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Schneider-Kreuznach Macro Variogon 7-56mm (8x zoom) - f/1.4
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PostPosted: Mon Apr 18, 2011 2:22 pm    Post subject: Schneider-Kreuznach Macro Variogon 7-56mm (8x zoom) - f/1.4 Reply with quote
Picked this up for a tenner on evilbay:



It's in near mint condition and came from a dead Braun Nizo 3056 Super 8 camera.

It's a lot larger than any other 8mm cine cam lens I've seen and has a rear element diameter much larger than a 8mm frame so I'm wondering what the image circle is on this lens and what level of vignetting I might get if I mounted it on my EOS?

Also, does anyone know what the register distance was on a Braun Nizo 3056?


PostPosted: Mon Apr 18, 2011 2:30 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
I think normal C mount has a register around 1" (25.4 mm) so mounting for infinity is not possible. Make a good macro lens?


PostPosted: Mon Apr 18, 2011 2:47 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
martyn_bannister wrote:
I think normal C mount has a register around 1" (25.4 mm) so mounting for infinity is not possible. Make a good macro lens?


Thanks for the info Martyn.

I'm not expecting to hit infinity with it, just wondered what the register what for future reference.

I'm hoping it will make a nice macro lens, if not, it will go in the drawer till I have a micro 4/3rds camera, an 8x zoom with a 1.4 aperture should be useful. Interestingly, it has no aperture so can only be used wide-open.

No idea if this is a high IQ lens or not, but being a schneider it should be at least decent, right?


PostPosted: Thu Apr 21, 2011 9:03 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
martyn_bannister wrote:
I think normal C mount has a register around 1" (25.4 mm) so mounting for infinity is not possible. Make a good macro lens?

According to my references (including Wikipedia) the C-mount thread is 25mm in diameter, but the register is 17.526mm which is even shorter than the NEX register of 18mm, let alone the m4/3 register of 20mm. CS-mount is same diameter but register is 12.5mm.

As for suitability of Super-8 glass on dSLRs:

I have a Bell & Howell Filmovara 15-25/1.2 (cost: US$1.25 shipped) Super-8 zoom that I fantasized might work with a dSLR. Hah. Even with the lens stuffed into my K20D right up to the mirror and pointed at a brightly-lit item about 3mm from the front of the lens, it wouldn't focus. A rough test (hold the lens under a light and measure sharpest focus) gives a back focal distance (from rear lens element) of about 1mm.

One stinking millimeter. No, such will not work on ANY SLR. It could probably be finessed onto a MILC like a NEX, by holing a body cap and gluing the lens into it, such that the rear element clears the sensor by 1mm. Have fun.

What I'll probably do with mine is: I bought an ultra-cheap 5mpx Sakar P&S (US$5 shipped) with a fixed 7.58/3.2 lens. When I feel brave, I'll try to remove that lens and insert the Filmovara. The result will look rather like a cigarillo pack with a stubby fat cigar sticking out the side, silvered. Hah. But it'll be the fastest tele around!


PostPosted: Thu Apr 21, 2011 9:34 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
It will not be C-mount (which is 16mm) - 8mm would be D-mount, but like most makers Braun stopped making D-mount cameras with the switch from Normal 8 to Super 8.

This is a removed fixed lens. I have no camera with that particular lens, but I'd expect the register distance to be very short indeed. On both my Nizos (with 6x and 10x lens) the rear element is immediately behind the sector shutter, and there are only about 3-4mm between shutter and film. It will not fit any camera where it cannot be recessed into the body, and will be scarily close to any focal plane shutter. The best bet might be using it to replace a cell phone lens or something similar with all-electronic shutter.
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