I'm looking for the longest, sharpest shuttered tele lens for my 2X3 Century...perhaps a 240....

1) Is it correct that 240 tele will work with the short bellows?

2) What is the relative merit of tele- Xenar Vs Optar Vs Arton? Favorites?

3) Is an Arton simply a Linhof Xenar? Does "Linhof" actually mean better optics?

4) Will a 240 Tele Arton fit Century lensboard/standards?

Quote:

On 2005-03-14 08:14, djon wrote: I'm looking for the longest, sharpest shuttered tele lens for my 2X3 Century...perhaps a 240.... 1) Is it correct that 240 tele will work with the short bellows? 2) What is the relative merit of tele- Xenar Vs Optar Vs Arton? Favorites? 3) Is an Arton simply a Linhof Xenar? Does "Linhof" actually mean better optics? 4) Will a 240 Tele Arton fit Century lensboard/standards?

I'm ashamed to reply in considerable ignorance.

AFAIK, a 240 TeleArton should work on a Century. But read on.

I don't have the experience to have a favorite. But I do know that a 250 mm or so process lens on a couple of inches of LTM extension tubes in front of a #1 shutter will focus usefully closer than infinity on a Century. I use a 10.16"/10 Cooke Copying Lens, a tessar type; that's why I'm selling my Tele-Optar. Also, Rodenstock's propaganda insists that an Apo-Ronar will produce better image quality than the equivalent tele lens.

The Vade Mecum says "Now a new telephoto name appears, and this is always a 5-glass type as far as can be seen, but the design can vary. It is in general an improvement on the good TeleXenar. One reason for the varying design seems to be the size of the rear glass in some lenses, (240/270mm) where a small version was made for 6x9 as the cameras would not accommodate the 5x4 one." The TeleXenar is a classic telephoto lens, the Xenar is a tessar type.

"Linhof selected" means ok optics. Perhaps better than the worst Schneider shipped, but not necessarily better than a lens Linhof never saw.

Not sure, but it might. There were two sizes of Tele-Arton, the smaller went in #1 and that will go on a 2x3 Pacemaker board, the larger is in #2 and may be a problem. Also, neither's rear cell will pass through a 2x3 Pacemaker's front standard, not a problem since the rear element can be attached from the rear after the board is on the camera. See http://www.schneiderkreuznach.com/archiv/pdf/tele_obj_67.pdf, also http://www.schneiderkreuznach.com/archiv/pdf/fachoptik.pdf

Hope this helps, if not just buy my TeleOptar,

Dan

I bought your Tele Optar, would be pacing back and forth next to the mailbox except I think you're sending it UPS...
...and it's Sunday anyway :-}

Well this seems to be a little late, but I just got yet a different variation on the Tele-Arton. this is a 240 f5.5 but the rear cell is VERY small, say 1" dia (rather than the 2" Schneider specs out) and the whole thing is only 4.5" tall.

Now mine's in barrel so it would be painful to use on a Century, but physically it would fit.

Quote:

On 2005-03-14 08:14, djon wrote: I'm looking for the longest, sharpest shuttered tele lens for my 2X3 Century...perhaps a 240.... 1) Is it correct that 240 tele will work with the short bellows? 2) What is the relative merit of tele- Xenar Vs Optar Vs Arton? Favorites? 3) Is an Arton simply a Linhof Xenar? Does "Linhof" actually mean better optics? 4) Will a 240 Tele Arton fit Century lensboard/standards?

Here's an alternative: Get a 240 mm +/- process lens and spend some money at skgrimes to have it front mounted on a #1 shutter. Measure first. Adapted to M39x1 (Leica thread), with a female M39x1-to-male M40x0.75 (#1 shutter) may be better with a Century.

I suggest this because I've replaced my 250 TeleOptar with a 10.16"/9 Taylor Hobson Copying Lens that hangs on some E. Leitz NY extension tubes a couple of inches out in front of a #1. Mounted that way it focuses usefully close on my Century. But you'll have to get a #1 shutter, ELNY tubes, pay the machine shop, ...

Perhaps not worth doing unless you intend to hang other lenses on the shutter and have other uses for the adapters. I have the other lenses and adapters, so after the 10.16"/9 arrived all I did was put the pieces together.

Many are the ways to use improbable lenses on 2x3 Graphics.

Cheers,

Dan