Fuji 450mm CMW F/8

[coriana6jp]

Hi All,

As I continue to slowly get the pieces of my ULF setup together, a friend of mine offered me a Fuji 450mm F/8 CMW lens. (This is not the more familar 450mm C). I know the Nikon 450mm is supposedly the king for ULF, I was wondering if anybody had any experience with the CMW version. The price he is asking is similar to what the Nikon goes for, and I have always prefered Fuji lenses over Nikon. But I am not sure how much coverage it actually has, other than the official specs.

Thanks a bunch.

Gary

 

[Keith Pitman]

I don't have any experience or knowledge of this lens, but if you have the specs, you know they show it has large coverage, but is heavy and uses very large filters. All in all, I would go for the Nikkor.

 

[df cardwell]

What format are you using ? A 480 plasmat is a bit of a big lens !
(but I wouldn't mind it all, I don't carry an 8x10 on my back very far any more !)

Would the crunchy apo-tessar feel of the Nikkor suit your work ?
Have you used the W Fujis ? Like 'em ?

 

[coriana6jp]

Thank you for the replies. I will be using in on 12x20, dont have the camera yet. Slowly buidling the bank account and gathering supplies.

I have both the Nikon 450mm and the Fujinon 450mm CMW sitting here (on loan from friends). I have been playing with both on 8x10 and over all prefer the Fujinon, (I use mostly Fujinon glass anyway and prefer them). My only worry is if it will cover when stopped down like the Nikon will. Not having the camera yet, I have no way of testing it.

Thanx again!

Gary

 

[df cardwell]

Hi Gary, I found my Nikkor book, and the 450 M is spec'd to 440mm @f/22.
Fuji specs the 450 CMW to 520mm@f/22.

The Nikkor's coverage is limited a LITTLE by the shutter, it would cover a couple more degrees if the diameter of the shutter were greater. The Fuji is limited a LOT by the shutter, it could cover ten degrees more in a larger shutter. Neither come close to the 12x20 format !

Just what ULF shooters are willing to accept in the corners is outside of my expertise. In the old days, I shot 8x10 chromes and clients used loupes in the corners, and the specs from the maker was a serious number. Contact prints, well, you're on your own. But if the Nikkor will do it for you, the Fuji will do it better.

I have to yield to the ULF specialists. Good luck !

 

[ReallyBigCameras]

I don't have any experience or knowledge of this lens, but if you have the specs, you know they show it has large coverage, but is heavy and uses very large filters. All in all, I would go for the Nikkor.

The specs on the Fujinon CM-W series are available here.

The 450mm CM-W takes 86mm filters. Not really all that big for a lens this long. It's the same size filters as a 240mm APO Sironar-S and smaller than most 300mm and 360mm plasmats and most modern 8x10 wide angles.

It's well documented that the 450mm Nikkor M covers a LOT more than the published specs. I'm using one on 14x17 and have plenty of coverage. I don't have anything bigger to try it on, but the image circle needed for 12x20 isn't much bigger than for 14x17. I believe if you search the archives here and on the large format forum you'll find testimonials from several photographers who have successfully used the 450mm Nikkor M on 12x20.

Kerry Thalmann
Really Big Cameras

 

[sanking]

It's well documented that the 450mm Nikkor M covers a LOT more than the published specs. I'm using one on 14x17 and have plenty of coverage. I don't have anything bigger to try it on, but the image circle needed for 12x20 isn't much bigger than for 14x17. I believe if you search the archives here and on the large format forum you'll find testimonials from several photographers who have successfully used the 450mm Nikkor M on 12x20.

Kerry Thalmann
Really Big Cameras

I have used the 450mm Nikkor M on 20X24. You must stop down to f/64 or more for decent performance on the edges, and even then it is only good enough for contact printing. But the circle of illumination is very large and even allows a bit of movement on 20X24.

This has got to be one of the best lenses every for ULF. When I bought the 450mm Nikkor M I had a 19" Dagor, coated. The Nikkor outperformed it in every way, including useful coverage on the edges. I sold the 19" Dagor and never looked back.

Sandy King