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View Full Version : Gold front barrel on my Schneider 150 APO -- what is it?



Jack Flesher
10-Jun-2007, 11:09
My Schneider 150 APO Symmar has a gold-colored front instead of the normal black, like the XXL fine art series, only looks identical in all other respects to normal 150 APO Symmar lenses. This is a pre "L" version and I am under the impression it is some sort of anniversary edition, probably a 50th, but am not sure. It isn't labeled any particular way other than the serial number is "GE 021", so I assume it is number 21 of some limited production "Golden Edition" run. It is a very sharp lens, so I also assume some kind of special selection, but again that is just an assumption.

Anyway, I'd appreciate ANY additional information if anybody has it.

Thanks in advance,

Oren Grad
10-Jun-2007, 11:21
Wild speculation: I wonder whether it was separated from some special commemorative run of the Master Technika.

Oren Grad
10-Jun-2007, 11:25
Ah, Google is my friend: there was a special 50th Anniversary Technika, but the lens on it was a Symmar-S:

http://photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=003xIK

But Bob S suggests in his reply that there may have been other such.

Jack Flesher
10-Jun-2007, 11:32
Thanks Oren. I had found that post, but mine is very definitely an APO Symmar... I do not have the box, nor does it have special lenscaps. Perhaps it is/was supposed to be attached to some limited production Technika, but no indication of that is anywhere on the lens...

Oren Grad
10-Jun-2007, 11:46
Maybe Robert White knows (http://photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=0034ry)?

Don't mean to turn this into a google-contest - now I'm curious, too...

Jack Flesher
10-Jun-2007, 11:48
To tell the truth Oren, I was counting on you!

:D :D :D,

Oren Grad
10-Jun-2007, 11:51
Trivia R Us. :p

Jack Flesher
10-Jun-2007, 12:10
Here is a photo of it:

http://jack.cameraphile.org/albums/album08/Gold_APO_Symmar.jpg

Paul O
10-Jun-2007, 12:30
Hi. It is indeed an anniversary edition. I believe Schneider also made a gold 90mm and 210mm too.

Baxter Bradford
10-Jun-2007, 12:46
Hi Jack

I too have one of these which I bought 'ex-demo' from Robert White about the time of the post on the other forum. Mine is Goldfinger's one, since the Serial No is GE 007!

It has been an excellent lens and well used. Wish mine was in a Copal instead of a Compur shutter and occasionally I would wish for a larger image circle (concur it is the non-L version) when using reverse movements.

I have no idea why the front element housing is gold though.

ifer
10-Jun-2007, 20:37
wow... it looks good.
definately looks like one of those anniversary lenses but shouldn't those kind of lenses have an engraving of some kind?

David A. Goldfarb
10-Jun-2007, 20:47
My first thought was the same as Oren's, but then it would have had "Linhof" engraved on it, and you probably would have mentioned that. And in any case, who would break up an anniversary Master Tech set, unless maybe the camera had been destroyed with another lens in place and this lens left over?

Oren Grad
10-Jun-2007, 21:48
And in any case, who would break up an anniversary Master Tech set, unless maybe the camera had been destroyed with another lens in place and this lens left over?

Good point. Nosing around a bit more, one finds a handful of other references to the gold 150, and speculation that it was a Schneider anniversary commemorative item. It may just take a call to Schneider to get the story.

Jim Rice
11-Jun-2007, 01:44
It IS pretty.

Jack Flesher
11-Jun-2007, 08:14
It definitely is not engraved with a Linhof or Sinar. Everything about it is normal other than the color and serial number -- well other than the fact it is a stunningly sharp performer, which again leads me to believe they were hand-selected at the factory...

Jim and ifer: Thanks, I think it is pretty too -- but to tell the truth I perefer the normal all-black!

Cheers

Ole Tjugen
11-Jun-2007, 09:56
I think the APO-Symmar was introduced in 1991, the year of Schneider's 75th anniversary. That should be reason enough to make a commemorative special edition of their newest lens, shouldn't it?

Jack Flesher
11-Jun-2007, 16:25
I think the APO-Symmar was introduced in 1991, the year of Schneider's 75th anniversary. That should be reason enough to make a commemorative special edition of their newest lens, shouldn't it?

Now THAT makes a lot of sense! I will now assume since the serial numbers of these seem to be low, they were probably the first 100(???) lenses run.

Ole Tjugen
11-Jun-2007, 23:49
Oops - I just discovered that Schneider celebrated "MORE THAN 75 years" in 1991. But my suggestion still stands, and since they made a special more-than-75-years-anniversary brochure, it wouldn't surprise me if they made a celebratory lens run as well.

Could be 1992 as well - Schneider made their first "original" lens in 1911, the first Symmar in 1913, the first Plasmat-type Symmar in 1952, and so on...

Baxter Bradford
11-Jun-2007, 23:53
Hi Ole

Still doesn't quite add up. Robert White's post was from 2001 and offering a new lens then.... think I bought mine in 2002.

Not that I mind what origins are, I just use it!

Ole Tjugen
12-Jun-2007, 00:00
Robert White, May 03, 2001; 11:38 a.m.

Dear Paul, The other answer is that the lens could have been one of the special edition lenses SCHNEIDER made about 10 years ago, from memory they made Three versions a 90 Super angulon and a 150 and 210 APO Symmar .These all had Gold Plated front Lens mounts with an SE number......If you feel you need one i still have a new 150/5.6 in stock....... Yours Robert

You mean this post? Note that it says "made about 10 years ago", meaning "around 1991!

Baxter Bradford
12-Jun-2007, 09:17
That'll be the ticket then. I'll get my coat!

Yes that was the post and I noticed that he had one in stock and made 5... Subsequently the use of 'a new' I taken to read the gold version.

Aggie
13-Jun-2007, 08:36
I have the 001 serial number lens in that gold edition. It's a great lens, and I use it often.

Doug Dolde
12-Mar-2008, 15:21
KEH has one listed now

http://www.keh.com/OnLineStore/ProductDetail.aspx?groupsku=LF06999097875N&brandcategoryname=Large%20Format&Mode=&item=0&ActivateTOC2=&ID=58&BC=LF&BCC=7&CC=6&CCC=2&BCL=&GBC=&GCC=

Steve Hamley
12-Mar-2008, 16:06
KEH has one listed now

http://www.keh.com/OnLineStore/ProductDetail.aspx?groupsku=LF06999097875N&brandcategoryname=Large%20Format&Mode=&item=0&ActivateTOC2=&ID=58&BC=LF&BCC=7&CC=6&CCC=2&BCL=&GBC=&GCC=

Who do they think they are, Goerz? (Schneider that is, not KEH) :D

Steve