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Thread: Schneider Super-Symmar HM 150mm lens?

  1. #1
    Stephen Willard's Avatar
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    Schneider Super-Symmar HM 150mm lens?

    I have very little understanding of the history of lenses and there standing among photographers. All I know about my current lenses is they work well, and they have not let me down even under the most trying conditions. With the exception of the Schneider 400mm f5.6, all of my lenses are Nikkor ranging from 75mm to 1200mm.

    I am about to buy a Schneider Super-Symmar HM 150mm lens. It will be my second Schneider lens, and it will be my first lens with a Prontor Professional 1 Shutter. It is in excellent/mint condition, and it covers my 4x10 with some room to spare. The shutter speeds are dead on, and it seems to be a solid lens.

    That said, before I make final payment, I would like to solicit some of your experiences with this lens and the Prontor shutter along with any knowledge you may care to offer.

    Your comments are important...

    Thanks.

  2. #2

    Join Date
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    Re: Schneider Super-Symmar HM 150mm lens?

    A very sharp lens, right out to the corners in my experience.

    It is quite large and heavy considering the 80 degree coverage (only 5 degrees more than many standard plasmats). The Rodenstock 150 Apo-Sironar W has a similar 80 degree coverage in a slightly smaller and lighter size (it's a different optical design).

    Unless I'm mistaken some users have reported a rather different colour rendition in the SSHM line compared to other Schneider lenses but that is easily corrected if true.

    Overall I really like mine.

  3. #3
    the Docter is in Arne Croell's Avatar
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    Re: Schneider Super-Symmar HM 150mm lens?

    I don't have personal experience with the 150 HM, but with the 120 version. That one is one of the sharpest lenses I have used and at least as good if not better than its successor, the Super-Symmar XL, within its image circle; the peak performance is already at f/16, where it reached 80 lp/mm contrast on film in my tests.

    The Prontor Professional shutter is very good, but works best in the studio and if you have the dedicated Prontor double cable release; the shutter has two connectors for a cable release (color coded), one for opening the lens for viewing, with a choice of open or preselected aperture, and the other for tensioning and release (its a press type shutter). Two separate cable releases work, too, but make setup a bit longer.

  4. #4

    Re: Schneider Super-Symmar HM 150mm lens?

    When the SSHM first came out Schneider sent one of the 210's to my local dealer for me to evaluate before purchasing. I primarily shot catalog work in studio and wanted to replace my old Symmar convertible. I also obtained a new Symmar S and tested the three lenses side by side. I shot a variety of products in studio with exactly the same lighting, angle, film, exposures and processed in the same run. all three lenses were quite sharp with excellent contrast but the SSHM had a distinct green cast. The color was a cc075-cc10 green vs the other two lenses. My conclusion was the SSHM would be great for B&W but would require a magenta filter pack for color. I wound up purchasing the Symmar S and returning the SSHM.

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