That New Schneider 350mm Apo-Tele-Xenar Compact

[Richard K.]

is definitely now available. I got mine this morning. It's totally cute, very compact (#1 shutter, 400 grams) and the image looks very good on the GG...still have to test it with film.

Schneider states: "View cameras with short bellows extensions of up to approximately 320 mm can use an accessory lens tube, which shortens the distance between the lens and the camera by approximately 44 mm without mechanical vignetting."

Um, don't they mean that the distance from the front standard to the rear standard (or bellows extension!) is shortened?

The rear of the lens has an ~ #3 thread on the outside of the barrel to which is attached a spacer, so if one needed the extra room, one could attach the lens and extender to a #3 board.

Very nice offering from Schneider. This will be a perfect light-weight lens for WP cameras, certainly a LOT smaller than the usual 360mm Plasmats (albeit with a maximum aperture of f/11).

[Allen in Montreal]

Pictures pictures! we want pictures!

is definitely now available. I got mine this morning.......
.

[Gene McCluney]

Pictures pictures! we want pictures!

And don't be stingy and just shoot it on 4x5. It is supposed to have big coverage. Shoot it on 5x7 or 8x10 and post samples.

My older Schneider Tele-Xenar telephoto gets real soft around the edges of 5x7, even though it is "supposed" to cover.

[Michael Alpert]

Just a note to follow-up on what Richard K. posted. Although the maximum aperture on the shutter scale is f 11, the lens actually opens about a third to a half of an f-stop more. On my 5x7 camera, the ground-glass image is bright and extremely sharp. This multi-coated lens is a substantial improvement over lenses previously available at (or around) this focal length. And it's a very useful focal length for 5x7, as well as for other formats. With its small size. low weight, and more than adequate (350mm) image circle, it is certainly a candidate for K.T's "Future Classics" list. Who would have thought that a new, significantly better large-format lens would come along in 2009 !

[Eric Leppanen]

Richard and Michael,

Have you guys validated the image circle spec yet, i.e., does the image stay sharp right up to the IC edge (or beyond)? Does the lens abruptly vignette beyond the IC edge, or does it gradually start to get dark and/or soft? How large would you say the circle of illumination is?

A 350mm IC is a bit tight for me for 8x10, but if the IC spec turns out to be conservative then this lens might be a candidate for me.

Any feedback you guys can provide would be appreciated!

[Michael Alpert]

Eric,

I have not validated the size and attributes of the image circle. Since I use a 5x7 camera, I doubt if the image circle will be a significantly limiting factor for me. During the next few days, I'll see what the edge of the image circle looks like, but I don't think I can answer your question satisfactorily without using the lens on an 8x10 camera. I assume that the 350mm figure refers to the lens at f22, but I do not know how much the useful image circle is enlarged as one stops the lens down. Sorry that I cannot be more helpful to you.

[Steve Hamley]

I'm sort of with Eric on this one, if you believe Schneider, there would be better 8x10 choices unless perhaps you're "packing". Like a 14" Kodak Commercial Ektar, a 360mm Caltar II-N (Bought one near mint for less than the price of the new shutter), and so on.

A more specific question I have, is like Kerry, I had a 360mm process lens (a 360mm f:9 Kowa Graphic) custom mounted in a Compur #2. This lens is fine for what I intended, a smaller-than-8x10 packing lens. It's a f:9 versus f:11, and uses standard 58mm filters.

So why would I trade this lens in on the new Schneider? I'm sure the Schneider is contrastier, perhaps sharper off-center (or not being a telephoto design), and most important to me, be more flare resistant due to design and internal baffling. It would be more usable on my Ebony RW45 because of the reduced draw. But I'm not under any impression that in most cases it would make any difference in image quality.

Ideas? Comments?

Cheers, Steve

[Diane Maher]

That lens just might work out better than my 355 G-Claron on my 4x5 Toyo AII. And by work out better, I mean that I wouldn't be stressing the bellows by stretching them virtually all the way out. I know we're only talking 5 mm here.

[Richard K.]

Richard and Michael,

Have you guys validated the image circle spec yet, i.e., does the image stay sharp right up to the IC edge (or beyond)? Does the lens abruptly vignette beyond the IC edge, or does it gradually start to get dark and/or soft? How large would you say the circle of illumination is?

Hi Eric;

Unfortunately, I don't have an 8x10 camera, but I'm expecting a 7x11 some time in June. I did take a few shots on my WP for testing, one with 2" rise and the negs are sharp corner to corner, with no apparent fall -off. If I have time (but I'm away this weekend) I'll try to take a shot with maximum rise and shift and see what happens to the corner!

_Richard

[Steve Hamley]

That lens just might work out better than my 355 G-Claron on my 4x5 Toyo AII. And by work out better, I mean that I wouldn't be stressing the bellows by stretching them virtually all the way out. I know we're only talking 5 mm here.

Diane,

Actually 31mm, 75mm with the "barrel" according to Schneider. It's a telephoto design so the draw is shorter. That's one appeal for me too.

Cheers, Steve