THE WEB'S MOST COMPLETE
FUJINON LARGE FORMAT LENS LIST

If you are viewing this page, you are undoubtedly aware of the great line of large-format lenses that Fujinon makes and made over the years.  On these pages you will find the best, most comprehensive information available on the web regarding these lenses. However, this information is not complete and most certainly contains inaccuracies.  The information has been gleaned from the many Fujinon large format lenses that I own or have owned, as well as Fuji literature, but Fuji literature contains several obvious errors. These have been corrected, where they are known or obvious, but other erros still exist and undoubtedly show up on the lists on these pages.  Several of the Fujinon large format lenses were produced with small variations which are not detailed in their literature. Still we have tried to list them here when we are informed about them. If you have information that can help update this list, please let us know by emailing XKAES@AOL.COM.

Before exploring the lists, we recommend you take a look at FIELD CAMERA.  It is a free, on-line discussion group with dozens of members also interested in this topic.  See you there!

• View the lenses sorted by focal length
  
• View the lenses sorted by lens series

KEY TO THE LISTS:

• SERIES: The series code is the general designation given to the lens group by Fuji.  Different series had different purposes -- such as macrophotography or telephotography -- even though their specifications, such as focal length, may appear to be the same.  
  • The SWD series (SUPER WIDE DELUXE) of wide-angle lenses are deluxe super-wideangle lenses with  extra wide f5.6 apertures and an eight element design. Their EBC (Electron Beam Coating) minimizes internal reflections that often occur with lenses this wide. A wide coverage angle and short focal length facilitates photography in confined areas, and architectural photography which emphasizes interiors. This series offers greater coverage and greater swing-tilt movements.

  • The SW series (SUPER WIDE) of wide-angle lenses offers slightly less coverage than the SWD series and smaller apertures -- but at significant savings.  The apertures of f8, with a 6-element, 4-group design, helps to substantially reduce the size and weight of the lenses, as well. SW lenses provide excellent cost­performance for practical applications. These lenses were the forerunner to the NSW series.

  • The NSW series (NEW SUPER WIDE) of wide-angle lenses is an updated version of the SW series and offers slightly less coverage than the SWD series and smaller apertures -- at significant savings.  Apertures are f8 and the air-spaced, 6-element, 6-group lenses are advantageous for photography with a small lens aperture. NSW lenses provide excellent cost­performance for practical applications.

  • The W series (WIDE) of normal lenses allows for almost unlimited camera movement because of their wide angle of coverage. The six-element, four-group design provides rich gradation, faithful reproduction of colors and textures, and almost non-existent aberration and glare.  These lenses were the forerunner to the NW series.

  • The NW series (NEW WIDE) of normal lenses is an updated version of the W series and offers standard lenses that features an improved 6-element, 6-group design providing complete aberration compensation. These lenses are only marked "W", instead of "NW", which leads to a lot of confusion.

  • The L series (LONG) offers a modified Tessar-type lens that features excellent performance with a minimum reduction in angle of coverage.  By reducing the angle of coverage, the number of elements can be reduced -- as well as the price tag.

  • The T series (TELEPHOTO) offers true telephoto lenses that require much less bellow draw than a normal lens.  These are large, heavy lenses, but perfect for field cameras or other situations where bellows draw is limited.

  • The SF series (SOFT FOCUS) offers soft-focus results that are perfect for many situations, such as portraits.  The degree of softness is perfectly controllable with insertable  special discs and changing the f-stop.

  • The C series (COMPACT) offers compact lenses in longer focal lengths.  By reducing the maximum aperture, the number of elements can be reduced and the size and weight of the lenses are dropped to a minimum.  These are perfect for situations where weight is a big concern, such as in backpacking.

  • The CM-W series is the latest line from Fuji and designed to compete with the best APO lenses from other manufacturers.  

  • The A series (APOCHROMATIC) of apochromatic lenses are designed for optimum results in close-up work with minimal aberrations at close-distances.

  • The non-seried Fuji lenses have limited covering power, but wide apertures.  They are only available "in barrel" -- meaning without a shutter.

    To complicate matters, some lens are not marked (engraved) with the correct series name.  For example, all NW lenses are marked W.  Then there are the non-series large format lenses from Fuji.  For some reason these lenses were not given a series name, but they are still usable for large format work.

• FOCAL LENGTH:  Fuji large format lenses run from 65mm to 1200mm -- quite a spread.  Keep in mind that on many lenses, the focal length is not the same as the distance needed between the lens board and the film plane.  For example, the T series lenses need about half of their focal length behind the lens board to focus at infinity.  For example, the 600mm T needs 325mm space to focus to infinity.

• f-STOP: The number listed is the maximum aperture.

• ELEMENTS: Generally speaking, the larger the aperture and/or the greater angle of coverage, the more elements are needed to correct for various optical aberrations.  A lens with few elements can give excellent results if the aperture or coverage are small.

• GROUPS: Most large format camera lenses are based on a design where some of the glass elements are cemented together.  This is why the number of groups is typically smaller than the number of glass elements.  Fujinon was a pioneer in the manufacture of air-spaced lenses where the number of groups is the same as the number of elements since none of the elements are glued together.  While more difficult and more costly to make, these lenses yield significantly sharper images across the entire film plane.

• ANGLE OF COVERAGE:  Not to be confused with the angle of view, the angle of coverage determines how wide the image circle will be.

• IMAGE CIRCLE:  The image circle determines what film formats can be used.  You'll need an image circle greater than 150mm for 4x5 work, for example.

• SHUTTER: Fuji lenses came with various shutters: Seiko #0, Copal #0, Copal #1, and Copal #3.  These are abbreviated on the lists.  C1 means Copal #1, for example.  A ?0 means that the shutter was a #0, but it is unclear if it was Seiko or Copal.  There are also BARREL lenses which were sold without shutters.

• FILTER: The diameter of the front filter thread.

• COATING: Two coatings were applied to Fuji lenses, either a single coating or their famous EBC (Electron Beam Coating) multi-coating.  The more glass-to-air surfaces a lens has, the more it can benefit from multi-coating.  Single coating will work fine with most lenses in most situations.

• OTHER:  Comments are listed in this column.