The Schneider version is 28/4.5 instead of 2.8. Are they optically the same?
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Phase One PC-TS Apo-Digitar 120 mm HM Aspheric vs. FUJINON GF 110 mm F.6 T/S
- Thread starter Ben730
- Start date
rdeloe
Well-known member
I feared I'd muddy the water, and I did!
The lens I'm referring to is the one for 35mm film cameras. It was also sold as the "Digitar 28mm f/2.8", a lens that has a justifiably poor reputation. The PC Super-Angulon (all models) has a housing with focus and aperture controls, and uses a close focusing helicoid design that slightly improves the close performance. I adapted a Leica PC Super-Angulon 28/2.8 for use on my F-Universalis, but I use it rarely because it needs f/11 to be decent. It's outstanding in the centre much earlier than f/11, but it's dodgy at the edges, and doesn't allow much shift room.
Now I understand
John_McMaster
Active member
4x5Australian
Well-known member
I expect the purpose of the electrical contacts is to relay the aperture (pre-set & working) and perhaps other data to the camera.
Perhaps the electronics in my lens are defective, I bought it second-hand. It looks like new.
However, since the lens can be rotated endless in two places without restriction,
it is unlikely that electrical contacts transfer the aperture values.
I have no data transfer, as far as I know. There are no lens/aperture data in the Exif, nor on the back, nor in C1 visible.
Maybe something was planned for the future and the plans have changed.
In any case, electronics are clearly installed.
Alkibiades
Well-known member
you get information about the lens in raw, thats all. more or less useless. So you know the picture was done with this lens.
there are no information about how much movements are done. this will be useless also as the lens is symmetrical and have no distortion. also no vigneting is visible as the real image circle of this lens is much much bigger than the tilt shift mechanism can achieve. The lens work fully mechanical- this is a big advantage!
Alkibiades
Well-known member
what you really have to care is your Mamiya-phase one adapter to Fuji .
This is a problematic part. I had to glue the adapter inside with non-reflective black mats, as used inside canon shift lenses. The adapter is pretty long and have strong reflections inside, especially when movements are done.
This will be a big problem more outside than in studio with controlled light.
This is a problematic part. I had to glue the adapter inside with non-reflective black mats, as used inside canon shift lenses. The adapter is pretty long and have strong reflections inside, especially when movements are done.
This will be a big problem more outside than in studio with controlled light.
Thanks, I know this problem and am used to fixing the weaknesses of cheap adapters.
Black 4.0 and an accurate metal file is normally sufficient.
I did not find any information about the lens in the RAW files.
Thanks,
Ben
Alkibiades
Well-known member
about the Schneider PC-TS lenses:
the mechanical mount that Schneider used for these lenses is indeed incredible.
This mount looks really big but is very light indeed.
the mechanical precision is above all Canon-nikon ect T/S lenses.
What i found really sad is that Schneider used older lens designs for these lenses instead of developing new.
So 50 mm and 90 mm are the 6x6 lens-designs that you can find in the rollei 6x6 lenses. So similar to zeiss-hasselbald 6x6 V lenses.
So macro 90 mm is still very good- macro lenses are not the big deal, but the 50 mm wide angle film lens is not the level of sharpness at the edges as the modern canon 50 mm T/S can deliver.
The 120 mm aspheric was the only one large format lens build in the T/S mount.
the name is Apo Digitar ( the name says nothing about the lens design) but as a type It is a Apo Symmar with aspherical glass, the image circle will even illuminate 4x5 inch. The lens is calculated for infinity, but is also really good in close distance, but it is not a macro lens. For Phase one this lens was made as a Studio lens for product photography. For this use it is still a very good lens and can save you a work with a technical camera.
The new Fuji lenses, macro and T/S 110 are opticly better in the macro distance, have higher resolution but i dont know if anybody can see it in real work.
The 28 mm aspherical is indeed a Mamiya-Phase one lens for 4,5-6 cm format. Schneider updated this design, it was new calculated by the schneider chief optician. I was interested in this lens and was talking with Schneider developers in this time. But the test I could see were not as good as i expected. The canon 24 mm II was opticly the better lens.
Sadly Schneider did not updated the T/S lenses to the new lens designs. Canon 24 II and 17 mm were a new level of T/S lenses, than Nikon followed with the 19 mm.
the mechanical mount that Schneider used for these lenses is indeed incredible.
This mount looks really big but is very light indeed.
the mechanical precision is above all Canon-nikon ect T/S lenses.
What i found really sad is that Schneider used older lens designs for these lenses instead of developing new.
So 50 mm and 90 mm are the 6x6 lens-designs that you can find in the rollei 6x6 lenses. So similar to zeiss-hasselbald 6x6 V lenses.
So macro 90 mm is still very good- macro lenses are not the big deal, but the 50 mm wide angle film lens is not the level of sharpness at the edges as the modern canon 50 mm T/S can deliver.
The 120 mm aspheric was the only one large format lens build in the T/S mount.
the name is Apo Digitar ( the name says nothing about the lens design) but as a type It is a Apo Symmar with aspherical glass, the image circle will even illuminate 4x5 inch. The lens is calculated for infinity, but is also really good in close distance, but it is not a macro lens. For Phase one this lens was made as a Studio lens for product photography. For this use it is still a very good lens and can save you a work with a technical camera.
The new Fuji lenses, macro and T/S 110 are opticly better in the macro distance, have higher resolution but i dont know if anybody can see it in real work.
The 28 mm aspherical is indeed a Mamiya-Phase one lens for 4,5-6 cm format. Schneider updated this design, it was new calculated by the schneider chief optician. I was interested in this lens and was talking with Schneider developers in this time. But the test I could see were not as good as i expected. The canon 24 mm II was opticly the better lens.
Sadly Schneider did not updated the T/S lenses to the new lens designs. Canon 24 II and 17 mm were a new level of T/S lenses, than Nikon followed with the 19 mm.
4x5Australian
Well-known member
4x5Australian
Well-known member
Steve Hendrix
Well-known member
I believe the electronic contacts are to transmit aperture information to the in-camera metering system. It's a shame they do not pass through auto focus.
Steve Hendrix/CI
Paul Spinnler
Well-known member
Amazing info - literally what makes getdpi special! That makes sense! Very niche topic, but it is an intriguing lens - especially for people who just want an XF.
My lens does not transmit anything that I could see anywhere. Nothing for the measurement either.
The contacts are clean, is something possibly defective?
The waist level finder of the XF also has 16 electrical contacts and I don't know why. They have no function.
Perhaps the contacts are also attached for protection/maintenance without a connection?
Thanks,
Ben
4x5Australian
Well-known member
In some brands of lenses, the aperture set on the lens is conveyed from the aperture ring as an electrical resistance value that varies according to the relative position of a metal feeler that moves along a circular metal or metallic film track located on the inner surface of the barrel. Such a system would be visible only when the lens is disassembled.
With the lens being able to rotate its shift and tilt independently through 360°, the conveyance of aperture data to the visible contacts might be achieved via a second such arrangement near the base.
In your lens, perhaps some electrical break has occurred deep inside. For example, the metal feeler may have loosened and lost contact with the circular track.
With the lens being able to rotate its shift and tilt independently through 360°, the conveyance of aperture data to the visible contacts might be achieved via a second such arrangement near the base.
In your lens, perhaps some electrical break has occurred deep inside. For example, the metal feeler may have loosened and lost contact with the circular track.
MGrayson
Subscriber and Workshop Member
Isn't there a Leica S mount version of this lens? Or did I hallucinate it....
Paul Spinnler
Well-known member
Yes, I think it was mentioned in another thread already
I wonder if they are for the Leica variant and Schneider just decided to make one version:
Leica TS-APO-Elmar-S 120mm f/5.6 ASPH.
The Leica TS-APO-Elmar-S 120 mm f/5.6 ASPH. allows control of perspectives and the location of the plane of focus.leicacamerausa.com
Dave
According to Google Image Search, the Leica version has no electrical contacts.
On the Phase One version, the contacts are exactly the same as on the 80 mm Blue Ring but they don't seem to transmit anything.
Incidentally, the Leica version is a lot more expensive. The Leitz-Optik secret was probably breathed into this version.
So it must certainly be much better.