Schneider 210mm/370mm Symmar on a 4x5?

[meiwen]

Will a Schneider 210mm/370mm Symmar F5.6 convertible Lens work for a 4x5? Sorry for what I am guessing is an obvious question -- Im just starting out!


Many thanks,
Meiwen

[David A. Goldfarb]

Yes, in general. You need at least 20" of bellows to use it effectively converted as a 370mm, but almost all 4x5" cameras have enough bellows for the 210mm.

[meiwen]

Thanks, David!

[Nick_3536]

If it fits the camera. Outside of maybe a few wide angle cameras I bet most 4x5s would be fine with it. But better if you give some more info. Like camera type.

[meiwen]

Its an Anba Field....

[tom north]

I have a similar lens that when you remove the front element to convert to 370 mm focal length, the image is typically not very sharp.

[seawolf66]

Tom North: Can you get better sharpness at F-32 or F-45???

[Ole Tjugen]

I happen to like the convertible Symmars...

somewhere I have a picture shot with a 150/265 converted, on colour slide. Yes, it's less sharp than a prime 260-ish. But it's slightly better than a crop of the 150, which is what is important!

BTW - I use 180, 210, 240 and 300 Symmars on 4x5" and 5x7" (and 210 up on 8x10"). And a 360mm on 8x10", 9.5x12" and 12x16".

[Bill_1856]

The 210 is a great lens for an Anba, but there's not enough extension to use the 370mm rear element.
I have 180 and 240 Convertible Symmars, and use the rear elements alone stopped down to f:32 for excellent results.

[Gary J. McCutcheon]

I have the same lens you mention. Unscrew the front element and you have the 370mm. I've used the 370 on my Wisner Tech. field and the 23 inch bellows handles it fine, but I must use a lens extender on my Technika to achieve enough extension for infinity focus. At this extension I find the Wisner has less flex and bounce plus I can focus closer than infinity.

The images with the 210mm are sharp, haven't compared it directly with my newer Schneider 210. The 370 I've used with 4x5 as well as a 6x7 roll back and found it to be adequate when stopped down.

The 370 set up uses more than 370mm of bellows extention due to the position of the rear nodal point with the single element. Be prepared for the longer bellows extension.