Schneider Symmar S 210 5.6 help

[Jahanzeb]

Someone is offering this lens to me for 150 Usd.
However from the images provided it seems like a dubious rear cell.
I thought I would check here with people with far more experience and knowledge than myself and would appreciate any help.

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[Drew Wiley]

They are good lenses, but that looks worse than dubious! The brass rear is a total mismatch, from something else.

[Jahanzeb]

Thank you Drew, that's what I thought. I will get to check it out in person on Sunday and will probably make an offer just for the shutter

[BrianShaw]

I wouldn’t bother even looking. Likely a waste of time.

[Kevin Crisp]

Yeah, unmolested ones are plentiful and relatively inexpensive so I certainly would pass. Get a mutlicoated -S or an APO. Looks like someone custom-made the rear element brass. All those thread showing? Spacing could well be wrong. But, again, why bother with these mysteries?

[ic-racer]

Is it a nice shutter? Shutters are getting harder to find for $150.

[David Lindquist]

That's piqued my curiosity. Who did it and why? As noted it looks like the rear cell doesn't properly seat so the spacing between the front and rear cells would be off. Then there would be the problem spacing the elements correctly within the rear cell and ending up with them proper centered...

BTW I think that's a No. 1 Compur not a Copal.

David

[B.S.Kumar]

Schneider made a set of lenses with gold front barrels for their 125th anniversary. A colored rear barrel would tint the image, so you won't need a warming filter :)
From the photos, it looks like the seller is in Sasta Bazar :)

Kumar

[Bob Salomon]

Schneider made a set of lenses with gold front barrels for their 125th anniversary. A colored rear barrel would tint the image, so you won't need a warming filter :)
From the photos, it looks like the seller is in Sasta Bazar :)

Kumar
They also made some gold lenses for special edition LInhof cameras like the 50th anniversary Master Technika in a series of 50 sets. We had one of those gold lenses stolen from our warehouse.

[Jahanzeb]

Kevin I agree unmolested ones are easily available, their affordability for me is another matter. Pay scales in Pakistan aren't all that great so parting with 200- 300 usd equates to quite a bit of money for me. Having said that I would rather wait and save then loose 150 usd on mysterious junk.

Ic-racer it's that part that has me still slightly tempted. I will go check the lens out since its only a 30 min drive away, but more for the shutter. Thanks to everyone's quick reply here I am assured the lens itself is junk.

David, the who part I can't answer, the why bit I think Kumar said it rightly with his Sasta(cheap) Bazaar references. To make a quick buck. Large format gear is hard to come by in Pakistan and when it does it usually is in conditions which most would consider for parts. There are exceptions. I was able to get find a mint 58mm Super Angulon xl with a center filter and it was relatively cheap. Its shelved unfortunately till I get a recessed lens board for it.

Thank you Kumar and Bob, I was aware of the 125th edition Gold front barrels but did not know about the 50th anniversary ones for the Technika's.

[Oslolens]

Missing 3 pictures here: the first showing the back lenses to show condition and reflections, the second an 8x10" photo with this used at f8 and f22. If the original lens hit ground, the aluminium might be destroyed so it's not sharp anymore. With the hourly rates for a machinist in Pakistan, the result can be good, and the lens could be as good as new, but you will not know until it's tested. My apo symmar 210 had a dent in my parents house, falling out of my hands. My father, a machinist, held the lens and wooden hammer handle in position and I swinged the second hammer until we could enter a filter again.

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[erian]

I have never seen something like this offered elsewhere. It does not match "golden" series, as those had also front element in brass like finishing. Looks some DIY job to me. I am very curious about what it is really.

Now if the front element looks fine and the shutter looks fine and the seller can reduce the price, then you can play the long game by waiting a for single rear cell to becomes available (on eBay etc).

This of course means certain risk and instead of you I would probably not take it unless I am sure that the suspicious lens offered can actually take decent pictures.

[Alan Klein]

The spots look like fungus. Why assume the shutter works properly since the rest of the lens appears to be in poor shape? Did the owner take care of it?

[Jahanzeb]

To update here:
I bit the bullet and GAS got the better of me, despite most people's caution.However, because of everyone's advice here, I was able to haggle the price down to roughly 70 usd from his initial 150. The lens doesn't have have any haze or fungus, but more importantly the shutter is in perfect condition, the front cell seems great but has it's share of Schiendritis.

Here is a test image (of my wife as my ever accommodating test subject) with the lens at F8 on artista 400, which I have scanned on a epson v550 (@1600dpi) and just the black points set

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This is a 100% Crop

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[Oslolens]

This looks like a good-enough centered back cell for portraits, and could even work for landscape. I think the machinist had the time he needed. Nice portrait!

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[BrianShaw]

Well that’s a pleasant surprise!

[David Lindquist]

I would love to have been able to watch that machinist do this work.

David

[Kevin Crisp]

Schneideritis never hurt anybody. Lens look plenty sharp enough. Good for you!

[Jahanzeb]

To clarify the images I posted of the lens earlier showed threads and even to me they seemed to be of the rear cell but the rear cell sits perfectly and those threads are for the retaining ring which is missing. There wasn't a need for a machinist, but will probably need one if I can't find a retaining ring locally

[Jahanzeb]

I went for the shutter but got lucky with the lens

[Drew Wiley]

This has a gold rear barrel, not front one, so how can that possibly equate to any legitimate limited edition tweak?

[Jahanzeb]

Drew don't think it is, and you are right it most definitely is a mismatch

[B.S.Kumar]

Glad you made a good deal. This has me intrigued. Can you measure the size of the rear gold cell - diameter, height? Perhaps show some close up photos? Is it simply a rear cell that has the black paint removed to reveal the brass finish? Is it a cell from another lens? Photos would help resolve these mysteries.

Kumar