Has anyone had or seen a super symmar XL 110 cammed for a Linhof Master Technika? This would be a wonderful lens for hand held reportage style photography (Weegee had to do without...).

I have e-mailed Linhof in Munich several times without any response...

-- Mark Nowaczynski (archivalprints@home.com), January 27, 2000

Answers

Check with Marflex in Pine Brook, NJ.

-- John Hicks (jbh@magicnet.net), January 27, 2000.

When you send email with questions to Linhof they save the questions and forward them to us for handling.

The last request for this information, which may have been from you, directed the poster to check with marflex as to the availability of a cam for the 110 lens. You can reach marflex at 973 808-9626.

-- Bob Salomon (bobsalomon@mindspring.com), January 27, 2000.

Only two months ago Mr. Solomon suggested (on this list) directing camming questions directly to Linhof:

"Please direct your camming question directly to Linhof in Munich or your local Linhof distributor regarding camming the 110mm lens. To this date this has not been done in the U.S. and no 110 cam exists. -- Bob Salomon (bob@hpmarketingcorp.com), November 26, 1999"

Is anybody at Linhof listening? Does anyone have an e-mail address of someone at Linhof that would be interested in seeing a 110 cam made?

-- Mark Nowaczynski (archivalprints@home.com), January 28, 2000.

As stated to you in private.

Contact marflex.

-- Bob Salomon (bobsalomon@mindspring.com), January 29, 2000.

Perhaps I didn't state it to you in private as my mail to you was returned today as undeliverable.

-- Bob Salomon (bobsalomon@mindspring.com), January 29, 2000.

Bob Salomon, the USA Linhof product manager since 1979 answered me as follows regarding the 110mm super-symmar XL: "No 110 cam exists. Contact Marflex and they will let you know what can be done. There is a cam for the 115 or the 120 (I don't have the list on the road with me). Marflex may be able to make that cam work. But there is no focusing scale for a 110 and a 115 or 120mm scale won't work."

After studying the MTF curves for various Schneider lenses (available online at www.schneideroptics.com) I no longer feel that the 110mm super symmar XL lens is a good choice for hand-held available light photography. The performance at f22 is indeed impressive but wide open it is not. The performance of the super-symmar HM 5.6/120mm and especially the apo-symmar 5.6/120mm are far better wide open, so I assume that they would also be better at f8, f11, etc. The super symmar HM 120mm has a much larger image circle (180mm at f5.6, 210mm at f22) than the apo-symmar 120mm (148mm at f5.6, 179mm at f22). The MTF curves for the 120mm apo-symmar are very impressive wide open, and at 200 grams I assume that this lens could be left on the camera when folded? The size of the image circle could be a problem... What do you think? Perhaps a 120mm and 210mm lens combo would be better (i.e. more versatile and portable) than a 90/135/210 or 75/135/210 combo?

I do not yet have the MTF curves for the Rodenstock 75/90/135/210 lenses but I assume they compare well to Schneider.

I have seen resolution tests for the above lenses on the internet, but there is more to lens quality and sharpness that just resolution...

I would be interested to hear your thoughts.

Regards from Toronto,

-- Mark Nowaczynski (archivalprints@home.com), January 31, 2000.