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Richard S. Ross
23-Feb-2000, 13:26
I just picked up a used Fuji-A 240/9 in a Copal 0 shutter. It has a low serial number, and appears to be only single coated, but it is a little hard to tell. Is there any way to determine the year of manufacture and which coatings would have been used for the Fujinon lenses?

William Marderness
23-Feb-2000, 17:33
I have heard that Fujinon lenses with a black ring are multi-coated, and the ones with the silver ring are single-coated.

Glenn Kroeger
23-Feb-2000, 18:27
Williams guide is pretty accurate, although some of the very last chrome ring lenses were multicoated. ALL of the black ring lenses are multicoated.

Glenn Kroeger
23-Feb-2000, 20:26
To update my previous post, I have a 1982 Fujinon catalog that still shows chrome rings, but lists all lens lines except the LS economy lens, and the SFS variable softness portrait lenses as being EBC multicoated.

Patrick Raymore
23-Feb-2000, 20:52
You're right. There are two version of the fuji 240 A. Newer Fuji 240 A lenses may be distinguished from the older models by the following features. Newer models have their focal lengths etc. etched on the outside edge of the front barrel. Older models have has this information etched on the inner front retaining ring. There is also the ribbed texture to the outer edge of the front barrel that is characteristic of the older models. The older models has a pinkish coating that I suspect may only be single coating. The newer models have a green hue characteristic of many of the EBC coated lenses. I have not found a practical differences the older and newer models in use. Hope this is helpful.

Richard S. Ross
23-Feb-2000, 20:58
I need to get this clear : by chrome/black ring are we referring to the barrel of the front element, or the shutter speed ring on the Copal shutter. My lens has a black barrel with all info engraved on the outside, but also has a chrome shutter speed ring on the shutter. Sorry for belaboring such a boring subject.

William Marderness
23-Feb-2000, 21:40
I was talking about the ring on the shutter.

Glenn Kroeger
23-Feb-2000, 22:00
I too was referring to the shutter speed ring on the Copal shutter. Even older Fujinons are in Seiko shutters.

neil poulsen
24-Feb-2000, 00:37
I don't know if this helps, but I have an old Fuji flier from about '87 that shows a Fuji 240 f9 AS (not A) as being EBC multi-coated. From the color photograph, the coating has a pinkish cast, and it has a silver rim on the Copal #0 shutter. The lens identification is on the outside of the lens. While the flier's not dated, I picked it up from a Fuji vendor at an LA show at about this time.

Anthony Sanna
24-Feb-2000, 09:38
I have been looking for a while for a long lens for my 4x5. Last fall I bought a used 400 Fuji T from Lens & Repro, but returned it because I wasn't quite happy with its color or sharpness. Since then I have been considering a Nikkor 360 T or some of the 450-480 regular lenses (I've got 550mm of bellows). I just talked to Jeff at Badger who LOVES the Fuji T (he sells them) and said that the new multicoated glass is much improved on what I had. He also recommended the Fuji 12.5 450mm as a great lens as well. Other lenses that I am considering are the Nikkor M 450, afew used Schneider 360 Tele-Xenar & Tele-Artons (what's the difference?), and the Sironar & Ronar lenses in 480mm.

As far as the newer multi-coated Fuji's go, a previous post on this question stated that there were no practical difference between the single and multi-coated versions. True? Am I wasting my time to have Jeff at Badger send me down a new Fuji T to test?

Tony

Gary Helfrich
24-Feb-2000, 12:42
I have two Fuji lenses: a new 125 CMW and a 240A that I bought used. The 240A has the chrome speed ring on the Copal shutter, and also has the same blue-green hue to the lens that my new 125 CMW has, which I am sure is an EBC lens. The serial number on my 240A is 520896 for a point of reference.

Whatever the coating on the 240A, it is just as contrasty and razor sharp as my other Fuji lens. It is also the smallest modern 240mm lens that you are going to be able to find. They do not seem to have the same sort of cult following that the Nikkor C lenses do, so the used prices are exceptionally good on Fujinon A lenses.