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Schneider-Kreuznach Radionar f4.5 105mm on Sony a850
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PostPosted: Thu Jun 25, 2015 8:28 pm    Post subject: Schneider-Kreuznach Radionar f4.5 105mm on Sony a850 Reply with quote

A lens I salvaged from a broken Franka folder. Coated but you wouldn't know it, renders very low contrast images. Bokeh is buttery smooth, far far nicer than the much-hyped Trioplan.

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PostPosted: Tue Jun 30, 2015 11:50 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

seems you can get very close! what kinda helicoid has been used for those pics?


PostPosted: Tue Jun 30, 2015 11:53 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

A set of M42 bellows.


PostPosted: Tue Jun 30, 2015 12:06 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

iangreenhalgh1 wrote:
A set of M42 bellows.

it'll well worth if you get a proper helicoid for these little gems. may be not very contrasty but sharpness , color-rendering and bokeh make them real killer Smile


PostPosted: Tue Jun 30, 2015 12:15 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

What a lovely images !


PostPosted: Tue Jun 30, 2015 12:26 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks for the kind words.

I much prefer bellows to use with my unusual lenses, far easier to use for me.


PostPosted: Tue Jun 30, 2015 1:49 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Excellent!! Tonal quality is yummy

Goddammit I am gonna have to get one of those now ! ha ha

It will keep my Radionar 2.9/75mm company though Smile


PostPosted: Tue Jun 30, 2015 2:02 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Cheers John, glad you like it.

Not too hard to find, I have two copies, one mounted for use on my Century Graphic.

Broken folders such as Frankas or Baldas are where to look.


PostPosted: Tue Jun 30, 2015 2:33 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

iangreenhalgh1 wrote:
Not too hard to find, I have two copies, one mounted for use on my Century Graphic.
Broken folders such as Frankas or Baldas are where to look.

I purchased for � 10 a Hapo 45 (Balda made) to get one.
But when it arrived the folding camera was still in perfect order, so I used the lens in its original postion;
could't decide to dismantle the camera for it till now. Smile
Still use now and then the uncoated prewar Gewironar Anastigmat 105mm 4.5 from my fathers broken Wirgin Auta on bellows.
I kept that lens when the bellows of the Wirgin leaked horrible an the Vario shutter had given up nearly 50 years ago.
Funny to use this oldies, and sometimes they are sharper then you need for some applications!

Like you I prefer the smopth bokeh in general above the Trioplan-effect.


Last edited by Minolfan on Mon Oct 14, 2019 8:47 am; edited 1 time in total


PostPosted: Tue Jun 30, 2015 2:43 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Nice to know others enjoy using these oldies. Smile

I mentioned the Trioplan because it really is quite amazing how different the bokeh can be between two lenses of overall, very similar design, both being Triplets.


PostPosted: Tue Jun 30, 2015 7:15 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

iangreenhalgh1 wrote:

I much prefer bellows to use with my unusual lenses, far easier to use for me.

Seems like a nice lens.
How do you attach the lens to the bellows? With a m42 body cap?


PostPosted: Tue Jun 30, 2015 9:01 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Plain old sticky tape. Smile


PostPosted: Tue Jun 30, 2015 9:08 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

iangreenhalgh1 wrote:
Plain old sticky tape. Smile


Elegant! Wink
I like the character of these old lenses and they do a good job.
Do you leave it attached to the shutter from the original camera?


PostPosted: Tue Jun 30, 2015 11:03 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

That first flower shot is outstanding. I love the tonal range in the pictures.


PostPosted: Wed Jul 01, 2015 9:09 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Yes, still in the original shutter, I just set that to B mode.

Thanks for the kind words. I don't normally do this kind of flower/bokeh work but I got bored and there was a big patch of wildflowers next to my house (sadly the council have been along and mowed so they are gone now). #2 is some kind of lily my mum bought in a pot.


PostPosted: Sun Oct 13, 2019 5:22 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I got one of these in a Prontor SV shutter mounted in Balda Baldalux, likely from the early 1950s.. it has a ring at the junction of the optical block and shutter that has little waves on the outside and a set screw, I think. Is that the adjustment for soft focus? I think it is set to soft focus because my shots are not near as sharp as the ones in the above posts. My copy is a coated version and looks nearly crystal clear.








PostPosted: Sun Oct 13, 2019 10:27 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Well, I like the result of this lens ,wonder if you could take some portraits , I imagine it should work very nice.


PostPosted: Mon Oct 14, 2019 12:18 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I will try some portrait shots with it, though that is not my forte.

Here is a tablet shot of the thing that I think is the adjustment screw. Anybody familiar with it?


PostPosted: Mon Oct 14, 2019 9:17 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

jamaeolus wrote:
I think it is set to soft focus because my shots are not near as sharp as the ones in the above posts.


To me, yours look about the same as Ian's in terms of sharpness. Contrast in Ian's looks better, but that could be PP, or just lighting and colour choice. Perhaps Ian could comment, but #1 looks like a triplet that has had dehaze applied. If not, that is a terrific rendering and I want one.

I hope I'm not muddying the water for you jamaeolus. They are just my observations. I can't help with the adjustment screw unfortunately. I suppose you could take the front plate off, re-fit the screw, and see what it does.


PostPosted: Mon Oct 14, 2019 10:51 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Triplets are well capable to surprise. And this one has such a capacity. Very well done!


PostPosted: Mon Oct 14, 2019 4:29 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Yeah. I was planning to try that but thought I would seek experienced advice prior to messing with it. The lighting on my shots was very low and flat (thick overcast) which could contribute to the low contrast. I did absolutely no correction as I sent it directly from my tablet (Which I typically use to do a quick review of my shots) I didn't even rotate my rose photo.


PostPosted: Wed Oct 16, 2019 7:56 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

jamaeolus wrote:
Yeah. I was planning to try that but thought I would seek experienced advice prior to messing with it. The lighting on my shots was very low and flat (thick overcast) which could contribute to the low contrast. I did absolutely no correction as I sent it directly from my tablet (Which I typically use to do a quick review of my shots) I didn't even rotate my rose photo.


For contrast, you could also think of a lens hood that matches the sensor size. I tend to hold my finger as if its the side of a hood and move it out to see what size could be tolerated before it encroaches on the sensor. I'm always surprised at how long and narrow it can be. Then I go looking for a suitable one, or make one up. I was going to say that fitting a hood is easier said than done with a front focusing element, but it looks like you would be okay.

For eeking out a bit more sharpness, you could try setting the focal distance on the front element to 4.2m (40 x focal length - the optimal distance setting for front cell focusing lenses, according to Stuper) and using an external helicoid to focus instead.


PostPosted: Wed Oct 16, 2019 5:31 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Yes thes old uncoated or single coated lenses definitely improve with a hood. I had discovered that sharpness changes depending on whether I was using the front cell or the helicoid to focus, its good to know why and how to get the sharpest focus. Thanks for that.


PostPosted: Wed Oct 16, 2019 7:51 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

jamaeolus wrote:
... I had discovered that sharpness changes depending on whether I was using the front cell or the helicoid to focus, its good to know why and how to get the sharpest focus. Thanks for that.


Credit goes to Ernst Dinkla on the board, who pointed me to the Stuper calculation only recently.