Schneider-Kreuznach G-Claron 210 f:9

Farside · Expire: 2013-12-27

Seller said this...
"Schneider G-Claron 210mm f/9 Lens in poor condition with wiping and coating marks, dust and a small 4mm scratch in the middle of both the front and back elements - this is really for large format experimenting only."

I collected it today and it's nothing like as bad as he said it is - at least, for my purposes it will do very nicely. The front coating is slightly marked, the dust isn't a real issue at all, and the scratches are miniscule.

Just waiting for a shutter to fit the cells into and it will do for 4x5 use.

I paid a tenner Smile

iangreenhalgh1 · Expire: 2014-01-07

LOL, I was gonna buy that exact lens, but I bought a Symmar 210 instead for 18eu because my G-Glaron 9/150 isn't all that great at infinity, even stopped down to f22 as suggested for distance use. My Symmar 150 is far sharper, as is my Componon-S 150, but sadly neither of those will cover 5x7 and the G-Claron 150 will. I also have an APO-Gerogon 9/150 and that is actually pretty good at infinity, but mounted in front of a Compur #1 the shutter causes vignette on 5x7, and the cells don't fit a shutter. So I'm still hunting for a 150mm lens for 5x7, the Symmar 210 is going to be my 'normal' and I suppose I can get away with using the so-so G-Claron 150 as my wide until I can afford something better.

Your G-Claron 9/210 has cells that are a direct fit into a Compur/Copal/Prontor #1 shutter.

I actually have a good number of lenses that will cover 5x7, the problem is shutters, and I don't want to use a rickety old T-P roller blind shutter. I might end up buying a Sinar shutter.

Lenses I have for 5x7 (from memory, I might have got the specs slightly wrong on some)

SOM Berthiot Perigraphie f9 120mm (tiny coated Dagor type)
Dallmeyer Anastigmat f4.5 5" (uncoated double-Gauss)
Ross WA Xpres f4 5" (uncoated Plasmat)
Schneider G-Claron f9 150mm
Rodenstock APO-Gerogon f9 150mm
Wollensak Raptar f4.5 168mm
TT&H Cooke Series III f4.5 7" (uncoated triplet)
S.O.L. f4.5 184mm (mystery item, looks multicoated, might be a Plasmat)
Schneider Symmar f5.6 210mm
Ross Xpres f4.5 8" (Tessar type)
Staeble Ultragon f9 240mm
Wray HR-Lustrar f5.6 7.5" (Tessar type)
Wray APO-Lustrar f10 12" (Dialyte type)
Ross APO-Xpres f11 12" (Dialyte type)

The ones in bold are in shutters, the rest are in barrel, shutters cost much more than lenses, sadly.

I still haven't finished renovating my Lancaster Instantograph which takes both book-style half-plate holders and modern 5x7 holders, the wood and brass is all sorted, but the bellows are buggered, I bought he materials to make a new set, it's a winter nights job.

ForenSeil · Joined: 15 Apr 2011 Posts: 2726 Location: Kiel, Germany.

Nice buy!
I had it's smaller brother 150/9
Even on APS-C it was a suprisignly good performer for small distances (macro to lets say 2-3 meters) but at infinity it was awful. On large format it won't be such a big problem as on NEX but you should keep that in mind while using it.

Farside · Expire: 2013-12-27

I wait to see how it turns out - it's in a very useful length for me and many users of it report more than acceptable sharpness. Overall, the cost will be low and that's a major consideration. For a tenner plus a Polaroid shutter, I can have a worthwhile taking lens on 4x5.
My main object in LF use is to do some documenting of local sights and activities on something more archival than digital files, in the hope they might be around longer than me.

iangreenhalgh1 · Expire: 2014-01-07

Stop it down to f22 and see how it does. Be careful with the Polaroid shutters, some of them don't have apertures. I have one without an aperture and it is useful to me because I had an adapter made to mount M39 lenses on the front so I can use a host of barrel lenses on it on my 6x9 Century Graphic. I have two more #1 shutters, but one houses a Symmar 150mm and the other a Pulnar 2.8/100, which are two of my most often used lenses on 6x9. You will find it is easier and cheaper to buy a #1 shutter with a lens in it than without, so keep your eye open, the lens may not be useful, but the shutter will be. Oscilloscope lenses like Dallmeyer 1.9/75 in older dial set Prontor Press shutters turn up fairly often and aren't too expensive. Shackman and Tektronix oscilloscope cameras used to be really cheap and usually contain useful shutters,but sellers seem to have caught onto the fact people want them for the shutters now and are charging silly pries.

I'm still not sure why my 9/150 G-Claron is soft at infinity but my APO-Gerogon 9/150 is sharp, they are both process lenses and should perform very similarly. Quite possible my G-Claron is a lemon I suppose.

I understand the documenting of things, I've been doing the same myself with my 6x9, and soon will continue with 5x7.

ForenSeil · Joined: 15 Apr 2011 Posts: 2726 Location: Kiel, Germany.

iangreenhalgh1 · Expire: 2014-01-07

Good point. I had a 90mm Rodagon that was poor at distance, I sold it. My Componon-S 5.6/100 however, is very good indeed at distance, sharper than my Xenar 3.5/105.