The GetDPI Photography Forum

Great to see you here. Join our insightful photographic forum today and start tapping into a huge wealth of photographic knowledge. Completing our simple registration process will allow you to gain access to exclusive content, add your own topics and posts, share your work and connect with other members through your own private inbox! And don’t forget to say hi!

The elusive Phase One 240 LS

kdphotography

Well-known member
It seems to me that whenever Phase (and SK) start with an entirely new lens design, theses lenses get placed into a different revered status. No doubt the D series and LS lenses are the best lenses in the line-up, but I'm talking "most-revered" or exalted status that few DF users ever quibble about, and are uniformly praised. No spit-shining and "new lens coatings" but a truly new engineered lens: 150mm D, 110mm LS, and now 240LS? (I've seen but haven't heard anything about the new massive 120 TS).

Very nice, Bill. How about posting some images, with poor form and shaking a bit? I think that would make all of us that are budget challenged at the moment feel a bit better... :D
 

Bill Caulfeild-Browne

Well-known member
OK, Ken, I have LOTS of poor images I could show but, regrettably, none YET with the 240 LS. But don't worry, I'm sure to create some trash soon...

Bill
 
(I've seen but haven't heard anything about the new massive 120 TS).
Ken, do a search for the 120 TS on LuLa. I'm not sure "revered" is the word that people are using. Disappointing and frustrating seem to to be closer. I've not used the lens in any meaningful way, so I can't comment, but based on the reviews I wouldn't bother.
 

Bill Caulfeild-Browne

Well-known member
No more test shots - here's the sort of thing I'm using the lens for. Taken today in very poor light, IQ180, ISO 1600 Sensor+, 50% crop.

Whisker sharp, you might say...

 

jagsiva

Active member
No more test shots - here's the sort of thing I'm using the lens for. Taken today in very poor light, IQ180, ISO 1600 Sensor+, 50% crop.

Whisker sharp, you might say...
Yikes! I was out for an hour in SWO shooting some farmland and the wind was just howling.....thought I was going to die! It looked like a great sunny day from inside the house! Kudos to you for finding this guy in this weather:)
 

Bill Caulfeild-Browne

Well-known member
Just to update my fellow gear sluts. I used the 240 LS extensively in the last month (as can be seen in Fun with MF thread) and it really is Superb. Probably was my most used lens though the novelty may have had something to do with that. Heavy, yes, but razor sharp at all apertures.

I tend to "see long" rather than wide, so the 150 always gets a lot of use. The 240 looks like it may replace it as my go-to long lens.

Highly recommended!

Bill
 

ddanois

Member
Bill,

Thanks for your images and early reviews. I was inspired and secured my 240 last week. I agree with you that it is fantastically sharp wide open and is beautifully constructed.

Hopefully, we can look forward to more lenses of this quality from Schneider.

Best,
Derek
 

Dan Santoso

New member
I was going to buy a copy last week and I tested the lens at the dealer.

The result was so weird. The lens has very bad backfocus. From 4.5 to f11 i cant seem to get sharp image with the autofocua. The manual will give u slighty better sharpness but it is still blur. All the focus is in the back. I shoot close up with strobe, far away with natural light, all the same results.

At f16 the lens give amazing sharpness. F11 and f 16 is like heaven n hell difference in sharpness. I tested another copy as well and it seems to hav the same character as my copy. I dont know if our copies are defective but it seems unlikely for scneider to hav 2 defective lens at the same time.

I also tested with another body. Same result.

Does anyone else experience this?

My dealer is giving another test. I will update and post sample images.

Thanks
 

dougpeterson

Workshop Member
None of our tests have shown this. Something seems awry. Body issue? Back issue? Some form of user error (no offense intended; I'm guilty of this on occasion and its literally my job to know every setting)? Hard to say without more detail.

I suspect your dealer will find out and get back to you.

In the meantime if you'd like some files from my last wedding shot with a 240LS wide open on an IQ260 at various ISOs you can email me. They are not only incredibly sharp they show wonderful fall off and very low CA.
 

Paul Spinnler

Well-known member
Doug,

could you post an image showing how the 240 LS fares as a portrait lens? Like a head/head'n'shoulders type of shot where one can see how the background blurs. As of yet, I have only seen landscape / bird kind of shots posted from this lens ... It would be very interesting to see how useful it is as a portrait tool ... also, if it isn't a big hassle, it would also be great so see some 100% crops ...

Or do you know of any examples of this kind on the net?

I really think that Phase One should create sub-pages for all its lenses that include typical images achievable with each type. I.e. one full-open portrait shot and one landscape shot etc. ...

Kind regards

Paul
 

GrahamWelland

Subscriber & Workshop Member
This finally isn't such an elusive beast any more. My copy arrived today. :grin:

I shot it a couple of weeks ago and it matched Bill's experiences when I used it so I cracked and whoohoo today I picked up the new box from UPS. It's a big heavy lens but well damped even when shooting handheld. I'll be giving it a full run through at my normal test locations tonight. :thumbs:
 

GrahamWelland

Subscriber & Workshop Member
You slut!
Moi? Oh, you know it! :grin:

kdphotography said:
Congratulations, Graham----I'm jealous. Now you can show off the 240LS and the FPS... :D

ken
Well, I recall in Carmel that someone, and I won't say who but their name began with a K and ended in EN, was holding on to the demo 240LS as if it was their new born. Just sayin' ... you know that resistance is futile. :thumbup:

As regards the Alpa FPS, well I'd love one but I'm already hopelessly in lust with the IQ260. It had me at sixty minutes. Watch this space :D

Regarding the 240LS, it worked fine with my DF firmware 1.38. (I wasn't sure if I needed an update to support the lens). It seems to focus a little faster with 1.55 that I loaded today. It might be wishful thinking but it feels faster now. Upgrading to 1.55 was recommended anyway so it made sense to do so.
 
Top