Schneider Radionar 2.9/80 on Balda Baldax

[garvey_p]

I am curious if anyone out there is shooting with any of the old

Radionar equipped folders. There seem to be plenty of cameras made

with this lens. I recently bought a Balda Baldax 6x6 and am awaiting

the return of a couple of test rolls I shot over the weekend, but I

am curious what results others have had with this lens or similar

ones (i.e., other Radionars). Mine has the red triangle, which I

gather from earlier posts means that it has some kind of coating on

the lens. I believe my camera was made in 1953, using the lens dates

on the Schneider website.

 

Has anyone here bothered to do any resolution tests or the like? I

don't have the equipment or the gumption to do it myself, and I

figured that there's no reason to reinvent the wheel...so I'd love to

hear what knowledge is out there.

 

FWIW, this is my first folder and have enjoyed the experience so far

(even without seeing how the pictures came out). I am starting to

see why there are so many folder enthusiasts. The compactness of the

camera makes it easy to take anywhere, and I don't have to worry

about it, because it is extremely replaceable (if need be).

 

Also, I have a question about the aperture settings. The camera is

able to stop down well past the f22 mark. Any ideas how to gauge

what the smalled stop might be, or should I just forget it and never

go past 22?

 

Thanks,

Garvey

[tor_kviljo1]

Hello Garvey

 

As I recall it, the Radionar is a rather simple design (triplet I think), and were used on the less expensive cameras. In more recent times, Radionar-lenses (114mm focal-length I think) have been used in quadruple-montage on the Dutch Cambo/polaroid passport-picture cameras. I have never seen any tests on this lens, as it probably was not produced or at least not commonly made for large-format/professional cameras (the Xenar (4-element design) were probably the least espensive lens Schneider produced for LF cameras at that time). I would have done a test myself and - among other - tested resolution on the "beyond-22" mark. You might find that resolution drops dramaticly beyond that point (diffraction related)

[jeremy_keller]

Dear Garvey,

 

I used the 2.9 Schneider Radionar for the better part of a decade in every corner of Europe. The lens was mounted on a Franka Solida III. Provided that it was stopped down to f11 it gave really fine B&W results, easily enlargeable up to 11" x 14".

 

While I never conducted a formal lens test, the Schneider beat every 2.8 Zeiss Tessar that I tested it against--disappointing, because I preferred the Zeiss Super Ikonta given its rangefinder. Having to rely on depth of field below ca. 30 feet was the camera's only weak point.

 

Enjoy your Schneider! I'm in the hunt for something similar.

[richard_srienz]

Garvey, I use folders also, and I have a Franka Solida II and a Solida III with the Radionar. Personally I prefer other lenses at folders - like the Color Solinar (Agfa Super Isolette) or the Color Skopar (Voigtlander Perkeo II). Both are Tessar types. For what I know, the Radionar is a Triplet. But you can get good and sharp results also if you stop down to f8 or more, or use it within it's limits and get some soft landscapes or portraits wide open. You can have a lot of fun with folders like this, but use a lens shade.

I think, for using folders, it's most important that the film plane and the lens board are parallel and that the lens board is sturdy. Then you can get good results with triplets also. Again, use a lens shade.

The Radionars I have are f2.9/80mm also, in Prontor SVS shutters, and do not close down past f22.

[andrew_schank]

I also have the coated Radionar on a Franka 6X9 camera. The lens has good sharpness and color at the smaller apertures for distant shots, making it a nice compact 6X9 landscape shooter. F16 is probably the sharpest taking aperture for edge to edge sharpness, but 8 and 11 are useable on mine as well. For shots in the 3 to 10 feet range, the quality suffers noticeably and this is often the case with many of the less expensive folders. The front cell focus design and lack of a rangefinder lead to many missed shots in the closer range. This also makes a regular resolution chart rather uselss as a way of testing these cameras, as you'll be testing them at their worst spot.

[garvey_p]

"The front cell focus design and lack of a rangefinder lead to many missed shots in the closer range."

 

Would this problem clear up a bit if I used a rangefinder? Or is the problem bigger than that (i.e., the 5 ft. marking isn't really focusing at five feet)?

 

Garvey