Schneider 240mm F5.6/420 F12 in a prontor professional 3 ?

[Dave Tolcher]

I picked up on ebay a Schneider convertible 240mm F5.6 lens (serial 83132**) in a prontor professional 3 shutter. Thinking it was like the nikkor 240mm or rodenstock 240mm 10x8 lenses I thought nothing of it being in a '3' size shutter. Having received it the lens cells are fitted into the shutter in machined brass adapter rings. Now a little confused as to what I have bought because presumably the lens cells would normally fit in another shutter size or were these converted from a compound shutter ?

Many thanks in advance

Dave

[Arne Croell]

I picked up on ebay a Schneider convertible 240mm F5.6 lens (serial 83132**) in a prontor professional 3 shutter. Thinking it was like the nikkor 240mm or rodenstock 240mm 10x8 lenses I thought nothing of it being in a '3' size shutter. Having received it the lens cells are fitted into the shutter in machined brass adapter rings. Now a little confused as to what I have bought because presumably the lens cells would normally fit in another shutter size or were these converted from a compound shutter ?

Many thanks in advance

Dave

More likely than a Compound III was a Compur 2 shutter. The older 240mm convertible Symmars often came in a Compur 2.

[Bill_1856]

Anything is better than a Compur 2! There is no quick-focus button/lever so you must set on T to focus, and (at least on the Linhof shutters) moving the speed setting ring is an exercise in futility and tearing the skin off your fingers. There is no aperture scale on the front of the shutter.
The lens itself is one of the best of Schneider's designs, but OMG -- that shutter...!

[Dave Tolcher]

Ahh, thanks, that makes sense. Many thanks for the quick replies. Some measuring will confirm which.

[Bob Salomon]

The lens you have was discontinued decades before the Prontor Professional shutter system was introduced. So your lens was originally in some other shutter.

The Prontor Professional system did not have a press focus control. It was designed to be used with a hand held controller that had two cables. One that screwed into the cable release socket with the white stripe on it and the other to screw into the one with the red stripe on it.

If you do not have the controller then you will need to use two cable releases. One for the press focus and the other to fire the shutter. This is a bit tricky since the socket for the press focus has three positions. 1 to set the lens wide open for fucus/composing. 1 to set the lens to taking aperture for checking depth of field and the third positions closes the shutter and leaves the lens at taking aperture. So to use this without the controller you will need a good locking cable release and learn to feel those settings.

The Prontor Professional, as well as all other mechanical shutters from Prontor Werke; Compur, Prontor, Prontor Press have been out of production for decades as well. So they do not have the accessories for the Prontor Professional like the remote aperture selectors, the remote shutter speed selector, the remote controller and the special Prontor Professional long cable release.

Also, bear in mind, that convertible lens is an adequate performer at 240mm but is not very good compared to the later versions that do not convert. And converted it is not as good at all. Plus you will need an immense amount of extension when converted. So unless you are looking for the results that this version of the Symmar delivers then it does not pay to invest more into it considering how inexpensively modern 240 are selling for used in modern shutters.

[Dave Tolcher]

Thanks Bob for the information. I have had smaller prontor pro shutters with lenses in the past so know of their 'quirks'. I was attracted by the '3' mainly for the shutter as I need to house a 355mm g-claron which fits perfectly, just got to recalculate the apertures. Having said that I tracked down a cheap controller in Germany and should have that next week. The Schneider cells will go into retirement.

[Kevin Crisp]

Hey, Compal 2's rock. Fits a 305 Repro-Claron too, bit enough hole to front mount lots of oddball lenses.

[John Schneider]

Very late 240 convertible Symmars (as I recall) also came in Copal 3 shutters into which the factory had installed adapters to fit the slightly smaller lens cell threads. I know this because I scoured eBay for months some years ago to get such a shutter, into which a 150 Xenotar barrel lens is a direct fit. It's conceivable that Schneider also sold this lens in a Prontor 3 (or else someone moved the adapters from the lens' original Copal 3 into the Prontor).