Who fixes lens separation? Fuji GX617 300mm

nbagno · Dec 9, 2020

Sent it in to have it looked at and got the news that it's starting to separate. No parts available (expected), which tells me they don't have the facilities to re-cement it. Who does?

Thanks

BradS · Dec 9, 2020

Isn’t it just a standard large format lens in copal shutter? Something like a 300mm f/5.6 Fujinon CM/W ?

if so, it might be less expensive and certainly less time consuming to simply replace it.

nbagno · Dec 10, 2020

BradS said:
Isn’t it just a standard large format lens in copal shutter? Something like a 300mm f/5.6 Fujinon CM/W ?

if so, it might be less expensive and certainly less time consuming to simply replace it.

I will look closely at doing something like that. I don't believe it's a simple swap out. Or, I may just continue to use it and try not to think about it. It only seems to be noticeable when I look into the lens not on the images.

grat · Dec 10, 2020

The mount is a bit funky, but it looks like a standard Fujinon lens in a Copal shutter. If you can find a lens with a dead shutter (or no shutter, but that will be rare), you should be able to swap out the front / rear cells.

Jeremy Mudd · Dec 11, 2020

nbagno said:
I will look closely at doing something like that. I don't believe it's a simple swap out. Or, I may just continue to use it and try not to think about it. It only seems to be noticeable when I look into the lens not on the images.

I'd keep using it as-is if its not showing up. I'm not so certain the standard fujinon lens would swap over and given how rare the 300mm GX617 lens is I would be afraid of messing with it if the problem isn't showing up. I own the GX617 and all 4 lenses myself - although I rarely use the 300mm. I'll have to take a close look at mine to see if there is any separation.

The 300mm GX617 lenses rarely pop up for sale. The last one that popped up on eBay was $2K.

Jeremy

Oren Grad · Dec 11, 2020

The 300 for the GX is the 300/8 Fujinon T, not the 300/5.6 CMW. The 300 T in shutter, without helical mount, is common and inexpensive. So I'd contact Fuji and ask whether there's any reason a 300 T purchased separately can't be swapped into the GX 300 helical focus mount by a qualified repair technician.

Steve Goldstein · Dec 11, 2020

Try contacting Jason Lane at pictoriographica.com about the possibility of repair.

nbagno · Dec 18, 2020

I borrowed a Fujinon T 300 large format lens. The front lens group is slightly different than the one for the GX617. I screwed the front lens group onto the GX617 shutter, and it is far from being able to focus. Housing is slightly different also. Unless there is yet another version of the T300, it looks like the 300mm for the GX617 is a different lens from the large format version.

Oren Grad · Dec 18, 2020

nbagno said:
I borrowed a Fujinon T 300 large format lens. The front lens group is slightly different than the one for the GX617. I screwed the front lens group onto the GX617 shutter, and it is far from being able to focus. Housing is slightly different also. Unless there is yet another version of the T300, it looks like the 300mm for the GX617 is a different lens from the large format version.

That still leaves the question of whether you could substitute both cells - front and rear - in the shutter-plus-helical assembly of the GX617 lens, or substitute the entire lens - front and rear cells plus shutter - in the helical mount of the GX617 lens.

BradS · Dec 18, 2020

nbagno said:
I borrowed a Fujinon T 300 large format lens. The front lens group is slightly different than the one for the GX617. I screwed the front lens group onto the GX617 shutter, and it is far from being able to focus. Housing is slightly different also. Unless there is yet another version of the T300, it looks like the 300mm for the GX617 is a different lens from the large format version.

Does the GX617 use the 300mm Fujinon-T ??? Or is it the 30mm Fujinon CM/W or 300mm Fujinon-W ?
There is a big difference between the Fujinon-T and the CM/W

It would be very helpful if you posted some photos of your camera and shutter and lens...

Dan Fromm · Dec 18, 2020

Hmm. According to the brochure here http://www.thalmann.com/largeformat/t.htm there's a Fujinon T 1:8/300 with 5 elements in 5 groups. No cemented groups, separations are impossible.

According to B&H (see here: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/FrameW...urceBookProPhoto/Section02PanoramaCameras.pdf, p.113) the GX617's 300 mm lens has 6 elements in 5 groups. One cemented group, separations are possible.

We're talking about two different lenses here. The OP should ask Jason for advice and might consider trying to buy another GX 617 300. The latter option is probably expensive.

Oren Grad · Dec 18, 2020

BradS said:
Does the GX617 use the 300mm Fujinon-T ??? Or is it the 30mm Fujinon CM/W or 300mm Fujinon-W ?

See post #6 above.

Dan Fromm said:
The OP should ask Jason for advice and might consider trying to buy another GX 617 300. The latter option is probably expensive.

The GX helical-mounted 300 T is extremely expensive. The 300 T in shutter marketed for view cameras is not. That's the reason for the discussion about possible substitution.

Dan Fromm · Dec 18, 2020

nbagno said:
I borrowed a Fujinon T 300 large format lens. The front lens group is slightly different than the one for the GX617. I screwed the front lens group onto the GX617 shutter, and it is far from being able to focus. Housing is slightly different also. Unless there is yet another version of the T300, it looks like the 300mm for the GX617 is a different lens from the large format version.

See post #11 below. You might try swapping front and rear groups from the borrowed lens into the GX617 mount before giving up on it.

nbagno · Dec 18, 2020

Dan Fromm said:
See post #11 below. You might try swapping front and rear groups from the borrowed lens into the GX617 mount before giving up on it.

If I was experienced with working on the lens I would, but now I'm just trying to get the 3 element front lens group put back together so I can use the lens again as-is. I can't even do that correctly. There are three elements and two spacers and it seems that no matter how I put them together I can't get a sharp focus out of the thing. Close, but not sharp. I have the ground glass accessory and tired my 180mm and it's sharp, so I must not be doing something right. I've tried dozens of combinations. :-\

ic-racer · Dec 19, 2020

I presume the images made with the lens were not usable? In that case I'd not worry about putting it back together again if selling if for parts.

nbagno · Dec 19, 2020

ic-racer said:
I presume the images made with the lens were not usable? In that case, I'd not worry about putting it back together again if selling it for parts.

It was useable, it just had a tiny bit of separation. Then I took it apart, turned it over and the elements fell out. I didn't know they were not held in with a retaining ring :-| Now I can't seem to get it back together correctly. I'm not going to sell it for parts, it will go back together one way or another!

Nodda Duma · Dec 19, 2020

I can take a look at it if you’d like. PM me.

-Jason

nbagno · Feb 17, 2021

Jason got this lens back together for me. My lens taking apart days are over which is okay, I've got lots of other things to do!

Jeremy Mudd · Feb 18, 2021

Glad it worked out for you! That would have been an expensive one to replace.

Jeremy

nbagno · Mar 15, 2021

And to close the loop here is a test image of the repaired lens. I'm so happy :-D

Who fixes lens separation? Fuji GX617 300mm

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