What's the difference between the Fujinon "W" and "A" 360mm?

Sorry to sound a little ignorant but what's the difference between the Fujinon "W" 360mm lens and the quite sought after Fujinon "A" 360mm? Does one work at infinity better then another...is one more appropriate for 1:1?
I'm still looking for my lightweight 360mm for my 8x10 and I've been debating whether to chase down the Fuji, the G-Claron or.....wait for it....lash out and buy the new Schneider Apo-Tele-Xenar Compact 350mm/11.
There is a Fuji "W" available but I'm not sure how different it is to the "A"...if it's different at all.

Kerry Thallman has a ton of good info about the fuji lenses on his website....

great guy. great for insight on backpacking with these beasts or just lightening your load overall.

http://www.thalmann.com/largeformat/

The Fuji W and CMW lenses are big heavy plastmats in a #3 shutter. They are very
high quality, but due to their clumsiness for field use, are apt to be sold quite reasonably on the used market. The Fuji A is an f/10 close-range corrected plastmat
in a #1 shutter. One of the most versatile lenses I've ever owned (actually I have
two of them). They're light enough for a 4x5 field camera, with very little shutter
shake, so make an excellent substitute for a telephoto, provided you have enough
bellows extension. On 8X10 they have plenty of coverage, and are exceptionally sharp from macro all the way to infinity at typical working apertures. What scares
people away from them is their alleged scarcity and high prices. They were indeed
quite rare for over a decade, but I have counted eleven of them coming onto the
market this year alone, with a couple of them selling well under a thousand dollars.
But even at the more typical fourteen-hundred or so, they're worth every penny.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Drew Wiley

One of the most versatile lenses I've ever owned (actually I have
two of them).

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...you don't want to sell one do you? ;)

I should have added that the 355 G-Claron is a similar design to the Fuji A but in a
#3 shutter, so would be intermediate in weight and more affordable on the used
market. More compact than the big studio plastmats, but I wouldn't want one a
typical field 4X5. Where the G-Claron excels is in formats larger than 8X10 because
the 3 shutter has less mechanical vignetting, hence a larger effective image circle.
Like the Fuji A it is close-range corrected but with a tad less contrast. Other compact lenses in 3 shutter would include the Artar, Apo-Ronar, Computar, and Kowa Graphic.
The new Schneider 360 in #1 shutter is probably infinity corrected, and might not
be quite as good really close-up, but someone who actually owns one of these
should verify if this is correct or not. All these various lenses are superb are versatile.

Sorry, don't want to sell either of mine. I need a spare just in case. I use this lens
constantly. You might want to post a WTB message on the community board. The
other lenses I mentioned are worth seeking too, although the Artars and Apo Ronars
are a little tight on coverage for 8x10, at least for typical field use. Fourteen-inch
Dagors are also quite compact and mid-weight, but unfortunately, obscenely
overpriced at the moment, at least for relatively modern examples. The Fuji A does
seem to have the best combination of properties and modern coatings of the entire
selection, though I prefer the distinct look of the Dagor for portraiture.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Drew Wiley

The new Schneider 360 in #1 shutter is probably infinity corrected, and might not
be quite as good really close-up, but someone who actually owns one of these
should verify if this is correct or not.

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Schneider says its symmetric (from all we know its an Artar-type), so it should perform pretty good at 1:1 even if they adjusted the spacing for a more even performance at infinity.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Craig Tuffin

Sorry to sound a little ignorant but what's the difference between the Fujinon "W" 360mm lens and the quite sought after Fujinon "A" 360mm? Does one work at infinity better then another...is one more appropriate for 1:1?
I'm still looking for my lightweight 360mm for my 8x10 and I've been debating whether to chase down the Fuji, the G-Claron or.....wait for it....lash out and buy the new Schneider Apo-Tele-Xenar Compact 350mm/11.
There is a Fuji "W" available but I'm not sure how different it is to the "A"...if it's different at all.

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Hi Craig, the 360W is conventional coating, WS in EBC coating(Multi), they cover about 68 degrees, image circle of 485mm at infinity at f22. Great lens, typically f6.3 aperture (because of the diameter of the shutter). Optimized for infinity. As in the case of most longer focal length lenses with relatively wide aperture, the user should re-focus at f 8 or a bit smaller when shooting at close studio distances, there can be some slight shift of focus (not just Fuji, but for all similar lenses).

360 A or AS conventional or EBC. These are apochromatic plasmats covering 70 degrees with an image circle of 504mm, infinity, f22. Optimized for close up but in my personal experience they are wonderful at long distances. because the maximum aperture is f 10 there will be no shift of focus. I personally prefer the A rather than the W.

Lynn

If you don't need a shutter-mounted lens, the 360mm APO Nikkor is another nice choice. Small and light, razor sharp, excellent blur rendition, many-bladed diaphragm.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Drew Wiley

The new Schneider 360 in #1 shutter is probably infinity corrected, and might not
be quite as good really close-up, but someone who actually owns one of these
should verify if this is correct or not. All these various lenses are superb are versatile.

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I was on the Schneider site and could find no reference to a new 360 in a copal #1.

Something new??

bob