Kang Rinpoche S 600 F11.5 (Chinese Fujinon C 600mm )

[pierre506]

I'm not entirely sure what format he shot this on but surely the field of view seems like 8x10 or larger. Click the thumbnail to open up a larger image:



Of course, one can say that this small scan doesn't show much, and you could even say, perhaps this image is "faked." But it's something.

Personally, I'm not much of a long-lens guy, but if a 600mm that I could use on my 8x20 dropped in my lap, I'd happily take it. At the price w/o a shutter (I have a spare Copal 3) it's still way more than I would drop on a long lens, especially when there are other lenses in that focal length that would probably work just fine.

Now if they made a cheaper 210mm SSXL......

I asked the photographer. It's 8x10.

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[Drew Wiley]

Well, my own C600 was purchased for immaculate 8x10 color enlargements onto 30x40 inch gloss polyester prints (Ciba or Fuji Supergloss), which it does well, so a postage-stamp sized web posting tells me zero. Hopefully someone will revisit this thread after some brass tacks experience with the lens in question.

[Tin Can]

Show us your brass tack sharp masterpieces...

[pierre506]

so a postage-stamp sized web posting tells me zero. Hopefully someone will revisit this thread after some brass tacks experience with the lens in question.

I don't have C600 to compare. But we have to communicate with those shitty pictures on internet.
I believe it's the only way we could share something on the virtual world.



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[Drew Wiley]

Ignore the Internet. If I was spending the money, I'd want to see at least one real sheet of high-resolution film. If they can ship a lens, they can mail an exposure sample! I played hard ball for several decades with manufacturers. After awhile they respect you for that if they're legit.

[pierre506]

Ignore the Internet. If I was spending the money, I'd want to see at least one real sheet of high-resolution film. If they can ship a lens, they can mail an exposure sample! I played hard ball for several decades with manufacturers. After awhile they respect you for that if they're legit.

Are you sure that you could see at least one real sheet of high-resolution film before you bought every single lens on the internet or a real photographic shop? And every seller on the internet would be very pleased to mail you an Exposure sample before every lens' deal?

You must be a very high renown senior expert and buyer.
I don't have any query about your position, Drew.

I learnt.

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[Bernice Loui]

There was a time when film was the photographic means, view camera lenses sold by reputable dealers allowed trial time and right of refusal to return and no internet.
Optics-lens performance was judges-evaluated on a LOT more than just resolution or how "sharp" a given lens-optic was, from overall color balance, contrast rendition, overall visual nuances and more were part of the evaluation process.

Film image quality was taken very seriously by image makers that made their livelihood on their work... and it was far more than the technical aspects of the images they produced. IMO, this is much in the past today.


So much "hay" has been put into this optic design reproduction, one needs to ask why. If a Fujinon C600 is the lens of choice, they can be had at a price, get a good example and move on. It seems the "hay" over this repo C600 is the appeal of something new over something proven good.



Bernice

[Drew Wiley]

Every single lens I use came from one of the "big four" and already had a stellar reputation. But if you're the new kid on the block and want to get your foot in the door, it takes the ability to go the extra mile. I'm retired now, but my job as a professional buyer involved tools and equipment. At first, Japan had a bad reputation just like China does now. There was an obscure elec motor company nobody had heard of called Makita. The trouble they went through to get us to be the first retailer in the US was amazing. I got to know the CEO and key engineers on a first name basis. Much later, when Festool was seeking a significantly larger footprint in the US, same thing. It also happened when we were handling industrial coating. I have no problem hunting down a head chemist or key engineer to get factual answers. I rarely trust marketing types. Of course, after time, some companies just want to coast on a reputation they no longer deserve, and forget who and what gave them momentum in the first place. With a botique lens maker, it should be evensimpler to get answers. If not, they probably won't be around long anyway. Yes, in my career role I spent serious money. But when I needed a small item on a limited budget from what was formerly the largest optical coating plant in the world, I got incredible service from a key individual. That's what made them so successful. Big customers themselves generally start out as small customers, and even as a pro buyer with a big budget, I always tested suppliers with small token orders first.

[Pere Casals]

At first, Japan had a bad reputation just like China does now.

Drew, your evaluation is a bit outdated.

Your iPhone is made in China... Today there are many products made there with good reputation, also from chinese brands. Of course you may find low end products from there, but also you have exellent products.

[Drew Wiley]

Not outdated whatsoever, Pere. I've been retired less than two years and was right in the trenches till the very end. I frequently visit my ole company. Counterfeiting is a bigger problem than ever. Consumer electronics are something you think might be over the hurdle, but just look at recent incidents where certain categories have caught fire! When it comes to metallurgy, they're way behind even Taiwan. The biggest problem is how mass-marketers, like "big box" chains here, DEMAND low-quality disposable products, and really don't care if patents are violated. Of course, that's unlikely to affect niche items like a large-format lens - not the kind of thing WalMart or Home Depot is ever going to carry! But one of the reasons I'd like to find a classic 70's Zeiss research microscope like I used as a student back then, is the quality of the machining. Sure, today the Chinese can mass-produce microscopes with highly effective optics at far more reasonable pricing. But the quality of the machining and alloys is well below the vintage units; and in that respect, they're neither as durable nor precise. The same could be said for everything from table saws to enlargers, e.g., you're never going to see something like a Commercial Durst 138 made again because the cost of labor and materials would be too high. And back to my previous post about Makita - they do make their lower-quality home center items in places like China and Brazil, along with certain mid-level items that can be highly robotized (they go to China for cheap land, not for the cheap labor). But all their industrial and aerospace items are
made in their plants in Japan, the US, and Germany; and completely different engineers are involved. I could cite numerous analogous examples. Since lensboards cost relatively little, that's one category I've personally gambled on. The Chinese lensboards that came from Bromwell were fine; certain other brands proved worthless. The local camera shop sells Chinese step rings. I can't even handle them because the black rubs off - they aren't even anodized! But with a glut of good used LF lenses out there at low prices, I'd have to think twice about purchasing any new brand I wasn't familiar with, or even any older lens from a minor brand like Congo, which had a reputation for inconsistency.