SS 110XL/ less rugged than 'normal' lenses?

[Martin Patek-Strutsky]

Contemplate about buying a Schneider Super Symmar 110XL. In the German Schneider brochure it is stated that the lens should not be unscrewed from the shutter as this could easily cause misalignements within the highly sophisticated aspherical lens system.

Wonder what this means in practical terms. Do I need to buy a new 110 XL always together with a factory installed lens plate? Does buying a used sample w/o plate mean a serious risk of buying a misaligned lens?

Regards

[John D Gerndt]

To me, it is a matter of splitting hairs, which in the level of quality many of us seek is right on topic here.

If you are dropping the coin (large) to buy one of the world’s best then plan on spending the extra to have a technician handle the technical stuff. More than that one must make sure all the links in the chain are attended to. It becomes either a passion or a pain in the butt.

Decide your aesthetic before you begin.

My own choice was one of reasonable maintenance. I want to be able to do the work myself. To combat my own error I rarely enlarge beyond 3x so as to not enlarge whatever errors my skills (or lack thereof) impart. I read all that I can (indications are that some lenses are quite prone to centering errors and the like) and I am very cautious about what I will take on. I would leave the lens work on a lens that represents a month’s wage to a well-known source myself.

For me 4x5 is good for prints up to 12x16, a very nice size. A no-sweat use (one where I have purchased a used lens at a reasonable price and let it go at that) of a 110 XL on 5x7 would get me 16x20 prints. As it is I use a Fuji 125 f8 (a week’s wage) for that mission and I don’t fret about how I handle the glass, just reasonable caution.

[KenM]

I have an SS 110XL, and I mounted it on a lensboard myself. There are no shims for the rear element, so mounting the lens is trivial. As long as the front element is mounted securely to the lensboard, screwing on the rear element is a non-event - just make sure it's snug, and you'll be fine.

Since it only makes sense that the lens would be correctly installed when everything is snug, don't waste your money paying a technician to mount the lens. It's not worth it, unless you're very inept, which I doubt. The only real difference is that the tech may have a lens wrench, which makes tightening the lens nut easier.

However, I would *not* recommend removing the front element - I believe that's where you'll find shims to correct the front/rear element separation.

It's a fantastic lens, that has incredible coverage. It's one of my favourites. Buy it, mount it, use it. You won't be disappointed.

[Robert J Cardon]

So when I change filters, and unscrew one that is on tightly, and the whole front of the 110XL starts to unscrew, is this upsetting some delicate balance, like this post talks about? And it's been a while since I mounted a lens, but I thought you had to unscrew the elements from the shutter to put the lens on a board?

RJ

[Martin Patek-Strutsky]

Robert, I share your confusion. That's why I posted this question...

[ramin]

Dear Martin:

I have the 110 XL and I use it on my Sinar f2 and Toyo 45II so I often have to change lens boards however I am very careful doing this, I use a Rodenstock lens wrench to do this and so far I have never had any problems. But the best thing is to ask people at Schneider. Their email you can find on their web site. Now that you mentioned this and made many curious in this forum it’ll be nice of you to post the answer you get from Schneider.

Cheers

[Witold Grabiec]

Personally I am anaware of a lens that requires messing with the shutter for mounting. It's the rear element that comes off and then secures the lens to the board. It sounds like Schneider has reasons to caution about shutter / front section arrangement (why mess with it in the first place?), which in itself has nothing to do with mounting the lens to a board.

[Martin Patek-Strutsky]

Spoke with Schneider in Germany:

They admitted that the wording in their brochure is a bit unclear. You can change the lens board for yourself but should not do that 'too often'. If you use the lens with several cameras you should definitely use some kind of adapter plate and don't change the lens plate every day. Any shutter repair or exchange should be left to Schneider itself.