Why Fujinon lenses are cheap compared to others?

[Oren Grad]

Fujinons can get little white dots around where the lenses elements meet the housing.

Do you mean in the glass or in the wall of the cell? If the latter, it sounds a bit like so-called "Schneideritis", which is pretty common.

[Michael Graves]

I currently own several Fujinon lenses, and the only times I ever sold one was when I came across a better example of one. And when I accidentally sold my 135, thinking I'd somehow duplicated it...only to find out that the "duplicate" was a 125. I said more than a few bad words that day!

90mm SWA f8: I replaced a Schneider 90mm f8 with this and discovered that the Fujinon had a slightly larger image circle and somewhat higher contrast. It is significantly less prone to flare.

125mm W f5.6: The culprit mentioned above. A very superb lens that just doesn't quite cut it for 5x7. It covers the negative just barely, but offers no room for movements. It is so tiny it stays in my backpack kit for the Chamonix 4x5.

120mm SWA f5.6: This one goes with my 5x7 kit when I take it out. It is just short of covering 8x10, but I have cheated a bit with it by focusing on something about 30 feet away, and then stopping down to f22. Depth of field is sufficient to get me out to infinity that way, and I have about 1" of spare change for a rising front.

150mm Fujinar 6.3: I've taken many photos with this, but my one complaint is that it is probably TOO sharp and contrasty. For may pictorial shots, I use a 150mm Tessar. Perhaps a more modern Fujinon would serve me better.

180mm W 5.6: I've probably used this lens more than any other Fuji, with the possible exception of the 210. It is a great standard lens for 5x7 and if I don't use movements at all, I can squeak out a wide angle shot on 8x10. All in all, perhaps my favorite lens I own.

210 W f5.6: This is the one that covers 8x10 with room to spare. It used to be my most heavily used lens until the 180 came along. I would say 80% of my 5x7 was shot with this lens before then. I still use it a LOT.

250 W f6.7: Outstanding contrast and sharpness and covers 8x10 with room to spare. I generally don't take this out except when shooting 8x10, because I have a love affair with my 10" Commercial Ektar on 5x7.

300mm W f 5.6: An excellent standard lens for 8x10. I bought a 12" Commercial Ektar, thinking that since I liked the 10" so much, I'd like it. I sold it a week later for a $30.00 loss. Such is the cost of experimentation.

Perhaps someday when I have time, I'll scan up an example from each lens and post it in a separate thread. I'm not as good a photographer as many of you, but the results should be passable.

[jb7]

I'd be curious to read if anyone else has seen this. I haven't.

[John NYC]

Do you mean in the glass or in the wall of the cell? If the latter, it sounds a bit like so-called "Schneideritis", which is pretty common.

Wall.

[Jody_S]

Why Fujinon lenses are cheap compare to others?

I don't know, but shhhh! Don't tell anyone. At least not until I buy 2 more.

[Jim Noel]

Fujinons can get little white dots around where the lenses elements meet the housing. The one Fujinon I own now that I bought from a member here has this. (He didn't mention it during the sale of course... This place is definitely going downhill in terms of quality descriptions in my experience.) But it doesn't affect image quality.

I have owned several Fujinons and I think they are great, but I will say the two Schneider plasmats I have owned have a look about them that is just slightly more special. It is hard to describe. My 150 APO Symmar was my best late model lens of all in terms of the "look" it got. I still have a 210 that is a beauty.

Schneider lenses have the same problem - often called Schneideritis.

[Drew Wiley]

Regarding new lenses, an awful lot depends on the exchange rates in play. Right now, new Fuji lenses are quite expensive.
Even used ones are pretty steep if they're coveted due to light weight (C's) or some other rare characteristic (discontinued focal lengths of A's). What are very common and well priced on the used market are 4x5 plasmats like 210's and shorter,
simply because there are a lot of them available. Optically they tend to be superb. At times, it was the German lenses which were cheap, and there's a glut of used 210 Symmar S lenses on the market too. A number a years ago I flipped my German lenses when their currency was high, and got more cash from these well-used lenses than I originally paid for them, and bought new Fuji lenses. This was simply a game relative to which currency was strong and which weak. Auction pricing
tends to go in its own cycles, again related to immediate supply and demand issue and not necessarily quality. You just have
to time things correctly and be patient. But there is certainly nothing inferior about Fuji lenses compared to German ones.

[Cletus]

See this link for Fujinon Lens info. This appears to be the "Original" single-coated 250/6.7 W with the 398mm IC. I think these are all "WS" lenses, but the "S" was usually omitted from the filter ring engraving for some reason. Maybe this link will shed some light. I'd bet the lens you pictured is a tad rare. I have the similar 250/6.7 (which I LOVE), but doesn't have the S in the name.

Anyway, this is a great link to quite a bit of info on Fujinon large format lenses...

http://www.subclub.org/fujinon/byseries.htm

[jb7]

Unfortunately that's not mine, I just came across the picture the other day and was surprised to see the schneideritis-

I do have a single coated 210, possibly the best value lens I ever bought- though the prices seem to have gone up since I got it-

[John NYC]

My old 210 W I sold here had the same issue as my current 135mm NW.

http://www.largeformatphotography.in...ad.php?t=95367