Filters for Fujinon A 600mm f/11

[Michael Wesik]

Hi everyone,

I'm looking at circular Tiffen filters for a Fujinon A 600mm f/11 lens. I'm pretty sure that the thread size for the rear element is 86mm. The filters come in two pitches, a "coarse thread" (1.0 metric thread pitch) and a "medium thread". I'm not sure which is appropriate for the lens.

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated, including if there are any other filter system suggestions,

Thanks,
Michael

[Hugo Zhang]

Michael,

It is a pain to take your lens off after your focusing and screw in the filter on the rear element, then remount that big lens.

Why don't you take a look at Cokin filter system? It has a bellows and at least two slots for different filters. You can use its universal ring for lenses with front diameter up to 112mm.

https://cokinfilter.com/products/evo-bellows-p-series

https://cokinfilter.com/collections/adapter-rings/products/xl-series-adapter-rings?variant=1610795515917

https://cokinfilter.com/collections/evo-system-holders/products/evo-filter-holder-system-x-pro-series

https://www.masterfoto.lv/en/square-and-rectangular-filters/31818-cokin-filter-a350-modular-bellows.html

[Drew Wiley]

You might compromise the optical performance with rear-mounted filters. What is the front thread? You've obviously got a rare big lens not on the typical Fuji spec sheets.

[Michael Wesik]

Hi Hugo,

Thanks for that suggestion. I was actually looking at Cokin systems, but admittedly, was having difficulty figuring out which system, which filters, etc, to use. My experience has been with 4x4" Lee filters and holder. I'll have to look in the Cokin system further. I'm sure that it's not as complicated as it looks.

Thanks!
Michael

[Hugo Zhang]

Michael,

I used Lee filters before and switched to the Cokin system a few years ago. Very happy as it can handle lenses with bigger front elements. I also find its bellows useful as a lens shade.

Hugo

[Michael Wesik]

Hi Drew,

I've scoured Fuji spec sheets, and I've found very little on the lens. The front thread is 95mm thread. Do you have a sense of how much the optical performance could be compromised with rear-mounted filters? Thanks for this, I wasn't thinking about it, but definitely should be.

Michael

[Michael Wesik]

Michael,

I used Lee filters before and switched to the Cokin system a few years ago. Very happy as it can handle lenses with bigger front elements. I also find its bellows useful as a lens shade.

Hugo

Thanks, Hugo. I'll look into this further.

[Hugo Zhang]

If your lens front filter size is 95mm, you can get a 95mm Cokin adapter ring, you don't even need its universal adapter unless you have other lenses with bigger front sizes.

https://cokin.com/en/22-adaptor-rings

[BrianShaw]

There are surely lots of discussions you can discover related to issues mounting filters on rear elements. This one features some really intelligent folks who broach the major issues:

https://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/archive/index.php/t-2419.html

[Drew Wiley]

95mm is a standard circular filter size, with high-quality coated versions available from Heliopan, B&W, Formatt, etc. Coated glass is easier to keep clean than the uncoated Tiffen style (which seems to have an odd thread anyway), or than drop-in plastic ones. But contrast filters are going to be on the pricey side due to the large size. If you just want a UV filter for color work, try filterfind.net (he also has some oversized Cokin contrast filters in stock at discount pricing).

My own set of Fuji A's tops out at 360mm; but I have tested rear vs front mount options, and was quite disappointed with rear mounting results. Besides, you're dealing with a quite heavy heavy lens cumbersome to keep removing more than you really need to.

[Greg]

Although not the same lens and would be stretching to call it a clone of your Fujinon A, I have and use a 600mm Kang Rinpoche f/11.5. Using 62mm filters on the rear does degrade its optical performance but not enough to matter for contact printing. Even so I opted to use front 67mm filters because it just made me feel better and was a whole lot easier in the field. For 95mm filters I use 95mm Nikon filters. They are very reasonably priced on the used market.

[Vaughan]

Although not the same lens and would be stretching to call it a clone of your Fujinon A, I have and use a 600mm Kang Rinpoche f/11.5.

It appears to be a clone of the Fujinon C 600mm f11.5 which has a more modest 67mm front filter thread.

[Drew Wiley]

The Fuji C series is 4-element airspaced dialyte optimized at infinity, and designed for portability (C = compact). I have the 450 and 600 C's. The A series is what Fuji appropriately termed their "super plasmats", highly corrected and superb at close range too. Up to 360mm they are surprisingly light, with even that focal length being in a no. 1 shutter; but the rare 600 and 1200 versions are rather bulky. Using a less than premium filter on them would equate to using a plastic hood ornament on a Rolls Royce.

[Michael Wesik]

If your lens front filter size is 95mm, you can get a 95mm Cokin adapter ring, you don't even need its universal adapter unless you have other lenses with bigger front sizes.

https://cokin.com/en/22-adaptor-rings

Hi Hugo, This is really something to think about integrating in my system, generally. I'm digging into it. Thanks for the info!

[Michael Wesik]

There are surely lots of discussions you can discover related to issues mounting filters on rear elements. This one features some really intelligent folks who broach the major issues:

https://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/archive/index.php/t-2419.html

Thanks, Brian. That thread was super helpful. I typically and historically use front-mounted filters, except in a few situations where I needed two. So this is great info to have.

[Michael Wesik]

95mm is a standard circular filter size, with high-quality coated versions available from Heliopan, B&W, Formatt, etc. Coated glass is easier to keep clean than the uncoated Tiffen style (which seems to have an odd thread anyway), or than drop-in plastic ones. But contrast filters are going to be on the pricey side due to the large size. If you just want a UV filter for color work, try filterfind.net (he also has some oversized Cokin contrast filters in stock at discount pricing).

My own set of Fuji A's tops out at 360mm; but I have tested rear vs front mount options, and was quite disappointed with rear mounting results. Besides, you're dealing with a quite heavy heavy lens cumbersome to keep removing more than you really need to.

Thanks, Drew. That all totally makes sense. Thanks very much for all the insight here. The shift to 16x20 reminds me of the "what the hell do I do know" moment with my first 4x5 camera. Your info is really helpful.

[Michael Wesik]

Although not the same lens and would be stretching to call it a clone of your Fujinon A, I have and use a 600mm Kang Rinpoche f/11.5. Using 62mm filters on the rear does degrade its optical performance but not enough to matter for contact printing. Even so I opted to use front 67mm filters because it just made me feel better and was a whole lot easier in the field. For 95mm filters I use 95mm Nikon filters. They are very reasonably priced on the used market.

Cool. Thanks, Greg. I'll look out for those.