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Schneider Symmar's
As far as less costly lenses go on the used market, older Symmar convertibles and the later "S" type, were either one apochromatic? And what was the "S" improvement about? Was it a supreme difference? Thanks all, Alex |
#2
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Schneider Symmar's
S was single focal length. The old convertable Symmars compromised the design to
give better performance with the partial lens. Symmar S's were designed to give better correction when using both elements. Early Symmar S's were single coated, later ones multi-coated. Apo's? I think they are only apochromatic in the advertising agency's mind, but having never having used one that is hearsay only. The Apo Symmar is the newest version. -- AArDvarK wrote: As far as less costly lenses go on the used market, older Symmar convertibles and the later "S" type, were either one apochromatic? And what was the "S" improvement about? Was it a supreme difference? Thanks all, Alex |
#3
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Schneider Symmar's
AArDvarK wrote:
As far as less costly lenses go on the used market, older Symmar convertibles and the later "S" type, were either one apochromatic? And what was the "S" improvement about? Was it a supreme difference? Thanks all, Alex The Symmar was designed to be a convertible lens, the Symmar S is not... Apparently the "S" is based on the Symmar but designed and modified not to be used as a convertible lens and therefore improved for standard use. From this article I am reading right now by Kramer in 1976 Modern Photography, the improvement, in terms of image sharpness--is definate. I know I used to own a Symmar which couldn't get a sharp image no matter what I did (no flames please, my experience only). |
#4
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Schneider Symmar's
I bought a used Symmar 180mm f/5.6 convertible several years ago.
Made some photographs with it, but it was not crispy sharp, and the shutter was sluggish. Shadows were also cloudy, with little detail. After looking closely at the lens elements with a bright light behind it, there was a film on some of the internal elements. Sent it to Schneider in New York for cleaning. They were very prompt and thorough. The lens was over 20 years old when I bought it, according to the Schneider web site serial number log. When the lens came back, it was very clean, with no visible gunk on the internal elements and the shutter worked perfectly, even in low temps. The photographs made thereafter were crisp and sharp, with no noticeable flare even in direct sunlight. Deep shadows, clean highlights and no visible flare. Overall center to edge coverage is excellent on 4x5 film, even with significant shift/rise/fall adjustments. With the 6x9 120 back, I can almost tear the bellows with adjustments and see no fall off in coverage in the outer edges of the image. It appears to have a multi coating, and flare in direct sunlight is not an issue as long as a decent lens shade is used. I use a flexible, square Lee Filters shade that cost a lot, but is worth every penny. To Schneider's credit (and my gratitude), they even marked the lens barrel for f/64 and f/90 above the f/45 marked during manufacture. I am quite impressed and happy with this lens, and would buy another one in a heartbeat. Have not tried it after cleaning with the front lens group removed to increase the focal length to 315mm, but it was not very sharp in early trials before cleaning. It is interesting, however, to use a 315mm lens with a 6x9 120 film back on the view camera. A Kodak publication on Large Format Photography mentioned that convertible lenses were sharpest at or near minimum apertures. After using the Symmar for table top product photography from f/8 to f/45, I have not been able to see any difference in sharpness at any aperture setting, using visual inspection with high quality 4x and 10x loupes on a light table, or with drum and flat bed scans of 4x5 Ektachrome transparencies at high resolutions. We finally have cable modem service in our hood but have not changed my e-mail address in this forum. If you would like to discuss anything more about the joys of large format photography, please e-mail me at: . Best regards and Happy Easter! Bruce aka Opusstuf "AArDvarK" wrote in message news:Wundc.369$Va4.149@fed1read01... As far as less costly lenses go on the used market, older Symmar convertibles and the later "S" type, were either one apochromatic? And what was the "S" improvement about? Was it a supreme difference? Thanks all, Alex |
#5
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Schneider Symmar's
"AArDvarK" wrote in message news:Wundc.369$Va4.149@fed1read01...
As far as less costly lenses go on the used market, older Symmar convertibles and the later "S" type, were either one apochromatic? And what was the "S" improvement about? Was it a supreme difference? Thanks all, Alex I don't believe that Schneider ever claimed that the Symmar-S was apochromatic. I only tried a 210mm Symmar-S and found it good. I didn't compare it with a Symmar, though. Subsequently, there are Multicoated Symmar-Ss. That is probably a further improvement. Several have mentioned that quality control seems to improve with time at Schneider and others. Also, with a more recent design, it might be easier to get a history of the particular lens that convinces you that damage hasn't been concealed. Still, both types are not the latest. With any lens, one test is better than opinions. |
#6
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Schneider Symmar's
As far as less costly lenses go on the used market,
older Symmar convertibles and the later "S" type, were either one apochromatic? And what was the "S" improvement about? Was it a supreme difference? Thanks all, Alex View Camera published a two part article on Schneider lenses about a year ago. The series traced the history and evolution of these lenses. There is no way I can summarize such an article down to a paragraph or two. If you are intrerested in gettign the back issues let me know. steve simmons |
#7
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Schneider Symmar's
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#9
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Schneider Symmar's
Hey, JJS, I don't think the questions were simple at all. [Question #1 had
already been answered - Q #2 isn't clear]. Steve gave him a source for info. People are just too damned lazy these days to do a little work on their own to inform themselves. Who knows, he just might learn something in the process. Besides, who the hell knows what "supreme difference" means anyway? Do you? You said: "Make a contribution here!", so if you're so d****d smart, answer it yourself. "jjs" wrote in message ... In article , (CamArtsMag) wrote: As far as less costly lenses go on the used market, older Symmar convertibles and the later "S" type, were either one apochromatic? And what was the "S" improvement about? Was it a supreme difference? [... snip usual advertisment ...] There is no way I can summarize such an article down to a paragraph or two. If you are intrerested in gettign the back issues let me know. He posed two simple questions. He didn't ask for a tome, a history of Schneider, you moron. You have all the answers, so ANSWER HIS SIMPLE QUESTIONS with a simple answer or two. Make a contribution here! |
#10
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Schneider Symmar's
In article , "Alecj"
wrote: Hey, JJS, I don't think the questions were simple at all. [Question #1 had already been answered - Q #2 isn't clear]. Steve gave him a source for info. Downright embarassing to see a grown man kiss SS's ass in public. Killfile! |
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