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Jordan
14-May-2008, 16:56
So right before this Christmas I was able to purchase a Fujinon C 300mm for use with my current 8x10 camera. I have made quite a few pictures with it, however have failed to make any actual prints till earlier today....... it doesn't particularly sharp? I use rise and shift quite often could this have something to do with it or is this lens not nearly as sharp as the G-Claron I used a few times? Any experiences with this lens on an 8x10 are welcome.

Ron Marshall
14-May-2008, 18:16
I often use it on 4x5 and have never noticed any issues with sharpness. Perhaps you have a poor sample.

Where is it soft, in the corners, or all over?

At what aperture do you normally shoot?

Blumine
14-May-2008, 18:20
I use one often on both 8x10 and 4x5. My results have always been sharp, though I usually stop down to f32 or more on 8x10.

On 8x10 with extreme movements the corners might be soft, but I really mean extreme movements before that happens.

Rgrds.

Blumine

Jordan
14-May-2008, 18:45
I usually stop down to f45. Even the actual part I focus on isn't like tack sharp...... focused with loop and all.......... just not that 8x10 realer than real type of focus.

Walter Calahan
14-May-2008, 19:17
Might not be the lens. It could be that your ground glass isn't in the correct plane.

Fuji makes wonderful lenses. They've always been tack sharp, but I don't use a 300C on my 8x10 camera.

Good luck.

David Karp
14-May-2008, 19:42
Here is a wild guess: Sometimes, wooden lensboards for older cameras are too thick, and don't allow the rear element to seat properly. They interfere with the barrel and don't allow it to screw down all the way. Could this be the problem?

Wild guess two: Is there a screw on the back of the shutter? Sometimes people forget to remove the screw or place it in a slot on the lensboard. In that case the lens is not mounted flat to the lensboard. (Might also create some problems from a light leak.

I don't have a 300 C, but I do have a 450 C and it is much sharper than I am.

asnapper
17-May-2008, 02:59
Jordan,

I bought the Fuji 300 C when I moved to 10x8 a couple of decades ago & your experience with the lens mirrors mine. I found the lens to be very compact & have great contrast, but it lacked the sharpness I was expecting. I only had the Fuji lens so I borrowed a friend’s 300 Symmar which gave me the quality I was expecting to get from 10x8.

I sold the Fuji and bought a 300 G-Claron, which I found to be a great lens. It doesn’t have the same contrast due to it not being multicoated & it’s a little larger, but it is a very sharp lens.

Perhaps we both had poor samples of the Fuji 300C. It certainly put me off buying another Fuji lens. But I did a couple of years ago when I bought a 250 F6.7 which is a great lens and you should check out with your interest in architecture.

Andy

Juergen Sattler
17-May-2008, 07:31
I love my Fuji 300 C - it is plenty sharp, has great contrast and is very compact. I use it with 8x10 and 4x5. I find all the Fujis I own to be some of the sharpest lenses available. Are you sure it is the lens that is the problem? I would definitely check the GG position if this is the only lens you own - of course if other lenses give you sharp results, then it must be related to the lens - or the lensboard. The little screw mentioned above screwed me up once - I couldn't get a sharp picture, no matter what I tried, until someone on this forum pointed out the tiny nasty screw on the back of the shutter. Removed it and evrything was fine:-) Felt really stupid afterwards too!

Rick Moore
17-May-2008, 07:45
I use the Fujiinon 300C, 450C, and 600C on my 8x10. All three are quite sharp. I do stop down to at least f22.

ifer
19-May-2008, 00:59
i had the same experience with the nikkor 300 m i purchased last month.
tried 2 fuji instant (silk surface) and thought the lens is not as sharp as my 210 and 150.

it could be the surface of the fuji instant. i took trans too but i am yet to send it to process.

Don Hutton
19-May-2008, 06:20
i had the same experience with the nikkor 300 m i purchased last month.
tried 2 fuji instant (silk surface) and thought the lens is not as sharp as my 210 and 150.

it could be the surface of the fuji instant. i took trans too but i am yet to send it to process.You cannot tell anything about the resolution of a high performance lens by shooting Polaroid or other print film - except gross mis-focus. The facts are that these prints will never resolve anymore than 15 LP/mm (usually a lot lower, and at average contrast, closer to 7). Even a bad example of a modern lens should be capable of resolving at least 40 LP/mm.

Don Hutton
19-May-2008, 06:23
I've owned a couple of different Fujinon C 300s - all were extremely sharp. It's not the brightest lens, so I'd suspect 1. focusing error 2. a camera issue (GG not on the same plane as the film in a holder 3. a holder with a problem, or not inserted correctly 4. a lens mounted on a board with the anti twist screw in place on the rear of the shutter, on a board without a recess for that screw (so that the lens is not "flat" on the board). I've tested many modern lenses (probably in excess of 40) - only a single 150mm a couple for years ago appeared to be a bit of a dog in comparison to the other 150s I tested at the same time, and then it was still perfectly usuable for most applications.

Ken Lee
19-May-2008, 06:47
The C series lenses are a modified Tessar design, and Tessar types are known to exhibit best sharpness only at the center, especially when they are not stopped down much. Could it be that you have used a bit too much "rise and shift" ?

The advantage of the C lenses is that they are rather compact. The C stands for compact, and that's why Tessar type lenses were used in many of the vintage folding cameras.

Once we get up to 300mm and beyond, large format lenses rarely do as well as their shorter companions.

audioexcels
19-May-2008, 15:07
"I use rise and shift quite often could this have something to do with it or is this lens not nearly as sharp as the G-Claron I used a few times? Any experiences with this lens on an 8x10 are welcome."

What other lenses do you use?

IMHO, if the Fujinon is the only one of say, 4 lenses that the OP has used on the cam with poor results, my guess would be A) The lens needs a special lensboard type=I don't think so...B) Maybe the lens cells are not in a factory shutter (i.e. came out of a DB type situation and fitted into a Copal shutter). C) Maybe the rear lens cell is not the correct cell?

It could be many things.

ifer
19-May-2008, 17:46
You cannot tell anything about the resolution of a high performance lens by shooting Polaroid or other print film - except gross mis-focus. The facts are that these prints will never resolve anymore than 15 LP/mm (usually a lot lower, and at average contrast, closer to 7). Even a bad example of a modern lens should be capable of resolving at least 40 LP/mm.

yeah, that's what i suspect as well.
i am going to get the 2 trans developed today (monday over here) and let's see the results again.
i am not worried though, as what i saw on the ground glass was sharp.

fuegocito
19-May-2008, 18:17
you can perhaps do a test shoot with it at wide open shooting some sharply printed text placed on a lower than 45 degree to the lens axis, and see if the focus is at where you want it to be, or if the focus is sharp at all. I think either film or polaroid is good enough for the test since shooting wide open will render enough of a sharp to soft difference.

ifer
25-May-2008, 21:54
i finally got the trans processed and scanned.
i was complaining that my nikkor 300 M wasn't sharp. and i am right.
this is due to the fact that i did not use a cable release when i was using it and caused some camera shake effect.

dumb me!