M-mount modified lens FUJINON 28mm F3.5

A review and photo examples of the SUPER-EBC Fujinon 28mm F3.5 M-mount modified lens.

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The digital camera example was taken using the SONY α7sII.

The film camera example was shot using Minolta CLE + FUJIFILM 100.

SUPER-EBC FUJINON 28mm F3.5

SUPER-EBC FUJINON 28mm F3.5+MINOLTA CLE

1．Overview

The Fujinon 28mm F3.5 is a lens that Ms-optics (Miyazaki Optical) took the SUPER-EBC FUJINON 28mm F3.5 lens installed in Fujifilm’s compact cameras, the Caldia Mini Tiara (TIARA), Caldia Mini Tiara II (TIARA II), and DL Super mini, and transplanted it to the Leica M-mount conversion helicoid MS-28 developed by the same company.

The original TIARA is a compact camera that uses 35mm film, and the lens is a single focus lens with a focal length of 28mm. It is very small because it is a simple lens that does not take into consideration aberration correction or peripheral light amount.
Therefore, the modified lens is compact with a lens length of 18mm even with the addition of a dedicated lens hood.

The main specifications are as follows, and detailed specifications are listed in the table.

Aperture value 3.5
Lens composition 4 elements in 4 groups
Aperture blades 12 (installed by Ms-Optics)
Minimum shooting distance 0.85m
Leica M rangefinder camera rangefinder coupling 0.85m
Hood Cylindrical screw-in

2．Usage

I used this M-mount modified Tiara lens on a MINOLTA CLE film camera, and Fujifilm 100 film.
The lens is well suited to the film, and there is no noticeable degradation in the image, and the slightly loose image of the negative film matches well with this lens.
As an aside, this is a problem with the camera I used, but the MINOLTA CLE body was purchased with the lens, and it was a very worn camera, so the double image had completely faded and I had trouble focusing.

I used a Sony α7sII digital camera, which is relatively compatible with old lenses.
Looking at the results with the α7sII, we can see that the center is fine, but the image is distorted at the edges.
Looking at these results, from past experience, cameras with older 35mm full-frame sensors may cause color casts at the edges of the captured image. The LEICA M9 and LEICA M typ240 are probably at a higher risk of this.
For practical use with digital cameras, it is suitable for use with the APS-H size sensor of the LEICA M8, Fujifilm X, and Sony α6x series APS-C size sensors.
When backlit, ghosting occurs depending on the direction of the sun and the lens angle. It disappears when you change the angle while looking through the EVF, so it seems that it can be avoided to some extent.

Looking at the results for film and digital, you can see that there is a big difference in the lens performance required for both.

Because the lens is compact, operability is sacrificed, and even if the lens can be attached firmly without any play due to the compatibility with the camera mount when attached to the camera, it is a little difficult to remove the lens because the lens itself is not easy to grip. And since the ring for controlling the aperture is located right on the edge of the front lens, there is a risk of accidentally touching the front lens when adjusting the aperture, so care must be taken.

The M-mount helicoid MS-28 attached to this lens is an old-style helicoid, and the extension distance of the helicoid is limited to the rangefinder coupling range of the M-type Leica, and the minimum shooting distance is 0.85m.
This is unfortunate, since the original Tiara can focus as close as 0.35m.
When using with a mirrorless camera, the minimum shooting distance can be compensated for by using an auxiliary helicoid.

A special feature of the lens I own is that the hood cannot be removed, although I’m not sure if it’s attached or fixed in place. It should have originally been an L39 screw mount, but the M/L ring seems to be fixed and cannot be removed either.

3．Add info.

The nameplate of this lens only says “28mm F3.5”, and unlike the Kyocera T-Proof and Tessar lenses, there is no “Tess” or other notation indicating the lens on the nameplate. Therefore, in order to identify the lens used, I looked for a compact camera equipped with a 28mm F3.5 prime lens before purchasing. The only cameras equipped with a 28mm F3.5 prime lens that remained were either Fujifilm’s Tiara (Tiara 2) or Nikon’s Nikon Mini (AF600D), and I judged that the Tiara was most likely the case based on the shape of the lens front frame. In addition, I was able to confirm that it was definitely the Tiara by looking at the exterior photo of the modified Tiara lens on Hayata Camera Lab’s Miyazaki Optical Lens Modification page.

If you send a camera to Ms-optics and request a modification, they will return the original body with the lens removed, so it is easy to identify the original camera. However, this time I purchased the lens attached to a Minolta CLE from a second-hand shop in Okinawa for a reasonable price, even though it was treated as junk, so I do not know whether the original body was a Tiara or Tiara 2.

When I looked up the lens information on the website in the reference link before purchasing, I was a little hesitant to purchase it because it said that Tiara lenses are lenses from the film era, so you can’t expect good depiction in the peripheral areas and they don’t work well with digital cameras. However, as an Ms-optics modified lens enthusiast, I couldn’t resist the temptation to use this lens and purchased it.

Trivia about the Cardia Mini Tiara

Released in 1994
Equipped with a 28mm prime lens in a compact aluminum body. Received the Good Design Award in 1995.

Trivia about the Cardia Mini Tiara 2

Released in 1997
Improved successor to the first model. Exposure accuracy has been improved, and changes have been made to the strobe.

The website explaining compact cameras in the reference link states that there seems to be a difference in the lens coating between the Tiara and Tiara 2, which makes the image look different, but since there is no way to compare them at the moment, the truth is unknown. I also looked online for lens configuration diagrams and looked at old camera magazines, but it seems that Fujifilm does not openly disclose lens configuration diagrams, and all I know is that it uses 4 groups, 4 elements, and aspherical lenses. I don’t want to buy a junk Tiara and cut it in half, so I don’t know the lens configuration. If you have any information, please let me know.

Specification

Items	FUJIFILM TIARA	Nikon mini(AF600)	RICOH GR1
Focal length(mm)	28	←	←
Max aperture	3.5	3.5	2.8
Min aperture	16	←	←
Lens Construction	4elements in 4groups	3elements in 3groups	7elements in 4groups
Leaf blade	12(Ms-Optics modified	←	7
Min distance(m)	0.85	0.85	0.35
Lens length(mm)	18.2 Hood included	–	–
Max diameter(mm)	47.6	–	–
Filter Size(mm)	–	–	–
Hood	Cylindrical screw-in hood	Bayonet hood LH-6	none
Release date	1994 (Tiara) 1997 (Tiara 2)	2004	1996
Production number	15 (number of modifications as of 2016)	–	–
Weight(g)	60 Hood and M/L rings included	–	120