me.

[B.S.Kumar]

No subclub.org links open on any of my computers as well - PC/Mac, laptop/desktop, Safari/Opera/Chrome/IE. But they open on my Android phone :)
So I make pdfs there, and then bring them on to my computer for reading.

Kumar

[Willie]

This page can’t be displayed

•Make sure the web address http://www.subclub.org is correct.
•Look for the page with your search engine.
•Refresh the page in a few minutes.


The above is still what I am getting. For some reason I can't get it. So, do you know the image circle of the lens? The filter size it takes?

[Carsten Wolff]

Works fine on my 7-year old Macbook (Firefox).



This page can’t be displayed

•Make sure the web address http://www.subclub.org is correct.
•Look for the page with your search engine.
•Refresh the page in a few minutes.


The above is still what I am getting. For some reason I can't get it. So, do you know the image circle of the lens? The filter size it takes?

[Corran]

There is still a persistent problem with the subclub website. It is absolutely not a personal computer issue. I would hazard a guess that it is a server-side issue not communicating correctly with computers trying to connect to the website. My work and home computer has more or less never been able to access the website with any browser. They are 100% correctly configured. I don't think it worked on my phone either. It would certainly behoove him to call up his domain host and talk to them about this problem.

[seezee]

This page can’t be displayed

•Make sure the web address http://www.subclub.org is correct.
•Look for the page with your search engine.
•Refresh the page in a few minutes.


The above is still what I am getting. For some reason I can't get it. So, do you know the image circle of the lens? The filter size it takes?

Willie, I work as a web developer & my guess is your IP may be blocked, or, alternatively, your DNS cache is corrupt or the DNS server in your area has a corrupt cache. The IP blocking may have occurred because the site admin was getting hacked & blocked the entire range that included your IP; you can check this by going to whatismyip.org to get your IP and then Googling "IP xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx" where xxx etc. is your IP to see if you're on any blacklists. Google "flush DNS" for ways to clear your DNS cache (varies by operating system). If you're on Windows, it's worth checking your HOSTS file. If all else fails, reboot & try again.

[Corran]

I can almost guarantee this is not a problem on Willie's end.

I hate to keep saying it but I think it's really unfortunate a good source of information is being wasted due to likely a hosting issue. I would guess that 50-75% of users can not access the subclub page based on comments here.

Edit: amazingly, my home PC suddenly started to connect to the subclub site this evening when I checked again (it was not yesterday). I will check my office PC tomorrow.

[Willie]

Computers are not my thing, just push the buttons and the mouse and take what happens.

That said, anyone with information on the lenses?

[Corran]

This is a simple cut and paste from http://www.subclub.org/fujinon/byseries.htm (check and see if it works for you now, since it suddenly started connecting for me today).

Only the L and W lenses as asked. There are of course many other types on the main site. This forum downsizes it a bit to fit in the window, so click for a larger, better resolution size.

http://www.oceanstarproductions.com/photosharing/fujilw.jpg (http://www.oceanstarproductions.com/photosharing/fujilw.jpg)

[B.S.Kumar]

Willie, I work as a web developer & my guess is your IP may be blocked, or, alternatively, your DNS cache is corrupt or the DNS server in your area has a corrupt cache. The IP blocking may have occurred because the site admin was getting hacked & blocked the entire range that included your IP...snip.

I don't know about this, but I've tried to see this site in India and Japan (I have different computers in both places), as well as different locations in Japan. Only the Android phone gets through. I do wish the site could be moved to a different server - there's a wealth of great information there.

Kumar

[Willie]

Thanks for posting the chart. Answered what I needed.

[Capt. E]

One of my favorite 4x5 field lenses has been the Fujinon-W 125. Small medium wide angle and much more useful than a 150 (which I have never owned). The L lenses are very nice for field use as they are smaller than the W lenses, but have smaller image circles. I like the 210L. Of course, my favorite Fujinon of all time is the 250 6.7 (do not confuse with the 250 6.3) It is a great 8x10 wide angle (will cover 11x14). I went for years hiking with only an old Fuji View with 4x5 and 5x7 backs, a 125W 5.6 and 250W 6.7. Does just about everything.

[Lachlan 717]

...will cover 11x14...

Doubt it. Especially at infinity.

[Alan Gales]

I also own a Fujinon 250mm f/6.7 lens. It's a great lens for 8x10. It has an image circle of 398mm.

[Capt. E]

My mistake...was probably thinking of the 300. It is a nice w/a on 8x10 with adequate movements.

[Drew Wiley]

If you want big coverage in a compact lens in no.1 shutter it would be the 300A. The 300C would have a more limited image circle on 8x10. The L would be a
distinctly heavy lens with thick elements in a Copal 3S. The W another heavy one in 300, modern 3 Copal. The longest general purpose plasmat in a no.1 shutter they made was the 250/6.7.

[Willie]

The need is for a brighter image on the ground glass. The f/5.6 will give it. The Fuji glass with this aperture is a bit smaller than the competition.
The size and weight are manageable to be able to focus a bit easier.

[Drew Wiley]

Big plasmats are going for cheap. If you're in the studio the extra brightness might help, and size won't be much of an issue if your camera has a rigid enough front standard. But specialty plastmats like the G Claron and Fuji A perform better with close range subjects. With a decent groundlgass, those smaller apertures aren't any issue at all, especially outdoors. Wide-angle lenses with their illumination falloff and oblique viewing angles are more a problem in that regard. You also have rendering differences. The tessar design of the Fuji L would have gentler out-of-focus rendition, hence was popular with portrait photographers. The difference in coating does have an effect, but it's minor. I even used a max aperture f/10 lens in cave not long ago. Full 5.6 wouldn't have made any difference. I roughly composed by looking through a Nikon, then aimed the view camera the same direction, did camera movements focused on individual bright spots in the intended scene. A simply laser pointer is great for that. But after I developed the neg, I was pleasantly surprised that I got away with the stunt, and that everything was in critical focus!

[Chauncey Walden]

Willie, The 300 W shows 420mm image circle and a 77mm filter. The L, 343 mm image circle and 67mm filter.