The Schneider-Kreuznach Symmar 180mm f/5.6 is a convertible large format lens, well regarded among film photographers for its sharpness and contrast on 4x5 and larger formats.
What makes the Symmar 180mm f/5.6 special?
The Symmar line from Schneider-Kreuznach has a long history in large format photography. The 180mm f/5.6 version is a convertible lens — meaning you can remove the rear cell and shoot at a longer focal length, effectively getting two lenses in one. The standard Symmar Convertible has only four air-to-glass surfaces in that configuration, which helps keep flare minimal even on uncoated or single-coated examples. For portrait and studio work on 4x5 film, the rendering is smooth and characterful in a way that modern lenses rarely replicate.
Variants to know
Several versions of this focal length exist in the Symmar family, and they differ meaningfully — so it's worth knowing which one you're looking at. The standard Symmar 180mm f/5.6 Convertible is the original design, typically single-coated or uncoated, with the four-air-to-glass-surface convertible cell layout. The Symmar-S introduced optical improvements; coating levels varied across production runs, so confirm whether a specific copy is single-coated or multicoated before buying. The Apo-Symmar 180mm f/5.6 MC is the later apochromatic version, multicoated and optimised for colour correction — used extensively for commercial and portrait work. The Makro-Symmar HM 180mm f/5.6 is a dedicated macro variant designed for close-up and reproduction work on 4x5 and 5x7 formats. All four share the same focal length but are built for different use cases, so check the exact model name before buying.
Who is this for?
This lens suits large format film photographers shooting portraits, landscapes or studio subjects on 4x5. If you shoot 5x7 or 8x10 and want a moderate wide-angle coverage, the 180mm works there too. The convertible design is especially appealing if you want to travel light without sacrificing focal length flexibility. Comparable alternatives in the same focal range include the Rodenstock Sironar-N 180mm f/5.6 MC, which is often compared directly to the Apo-Symmar version.
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