75mm f/5.6 Super Angulon MC

[Emre Yildirim]

I just ordered this lens from KEH; it was listed as LN- so I'm guessing it's in near mint condition.

I'm wondering how the sharpness and light fall-off on the edges is, compared to its Rodenstock and Nikon equivalents. This will be my first WA Schneider lens that I'll actually own, and I'm sure that I'll like it, but I just wanted to see how everyone else feels about this lens. How does it compare to the Grandagons and Nikkor-SWs? I heard rumors that the 75mm SA is sharper than the 72mm SAXL, is that true?

[Frank Petronio]

I haven't used that lens but I would suspect it would be of competitive with other lenses of the same era. The 72XL is really all about a huge image circle, larger than anything else, while also being tack sharp. And newer lenses have better coatings and are in more reliable (or at least newer) shutters.

I think earlier Schneiders may have had an edge, at least in the 1950s - 70s, but Rodenstock, Fuji, and Nikon caught up or surpassed them in the 1980s.

[steve simmons]

I don't think he bought the 72mm XL, he bought the 75mm Super Angulon f/5.6. These are two different lenses.

People can get all wrought up about which brand is best but IMHO as long as you stay with something in the last 10-15 years the differences are only discernible with a loupe on a light table. Un;less it is a fluke you've got a good lens. Go shoot and enjoy.

steve simmons

[neil poulsen]

Schneider has always been on the leading edge of wide-angles. Their Super Symmar (e.g. the 110mm) and the XL series are both breakthrough products.

I have a 75mm S.A. A wide angle in this focal length is necessary in architectural 4x5 photography. But, I find it too short for landscape. (In fact, I find the 90mm a bit short for my purposes.) David Munch makes very good use of a 75mm super wide for landscape in his near-to-far photographs.

[George Hart]

With regard to possible sharpness differences between the Schneider 75/5.6 SA MC and the 72/5.6 XL lenses, Michael Klayman's (Schneider) response is quoted here. He reckons that the 75 is slightly sharper in the centre, but obviously the 72 has more coverage (it will just cover 5x7). I have the 75/5.6 MC and as I type this, on the wall in front of me is a 20x24 inch print from a drum scanned 5x4 transparency taken using this lens. It's one of the sharpest trannies that I have ever seen. I now use this lens mainly as a gentle wide-angle on 6x9 rollfilm, and for landscapes it's my no 1 lens for this format. Fantastic at f/11 if everything in the frame is at infinity.

[Ted Harris]

I used a 75mm f5.6 SA for the past 4 years and only recently switched to a 75mm f4.5 Grandagon. The only reason I switched was that I had the opportunity to acquire the Grandagon at a very attractive price. I used the SA for interior architecture (mostly restaurant interiors) and landscape work and, for landscapes, seldom if ever found the light falloff to be objectionable or severe enoughto require a center filter. As far as comparing the Schneider to its Rodenstock equivelent, I quickly took a couple of Polaroid shots with both lenses before deciding to go ahead with thepurchase of the new and sale of the old and saw no significant difference in the final result.

[Jean-Marie Solichon]

I have been using this lens for five years now (with various colour transparency film) and do not feel the need for a center filter on 4x5.

[Emre Yildirim]

Thanks everyone - these were exactly the types of answers I was looking for. I shoot my 55mm Grandagon without a centerfilter (B&W) and don't find the light fall-off to be that much of a problem. The unsharpness on the edges is bothersome sometimes however. I'm glad that I won't have to worry about unsharp edges with this lens. I will primarily use it for landscape.

Frank - I think the 75mm SA was produced up until 2002, so I'd say it's still a very modern lens. The design is probably older than 2002, but as we all know with LF lenses, there are usually minor updates every other decades.

[Smalesy]

On the subject of this lens, would I be able o use this on a Toyo monorail with a recessed panel and still be able to focus at infinity?

Thanks
Steve

[Gem Singer]

Did you happen to notice that this thread is three years old?