Tele-Arton 240/5.5 - all confused about it, again :(

[eumenius]

Hello friends,

I have decided to get a decent 240mm lens for my 4x5'' Toyo - just for portraits, so the lack of movements and telephoto design is okay. Well, I have found a Tele-Arton 240/5.5, Linhof selection, in Compur 1, in a very nice shape (shutter working, glass flawless) - for $250, but there's a way to get it cheaper. Now I have a real headache - the "vintage lens data" on Schneider site says something unclear, like there was two versions of this lens, for 9x12 (perhaps for 4x5 too) and for 6x9 formats (http://www.schneideroptics.com/info...e_format_lenses/tele-arton/data/5.5-240mm.htm). The question is simple - how should I know what is the recommended format of that particular lens? It's rather big, like a normal LF lens should be - the rear element is about the same size as the frontal one... could it be 6x9, or it's a big version lens that I need?? By the way, what do you people think about it - would this lens be a good choice for LF portraiture (head+neck)? I don't have enough bellows' draw for anything else but tele, though What a strange issue with one lens versions

Cheers, and sorry if I'm sounding like a kind of retarded - Zhenya

 

[Dan Fromm]

Zhenya,

If you go here http://www.schneiderkreuznach.com/archiv/pdf/tele_obj_67.pdf you'll find that both versions take 49 mm filters, also that the 6x9 version's rear cell is 50 mm in diameter and the 9x12er's is 65 mm in diameter.

In the oldest .pdf on them there, Schneider says that the 6x9er is in a #1 shutter and that the 9x12er is in a #2 (I think). What shutter is your in?

As a rule, what covers 9x12 covers 4x5.

 

[df cardwell]

"As a rule, what covers 9x12 covers 4x5."
Yes, and it will be easier as you are working close.

From my own experience, I prefer a good ( Xenar, Symmar, etc. ) 210 to a Tele Arton. The magnification is not THAT different, but the 210 is MUCH easier to work with. Not to mention.... a better image.

A 250 Sonnar, or Tele Nikkor or new style Schneider, is a different story.

In any case, you a fine photographer and you'll do very well whichever way you go !

df

 

[Bill Mitchell]

Be careful about buying a lens in a #2 Compur shutter. It may not have any press-focus button, and will be a PITA to use.

 

[lenswork]

I had this very lens for years and used it with my Arca Swiss 6x9 monorail. Focussed at infinity, it had barely any movement at all before vignetting. It is definitely a lens only suitable for 6x9 when focussed at infinity. For closer portrait work, it might cover 4x5, but it would be very soft at the edges if it did manage to cover 4x5 completely.
Note also that the one I had was sharpest wide open and suffered more and more progressively from diffraction as I stopped it down. Past f/11 it was basically unuseable.
Hope this helps.
Brooks Jensen

 

[Tony Egan]

I have the version with the larger rear element (65mm) and it came with a Linhof 4x5 kit I bought a few months ago. It's a so-called "#2" shutter - 52.5mm opening required. I have only used it a few times so not qualified to rate it but here is a shot I took with it recently. Not that a low-res image is much to go by and I am probably easy to please at this stage of my LF journey. I have made a print which I am very happy with but it may be a touch soft as evidenced in the rock surface texture on the left.
(there was a url link here which no longer exists)

Confirm there is no focus button. Need to switch to T and back to shooting aperture. I do like the 13-blade aperture movement - almost perfectly circular.

 

[eumenius]

OOOOOOPS!

Hello friends,

thank you all for your detailed and nice answers! That's me who is a real jackass - today I've seen the lens under question, and you know what? It's LINHOF TELE-ARTON 250/5.6, mounted in Compur 1. So I've disinformed you all It's a rather modern and much improved lens, right? And it's designed apparently for 4x5'', so it should be very good for LF portraits? It's apparently single coated, and in a perfect state. Should I get it? I think yes, unless there's something really bad about it.

But I've spend today some money collected for the lens - as usual, another nice camera got in my viewsight A perfect mint Yashica-Mat EM, looking new and working like new So looks like I have to wait until my salary before I'm ready to get this Tele-Arton.

Cheers, and thank you again - Zhenya

 

[df cardwell]

.... It's LINHOF TELE-ARTON 250/5.6, mounted in Compur 1. ..... - Zhenya

The 250/5.6 is ' a horse of a different color' !

http://www.cameraeccentric.com/html/info/schneiderb/p6.html

It doesn't have much coverage at infinity, but it has a little room for movement. BUT it will be more than enough for close work. Well done !

don