Originally Posted by
Drew Wiley
Well, back when a full selection of both was in stock in the local pro store, there were serious experienced salespeople too, who swore by Fuji above any other brand of similar lenses - whether Nikkor, Rodenstock, or Schneider. That was prior to the pricey Apo Sironar S series. Doesn't surprise me; and the Fuji W and NW equivalents probably do indeed have a slightly larger critical image circle than the Nikon. But literature-wise, I have found the Fuji brochures a bit over-optimistic with regard to published image circles, and Schneider somewhat too conservative. It would be hard to go wrong with either the Fuji or Nikon 150; but if I were personally shopping for that focal length, I'd look at Fuji first. It was certainly the more popular brand in Japan where the largest quantity of good used lenses is found. And my own experience with Fuji LF lenses supports that. I do use a set of Nikkor M lenses too, but there's no 150 of those, and if there was, it's coverage with respect to 4X5 format wouldn't be ideal.
I don't know why still photographers scratch their heads about Fuji lenses. I once did too. They didn't market very aggressively here like the two big German brands did. But in other applications like pro video or television they have a stellar reputation and command top-end pricing. I use their A-series LF lenses, C-series, and a bit of NW. Superb quality relative to their intended application niches.
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