Schneider Lens Identification

[Mr Student]

My first thread at LFF, so I hope it's not too terrible.

I recently obtained a very hefty Schneider lens, with the serial number:12631538, which I'm led to believe puts its fabrication date in around late 1974.

It has an f-stop range of f/5.6-11 and a focal length of around 220mm. It weighs probably a couple of kg's, so I'm a little hesitant to mount it in fear of bending/breaking something.

So I'm wondering if anyone has any ideas on the details of this lens, is it a LF enlarging lens or something?

[RawheaD]

My guess is aerial lens. A bit slow for a 220mm aerial though...

[Dan Fromm]

These small monsters turn up from time to time. They're usually not engraved "Schneider" but people think that Schneider made them. Not aerial, not taking lenses, most likely enlarging lenses.

I'm sometimes deaf on purpose so this doesn't count for much but although I've seen a fair number offered on eBay and have even touched a few at camera flea markets I've never heard of anyone actually using one.

[IanG]

Sometimes lenses are used outside general photographic use so are a bit of an enigma. I bought a 180mm CZJ f4.5 Tessar recently in a Wollensak shutter justan Instantaneous speed and apertures marked tof4.5 - f8, looks like there was a mechanical linkage to change the aperture.

So a question would be what kind of machine used lenses like these, and only at wider apertures. A place to look would be the Focal Press book - Applied Photography - which is about the industrial applications of photography, I have a copy and will look later.

Ian

[EdSawyer]

I have one of those, new in box if anyone wants to play with it ($250). It covers at least 8x10 and was used on hgh end copy cameras, and is made by schneider. It's a sophsticated optical design of 8 or 9 elements.

[Mr Student]

Thanks for all the replies!

I'm quite certain its a Schneider as it has the little badge on the side, along with a serial number that fits into their system.

I think it may be a copy camera lens, as on the side of it has "1:1" on it, I guess indicating its made for creating direct 8x10 copies.

[Paul Ewins]

It is a Vario-Claron, 240 - 252mm focal length from a batch of 350 dated 24 October 1974. Some sort of industrial lens I would guess given the Claron name, but I'm not sure what. Schneider were making quite a few of these but I guess most were scrapped along with whatever machine they inhabited.

[Mr Student]

Thanks for the info Paul, very interesting.

From what I've seen of other people shooting with the C-Claron lenses they appear to behave like very sharp uncoated lenses, which I'm hoping will be a good match for doing some wet plate with it.

[EdSawyer]

except in this case, they are multi-coated...