It’s so much larger than expected.Advertised as
“Schneider-Kreuznach 210mm f/5 370 f12 Symmar Linhof BT (38mt)”
This was a spur of the moment buy and I really have NO clue what I have. Anyone able to educate this LF newbie? I have a Linhof Technika 4 currently sporting a 135 lens that is crazy wide for me.
What happens when your batteries die? Pinhole Photography :)
210mm is a nice focal length for 4x5, I currently have a 210mm on my camera now.
I think you can use up to a 450mm lens with that camera, so that convertible lens should work just as well as the "TECHNICA" branded one on your camera.
Did it come with the correct dual aperture scale?
No clue what that would look like.Originally Posted by ic-racer
Any where I can find the history of this lens set up? (I really need to finish reading A. Adams trilogy)
What happens when your batteries die? Pinhole Photography :)
OK. You have a "convertible" Symmar lens, made (probably) in the early 1950s. It will be a nice complement to your 135 lens. "Convertible" means that you can unscrew the front group of the lens from the shutter, and the back half alone will give you a 370mm focal length (quite long for 4x5).
Due to the laws of optics, you'll have to extend the lens well beyond 370mm for it to focus at infinity... a quick test will show that. Converted, optical quality may suffer a bit; again, try it and see. The converted lens is also slower, @ f/12 max. That's why there are two sets of f/stop scales mounted on your shutter; the converted scale is usually marked in green, not always.
You have a fine lens there, enjoy it! And of course many people here will be happy to help with your questions.
Thank you very much for the info. I’m digging through all my filters to see if any fit this bugger, front or back is no matter.
What happens when your batteries die? Pinhole Photography :)
hi
if you go here https://web.archive.org/web/20120127...deroptics.com/
look under "info" and "faq" and you will see information about your lens
you can figure out the date of manufacture as well as optics information in their "white papers" they have published.
the Schneider lenses badged LINHOF were the best of the Schneider lenses from what I have been told, they gave linhof first dibs.
the extra length Mark was referring to is about 450mm ... have fun, I've got the same lens.
In particular this link will narrow down year of manufacture by serial number: http://web.archive.org/web/201211150...vice/serie.htm
(We have Dan Fromm to thank for the continued availability of this). Your lens was made between October 1954 and February 1957. It looks like a nice example, no dents or anything, a bit of "Schneideritis", those white specks seen in your first photograph. It's agreed this does not degrade the quality of image this will produce.
As far as the red triangle goes, when Schneider started coating lenses post WWII, they marked them with a red triangle. Carl Zeiss Jena did a similar thing, marking with a red "T", Wollensak used a "w" in a circle and Eastman Kodak, famously, an "L" in a circle. Eventually the lens makers who did this sort of marking either stopped doing so or just stopped making lenses altogether.
Don't know off hand if Carl Zeiss Oberkochen used a red "T" in their earlier years. Later they marked their multi-coated lenses with a red "T" and an "*".
This "Linhof Select" lens will look "correct" on your Technika IV.
David
There is a series of books that give the precise production dates for this era. Your lens was completed on 24 March 1955 which makes it a really early example. In this period the normal focal length (210mm) was usually marked in white and the converted (370mm) in gray - the green paint came later. With yours it appears that there is no differentiation so you would use the outer numbers - starting at f5.6 - for 210mm i.e. the complete lens, and the inner set - starting at f12 - when using just the rear cell for 370mm.
Paul, can you tell from Hartmut Thiele's books when the first "modern" Symmar was made, that is the one with a maximum aperture of f/5.6 of Plasmat construction?
And as far as that goes, when was the last "original" Symmar made? That is the one with a maximum aperture of f/6.8 and a Dagor-like construction.
David
Welcome to the wonderful (vast, and deep) world of LF!
Re Mark's comment above - I have a 300/500 convertible Symmar (from around 1962) and have read a little about it... Converted (at the longer length with the front unit removed) apparently these lenses have chromatic aberration. I think this means that the different colours (wavelengths) of light no longer converge at the same place on the image, and causes a softness in the corners away from the centre of the image. I'm intrigued myself, as I have an interest in softer focus lenses.
I have read that you can compensate somewhat for the loss in quality by using a yellow or orange filter (if the latter you would probably need to compensate by one stop). As you're unlikely to find a filter that will fit the front threads of the shutter you may have to just hang it there or bodge a filter with some tape to make it a 'push fit'. I think you would need to focus with the filter in place.
Just to emphasise - this is only when the lenses are converted (front unit removed).
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