Schneider Componon Camera lens?

[paul ewins]

The Componons and Symmars of the mid fifties to early seventies were very similar and appear to use the same cell housings. If you look at the lens diagrams in the various catalogs of the time you can see that where the Symmar is a regular Plasmat with 6 lens in four groups, in the Componon one of those groups has been split to introduce a small air gap. In all other respects it would be fair to call a Componon a close focus Symmar. The smallest of the f5.6 Symmars was the 80/5.6, the smallest f5.6 Componon was a 60mm - below that they were f4 and I don't know whether the design varied at that point. It is worth noting too that the Symmars were all offered in barrel mounts as well as shutters.

[epatsellis]

Paul, do you have a source for the optical diagrams?

[paul ewins]

They're up on the german language site at: http://www.schneider-kreuznach.com/archiv/archiv.htm
This one, from 1961, shows the air gap: http://www.schneider-kreuznach.com/a...r_componon.pdf
while this one (from 1966) shows no air gap: http://www.schneider-kreuznach.com/a...n_comparon.pdf

Here's a couple of scans from an undated Burleigh Brooks brochure:



and a scan from a Burleigh Brooks pricelist from 1969
g

[ZorkiKat]

Thanks all, again for the information.

I don't think I will be bothered by issues like using a lens_computed_for_close_up_work_used_for_general_s hooting. With the picture already on a large negative, I think the differences would be moot.

I've taken the lens apart for cleaning, and its insides are exactly the way they are shown in the diagrams provided by Paul. Test shots have been made as well, and these look good. The tests were on photographic paper though...saving the film for the real stuff.