Question 1

Is the Schneider Kreuznach Symmar-S 150mm f/5.6 sharp?

Accepted Answer

Yes — the Symmar-S is well regarded for sharpness, especially when stopped down to f/11 and beyond. Wide open at f/5.6 it's typically used for focusing on the ground glass rather than shooting, but the real resolving power comes through at working apertures. It's a lens that rewards patience with large format technique.

Question 2

What cameras is the Symmar-S 150mm f5.6 compatible with?

Accepted Answer

The Symmar-S 150mm f/5.6 is a large format lens designed for view cameras and field cameras, typically mounted via a Copal shutter on a lensboard. It covers 4×5 format with generous room for camera movements (rise, fall, tilt, shift). It fits any camera that accepts a standard Copal 0 or Copal 1 lensboard, including Linhof, Toyo, Sinar, Wista, and many others.

Question 3

How does the Schneider Symmar-S compare to the Fujinon W or Caltar-S II at 150mm?

Accepted Answer

All three — the Symmar-S, Fujinon W 150mm, and Caltar-S II 150mm — are well-corrected 4×5 lenses that perform very similarly in real-world use. The Symmar-S is among the most common and easiest to find used, and its shutter is widely serviced. The Fujinon W is often praised for coating quality. Caltar-S II lenses are frequently the most affordable. For most shooters, the differences only appear under lab conditions.

Question 4

Is buying a used Schneider Kreuznach Symmar-S 150mm worth it?

Accepted Answer

Absolutely — this is one of the best arguments for buying used in the large format world. The Symmar-S was built to a high mechanical and optical standard, and a well-maintained copy in good shutter condition is a lifetime lens. Look for a copy with a clean, accurate shutter (ideally CLA'd) and no element separation, and you'll have a lens that performs identically to one bought new decades ago. All used copies on Camera-tweedehands.nl come with a minimum 12 months warranty and are professionally inspected.

Question 5

What is the image circle of the Schneider Symmar-S 150mm f/5.6?

Accepted Answer

The Symmar-S 150mm f/5.6 comfortably covers 4×5 inch format with a usable image circle that allows significant camera movements — tilts, shifts, and rises — without vignetting at working apertures. It is not typically used for 5×7 or 8×10, where longer focal lengths and larger image circles are needed.

Question 6

What shutter does the Schneider Symmar-S 150mm f/5.6 use?

Accepted Answer

Most versions of the Symmar-S 150mm f/5.6 are mounted in a Copal 0 shutter, which is compact, lightweight, and one of the most reliable large format shutters ever made. Replacement parts and CLA (clean, lubricate, adjust) services are still widely available. Always verify shutter accuracy when buying used — all speeds should be within half a stop of marked values.

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Schneider Kreuznach Symmar-S 150mm f/5.6

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About the Schneider Kreuznach Symmar-S 150mm f/5.6

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