Colors: Fujinon 200/4.5 EBC M42

[stonedes]

Recent purchase that I finally got out and used...Nice little prime lens. Vibrant colors from the makers of Velvia. Not especially well built, but does have a unique 2 piece built-in hood.

I don't like using the Fujinon lenses with my G1 adapter because when I tighten the lens it makes the aperture hard to turn. I think that's a flaw of the lens design. I hope they would work better on their native Fujica cameras.

Wide Open:

[Fujinonuser]

You just have to hone off a very small protrusion on the aperture control ring towards the rear of the lens. This is only needed for open-aperture metering with Fujica ST cameras. On all other cameras or camera adapters it will block the free movement of the ACR. Without it, you'll have all benefits of a normal M42 lens.

The EBC Fujinon 200mm is one of my favorite Fujinon lenses because you can use it at its maximum aperture in full quality. That statement held true when I used this lens in film photography and it remains true in digital photography. The glass elements are relatively small for a 200mm lens (filter diameter 49mm) and I have had 200mm lenses that weighed quite a lot more. I can detect no or almost no CA in digital shots with this lens. Although it is long, it is light, in a solid metal tube and comes with double-length retractable lens shade.

The following freehand shot of a heron was taken at f=4.5 without a tripod, no PP, although this is a downsized crop from the center of the original, taken with a Canon 500D on a rainy, cloudy day. Please note the many different shades of green. EBC Fujinon lenses arguably have the best green rendering of any lenses that I had a chance to test. Both Canon and Nikon will not be as faithful in rendering green colors as Fujinon lenses are.

[IAZA]

[stonedes]

Fujinonuser and Iaza, thank you for the replies. Love the photo of the heron! I see the protrusion that you are talking about. Its very small, but yes, it must affect how the ACR turns. Thank you for the insight. I dont seem to have this problem on other lenses. I think its just the way the Fuijinons are made.

I've been able to collect a few Fujinons. I don't like the 50/1.4 EBC as much, just not as stellar as some of the other Fujinons. My other Fujinon is the 55 Macro which I adore. It has the about the best bokeh and I'm willing to put up with alot with that lens for the fine results it gives!

Now that spring is coming here, I'm going to give these EBC lenses a workout to see this nice green that you mention.

[Arkku]

[stonedes]

[Excalibur]

[Arkku]

I think colour rendering is the overall strong point of the Fujinon lenses; this may be hard to notice in tests but really hits you in sunny scenes with sunlit flora and such (unfortunately not easy to produce such shots right now in Finland). For the 50mm f/1.4 in particular, the bokeh is often not as smooth as with the S-M-C Takumar equivalent, which is why I also did not originally think so much of this lens, but I have actually grown to prefer the “painterly” character of the Fujinon's bokeh. But, yes, it's largely a matter of personal perference.

[Fujinonuser]

@Stonedes The tiny protrusion on the aperture ring of Fujinon lenses will give you only trouble with the newer Fujinon lenses (EBC or non-EBC). The first Fujinon lenses issued from 1971 onwards featured a silver-color aperture ring and lack aperture coupling. Those early lenses are generally also very sharp.

I agree with your opinion about the Fujinon 55mm macro lens. There are some very good sample shots to be found elsewhere on MFlenses. I still keep a professional comparative test report from a German photo magazine where the Fujinon turned out better results than the Nikkor Micro lens.

Lens preference is a very subjective matter of opinion. I only had two Pentax Takumars (SMC and non-SMC) and I didn't personally like the creamy rendering of the lighter colors. White should remain white. Takumars may have a slightly higher resolution, but this may result in a softer appearance. The Fujinon colors are clear and contrasty with a full range of tonal grades. The latter you will notice when shooting a Kodak color chart in controlled lighting conditions.

Fujinon colors must be seen to be believed. I like the 1.8 / 55mm standard lens that surprises me time and again. The following shot was taken with this lens on a hot summer day in full sunshine which is a difficult lighting situation because of the high light temperature and abundant blue sky.

Please share some of your photos with your Fujinon Macro lens with us, as soon as there is enough light.

[indianadinos]

[Fujinonuser]

Fantastic. Isn't it a splendour and a glory?! Keep posting, if you like.