EBC Fujinon 35mm f/1.9
Fuji Photo Film · Fujica ST + Fujica X · 1977
single source, unconfirmedAlso known as: EBC Fujinon W 35mm f/1.9 · EBC Fujinon-W 35mm F1.9 · EBC FUJINON·W 1:1.9 f=35mm · Fuji EBC 35mm 1.9 M42 · Fujinon 35mm f/1.9 M42 · X-Fujinon W 35mm f/1.9 DM · EBC X-Fujinon-W 35mm F1.9 DM · X-FUJINON·W 1:1.9 f=35mm DM · EBC フジノン W 35mm F1.9 · Xフジノン 35mm F1.9 · フジノン 35mm F1.9 M42
Variants & identification
| Variant | Mount | Years | Serial ranges | Production |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EBC Fujinon·W 35mm f/1.9, M42 with Fujica coupling tab | Fujica ST | 1977 | — | — |
| EBC X-Fujinon·W 35mm f/1.9 DM, X bayonet | Fujica X | 1980–1985 | — | — |
- The X lens's start date is not known. It is not in the 1980 AX brochure or AX-3 manual; Wikipedia cites it to the STX-2 manual (the STX-2 is a 1985 body). The variant carries 1980 as the earliest possible year, which is the mount's, and the X lens may well be later.
- Whether the X lens shares the M42 lens's glass is not stated by Fuji. Both are 8 elements in 6 groups; the X lens is 25g lighter and focuses 5cm closer. They are one family on the matching counts.
- Blades. Six, from allphotolenses alone; no Fuji document gives a count. The single-source badge applies to it.
- Weight and size. 230g in the AZ-1 manual, 228g (8.05 oz) in the brochure; the brochure's dimensions are 2 5/12 x 1 15/16 in, read here as about 61 x 49mm. 230g is used.
- No launch price and no serial ranges have been found.
How to tell them apart
- A thread with a tab on the aperture ring is the M42 lens; a bayonet with DM is the X lens. Both are EBC FUJINON·W 1:1.9 f=35mm on the front, 49mm filter, 8 elements in 6 groups
- The f/1.9 is the heaviest of the three Fujica 35s: 226–230g against 185–190g for the f/2.8 and 138–140g for the f/3.5
EBC Fujinon·W 35mm f/1.9, M42 with Fujica coupling tab:
- EBC FUJINON·W 1:1.9 f=35mm on the name ring, EBC in green; only sold multicoated
- 42mm thread with the Fujica tab on the black aperture ring and the lock notch on the flange; rubberised focus ring; no A/M switch
- 8 elements in 6 groups, 62°44', f/16, 0.4m close focus, 49mm filter, screw-in hood; 230g in the AZ-1 manual, 8.05 oz (228g) in the brochure, about 61mm across and 49mm long
EBC X-Fujinon·W 35mm f/1.9 DM, X bayonet:
- Fujica X bayonet with the DM engraving for the AX-5's program and shutter-priority modes
- Same 8 in 6; 63.5°, 0.35m close focus, 205g, 61.5mm across and 50mm long, 49mm filter, per Wikipedia's X table
- EBC Fujinon·W 35mm f/1.9, M42 with Fujica coupling tab: Not in the ST701 manual (1970) and not in the ST801 manual's accessory list (1972); listed in Fuji's undated US EBC brochure and the AZ-1 manual (1977). An MFlenses member recalls buying his in 1976. 1977 is the first Fuji document, not a launch year.
- EBC X-Fujinon·W 35mm f/1.9 DM, X bayonet: Absent from the 1980 AX brochure and the AX-3 manual, which list only the 24, 28 and 35mm f/2.8 wide-angles; Wikipedia's X table cites it to the STX-2 manual, so it came later than the first X lenses. Its first year is not established and 1980 is the mount's own start with the AX bodies¹.
Specifications
- Formula
- 8 elements in 6 groups (Fuji: 6 components, 8 elements) on both the M42 and the X bayonet version
- Construction
- 8 elements / 6 groups
- Aperture range
- f/1.9–f/16
- Diaphragm blades
- 6
- Min. focus
- 0.4 m
- Dimensions
- 61 × 49 mm
- Weight
- 230 g
- Filter
- 49 mm
- Years manufactured
- 1977–1985
- Country
- Japan
- Coating
- EBC multicoating on every version; no single-coated 35mm f/1.9 is documented
What reviewers say
- Arkku and others (MFlenses forum, EBC Fujinon 1.9/35) (blog) — "It's rare and usually way overpriced", $200–300 on eBay and worth about half; nothing seen from it optically justifies the price, the bokeh "not as bad as I'd expected", and the f/2.8 "a better deal". Another member points out both 35s are 8 elements in 6 groups; one owned his from 1976.
- Attila (MFlenses forum), on a Sony NEX-3 (blog) — A borrowed copy, "extremely rare, first one what I seen"; he calls it surely one of the best, others found the frames needed no processing, and one dissenter found it "flat, not great color and pretty soft until you really stopped it down".
- M42 Fujinon lenses group (Flickr), Why Fujinon EBC are the best lenses (blog) — The group's admin singles the 35mm f/1.9 out for "nervous" bokeh rather than the creamy rendering members praise in other Fujinons; EBC lenses are identified by the green EBC on the front.
History
The 35mm f/1.9 is the fast wide-angle of the Fujica system and the one that sells for the most. It was only ever an EBC lens: it is not in the ST701 manual of 1970 or the ST801 manual of 1972, and first appears in Fuji’s US brochure of EBC Fujinon lenses and the AZ-1 manual of 1977, as EBC Fujinon·W 35mm f/1.9 with 8 elements in 6 groups, 62°44’, f/16 minimum, 0.4m close focus, 49mm filter, screw-in hood and 230g, which makes it the heaviest of the three Fujica 35s. An owner on MFlenses bought his in 1976, so the lens is older than its first surviving document.
It is an M42 screw-thread lens and fits any M42 body, with the Fujica tab on the aperture ring and the lock notch on the flange for open-aperture metering on the ST801, ST901 and AZ-1; the tab can foul other bodies and adapters and is often found filed off, and without an A/M switch the lens stays wide open on an adapter that does not press the pin. The X bayonet version, EBC X-Fujinon·W 35mm f/1.9 DM, keeps the 8-in-6 layout at 205g with 0.35m close focus, 61.5mm across and 50mm long. It is not in the 1980 AX brochure or the AX-3 manual, and Wikipedia’s table takes it from the STX-2 manual, so it came some time after the first X lenses; how much later is not known. Fuji never said whether the glass changed between mounts.
The reviews are forum reviews, and they split. Attila, shooting a borrowed copy on a NEX-3, called it surely one of the best and posted frames others thought needed no processing; the same thread’s dissenter found it flat, soft until well stopped down and dull in colour. Arkku, who has owned most of the Fujica line, says it is rare and usually way overpriced at $200–300, that nothing he has seen from it justifies that, that the bokeh is poor if less bad than he expected, and that the f/2.8 is the better deal; in the group he runs he singles the f/1.9 out for nervous bokeh. The 0.4m close focus cannot be adjusted closer the way the f/2.8’s can.
Buying: the tab, the diaphragm, the front group for haze, and a hard look at the price against the f/2.8. The X lens adapts to mirrorless bodies plainly but to an SLR only with corrective optics, and Fujica X adapters are scarcer than most. The six-blade count comes from one database; no launch price, no serial ranges and no launch year for either version have been found, and 1977 here is a document date.
This history is AI-written, from the sources listed at the foot of the page. Where the record is silent it says so rather than filling the gap — but no human wrote these sentences.
Example photos
Sample photo wanted — shot with a EBC Fujinon 35mm f/1.9? We'd love to feature it (with credit).
Live listings
The listings collector hasn't run for this family yet — check back soon, or search the marketplaces directly meanwhile.