Schneider Angulon 120mm f6.8

Is anyone familiar with this type of lens for use on 4x5? The one I am considering

is from around '57. It is pretty small (49mm filter), coated, and covers 211mm

at f16. So far it sounds good, but I read a comment in the archives about one

owner who thought it a little soft. I have not been able to turn up much on this

lens. Thanks.

My advice is to purchase a 121mm Super Angulon before purchasing the

120mm Angulon. The 121mm is the single-coated version, when compared

to the 120mm S.A. It costs maybe about $200 more than the Angulon,

since they typically go for about $550 on EBay. But, you get a

much better lens, with extreme movements for 4x5.

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I had the Angulon and upgraded to the 121mm. I would never go back,

nor do I see much need to upgrade to a multi-coated lens. (But, I'm

not a professional photographer, either.) The Angulon isn't as sharp

as the S.A., and it had a tendency to distort the image near the

edges, if you used the limited movements of which it was capable.

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I would add that my Angulon was in very good shape cosmetically, but

developed a fungus between the glass elements. They are old lenses.

I owned one for a while, actually a Linhof-branded version, so it was

supposedly a better example of the type. Very small and lightweight.

The quality was ok without movements, but when you used those 211mm

of image circle, it was rather soft in the edges. Also, if I recall

it right, the smallest opening was f/32, and since you needed f/22

with movements to get acceptable sharpness, it was only a 1 f-stop

range in reality. The circle of illumination is actually larger than

211mm.

Another alternative, definitely less bulky than the Super-A., is the

now discontinued Super-SymmarHM 120mm from Schneider. Quite sharp, and

less weight than its succesor, the 110mm XL, although a little longer.

It has about the same image circle as the old Angulon.

There's a 121 Super Angulon for sale the Midwest Photo for $499 -

it's in Compur shutter - and have no idea about the versions...

John,

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The 120mm Angulon covers 5x7 film with only a wee bit of movement, so they

have quite acceptable movements for a 4x5. Angulons are all single coated. I

purchased one about 9 months ago. I found my particular lens (1951) to have

decent resolution (55@ f/11, 55@ f/16, 45@ f/22 measured at center). I found

the quality of this lens acceptable for most of my B&W work, it is a bit less

sharp and constrasty than my 4 3/8" WA Dagor, but also much cheaper. If you

are looking for a cheap medium wide for a 4x5 I think this lens fits the bill.

I would also like to point out that the Angulon is MUCH smaller and

lighter than the S. Angulon.