Sinar auto shutter?

[Michael Gaillard]

There seem to be many Sinar auto shutter lenses available at reasonable rates. I was looking for a Sironar N or S at 360 mm, but obviously found that they are a) hard to come by, and b) expensive.

HOwever, since I may be about to buy a Sinar, I figured it might be worth it.

So, my questions are: are their optics as sound? do they age as well (as in, if there's an older lens, can I trust it is still in good working order)? is the price differential mostly due to the fact that they aren't nearly as compatible as normal lenses?

Thanks again, everyone.

[Alan Gales]

I think what you are looking at are lenses mounted on Sinar DB boards. The lenses are cheaper than their shuttered counterparts because they have no shutter.

You mount the lens with DB board on the front of a Sinar monorail like any other lens mounted on a lens board. The Sinar Shutter mounts between the front standard and the bellows.

Most Sinar cameras for sale do not include a Sinar shutter. You will probably have to purchase it separately.

[Armin Seeholzer]

Hi Michael

The age like every other lens to, but with a Sinar and Sinar shutter you get much cheaper to good lenses!
Only for the wides shorter then 90mm I really recommand normal lenses with build in shutters, its easier to work with!

Cheers Armin

[Sevo]

Only for the wides shorter then 90mm I really recommand normal lenses with build in shutters, its easier to work with!


Quite a few ultrawides won't do on the Sinar shutter at all, as their rear element to image distance is too small to squeeze the shutter in there and still leave enough room for the bellows. The Super Angulon 65/8 does quite well, though - it is short enough and does not have much movements beyond rear tilt in any case.

[Ken Lee]

With the Sinar shutter, you can use a wide variety of barrel-mounted lenses. Not only vintage portrait lenses (http://www.kennethleegallery.com/html/tech/NineInchKershaw.php), but modern optics like APO Nikkor (http://www.kennethleegallery.com/html/tech/Nikkor610Nov2011.html).

You can also shoot with Heliars (http://www.kennethleegallery.com/html/tech/still3.html), Tessars (http://www.kennethleegallery.com/html/tech/29.html), etc.

[Michael Gaillard]

Great. Thanks guys.

With that covered, now I'm wondering if I should get a 360 Symmar S in the Sinar DB board, or a 360 Sironar N, both f6.8. The ones I am looking at are both in great shape... but from what I've found online, unlike most other Rodenstock/Schneider comparisions, the Symmar S 360 is the best lens at that size. Other than, maybe the APO Sironar S, but that seems impossible to find.

[rdenney]

So, my questions are: are their optics as sound? do they age as well (as in, if there's an older lens, can I trust it is still in good working order)? is the price differential mostly due to the fact that they aren't nearly as compatible as normal lenses?

The optics are the same. The Sinaron-S is an APO-Sironar-N. The cells are just screwed into the Sinar diaphram, which provides the same mounting as a shutter. The aperture may be operable from a knob on the side of the Sinar Auto-Aperture Shutter (though that is optional), if the shutter has a wide enough setting, making it possible to make all lens settings from behind the camera, if that's important to you. Some of the Auto-Aperture Shutter aperture controls go to f/5.6, and some to f/4.5.

You could always move the cells to a Copal or Compur shutter if you chose to, not that those are particularly cheap--especially the Copal 3 thatt a 360 would be mounted in.

I have not found that on the whole, used DB-mounted lenses are really cheaper than used shutter-mounted lenses of the same model and vintage, but the 360 may be an exception (and any of them might be an exception at any given time).

I have the shutter, but I bought it for use with barrel lenses rather than trying to build a lens kit in DB mounts.

Rick "yes, any price differential on the used market is because not many folks can use DB-mounted lenses" Denney

[Michael Gaillard]

Thank you, that was very helpful.