I've currently got my eye on a Schneider 240mm Symmar-S (used) and need advice against/for buying it. I will use it primarily for landscapes(6x17 or 12) and possibly also for enlarging(??). I can get if mint for about $500 or 350BP as the exchange rate is going (South Africa). Is this is a fairly high quality sharp lens? Can one read the date off the serial number? Is there anything else that I should be aware of for this lens? Am I scaling a tall tree if I want to use a medium-long lens in LF for landscaping? I mostly do MF and I’m fairly new to LF.

Thanks, Ryan

-- Riaan Lombard (riaanl@prism.co.za), October 23, 2001

Answers

Ryan,

I own one and use it all the time. It is a very fine lens. Yes, you can get teh date fromt he serial number bu checking the serial number against the list on Schneider's web site. Most importantly, is the lens marked "multicoated?" If it is all is wellif not then you may run into some problems with flare and/or color saturation in some lighting conditions (e.g. shooting into the sun or when the sun is just out of the picture). I am also not so sure that $500 is such a great deal for a single coated specimen.

As for the asethetic issues,is this a good lens for landscapes .. tht depends on you. It is a pretty long lens for my taste for most of the landscapes I shoot in 4x5. I think you would use a 210 more often. In descending order of how often they get used for landscapes my general favorite lenses are 110 mm - 90 mm - 150 mm - 75 mm - 210 mm - 360 mm. I can't even remember when I last used my 240 for any landscape shots in 4x5. For portraits, yes, all the time. For landscapes in 8x10, yes, all the time.

Ted

-- Ted Harris (slberfuchs@aol.com), October 25, 2001.

I've got one, although I haven't used it that often. None the less, I like having this focal length to narrow in on my subject, should the need arise.

I've gotten good results with the Symmar-S 240mm, but I would comment that it's quite a heavy lens. I'm thinking seriously about selling it and getting a G-Claron, which would double as an enlarging lens for 8x10. Since it's in a Copal 1 shutter, it's a lot lighter. From everything that I've heard, by stopping down, you can get excellent results with this lens. I also hear that it has a larger image circle than the Symmar-S, which again is an advantage for 8x10.

-- neil poulsen (neil.fg@att.net), October 25, 2001.

Thanks for all the replies. Considering what I've hear so far I now have myself torn between the 240 symmar s and the 150 super symmar HM!!(both are multicoated) The 150 being maybe more suited to landscaping. I don't have much of a problem with the weight but the HM is mint and 2/3 of the price. Any recommendations?

-- Riaan Lombard (riaanl@prism.co.za), October 25, 2001.