Fujinon SFS 180mm f/5.6

Fujinon SFS 180mm f/5.6 is the soft-focus LF lens at 180mm — Fujinon's deliberate soft-focus design for portraiture and figure work. The "SFS" designation indicates Soft-Focus Special.

Key features

• Mount: Copal 1 shutter (1s to 1/400, X-sync at all speeds)
• Focal length: 180mm
• Maximum aperture: f/5.6
• Image circle: ~230mm at f/22 — covers 4×5 with movements; covers 5×7 tightly
• Optical formula: Soft-focus (deliberate spherical aberration)
• Adjustable softness — varies with aperture; sharpest at f/22, softest wide-open

Use case + rendering

The 180 SFS produces deliberate soft-focus rendering — spherical aberration creates a glow halo around highlights especially visible on portrait subjects. Wide open the lens is dreamy and ethereal; stopped to f/22 the lens approaches near-conventional sharpness. Used for portrait, figure, and atmospheric landscape work where the softness aesthetic suits the project.

Direct competitor to Schneider Plasmat (no equivalent in Schneider lineup; closest match is the older Imagon style).

Compatible cameras

• Toyo 45A / Toyo 45AII / Toyo 45G
• Cambo SC / Cambo Calumet 45NX
• Graflex Speed Graphic / Graflex Super Graphic

Related lenses

• Fujinon SFS 250mm f/5.6 — longer SFS sibling
• Fujinon NWS 180mm f/5.6 — sharp standard alternative