What is the Prontor shutter all about?

[nick_rowan]

I currently have the option to purchase a Schneider Artar lens with a Prontor shutter. All my life I have used only Copal--and occasionally Compur--shutters. Can somebody please explain to me what the main differences are between these three shutters, and how the Prontor compares to Copal and Compur--in terms of accuracy, reliability, ease of use, overall quality, etc? Does the Prontor have any disadvantages or negative features? What is the "street word" on this shutter?

 

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Also, why does Schneider choose to offer its large-format lenses in

three different brands of shutters, instead of just one?

 

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Thank you.

 

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Nick Rowan

[dmin-99]

I believe the modern Prontor shutter is a self-cocking "press"-type

shutter (advantageous for "multiple-pops"). I remember seeing ads for

Prontor electronic shutters also, they have a unique sliding aperture

bar that can be seen from the back end of a camera. The modern

Prontors are expensive. The Artar is probably in an older Prontor

shutter, which I don't believe varies much from a Compur - although

I've read that reliability-wise the Compur is considered to be better.

[nick_rowan]

I should add that the lens in question is a late-vintage Schneider

Apo-Artar (360mm), manufactured circa 1990--so the Prontor shutter on

it is only about 10 years old.

 

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Nick Rowan

[william_levitt1]

There are 2 different Pronto shutters available, the Pronto and

the Pronto Pro. I believe information is available at the Schneider

Homepage. I would say that the Pronto Pro and the Copal are in

the same class, from both reliability and construction. The

Compur seems to be a construction in a whole other catagory.

[alpshiker]

Prontor shutters are made for the studio photographer. They have large scales and commands and are more

convenient to use, but are large and heavy too. Not the backpacker first choice.

[nick_rowan]

Thank you, Paul. I would be using the lens mostly in the field--so I

don't think this shutter is the right one for me.

 

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One more thing: the shutter is a Prontor Professional 3

[doug_paramore]

Nick: I think with the Artar you are going to be stuck with a large

shutter due to the design of the lens. The Artars are thicker through

the center than the Plasmat designs. This is a quality lens and

shutter and I believe you would find the setup an excellent picture-

taker. I am not trying to tell you what to purchase, but the weight

may well be balanced by the quality.

 

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Regards,

 

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Doug.

[nick_rowan]

Doug,

 

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Are you saying that I SHOULD get this lens? That the lens is big or

thick ANYWAY, and that the Prontor Professional 3 shutter is NOT going

to be much bigger or more cumbersome than say the Copal 3 or Compur 3-

-even in the field? What if I could buy the same lens in a Copal 3 or

Compur 3? Do you think that those shutters would NOT be better than

the Prontor Professional 3 for location use (mostly portraiture, in my

case)? I have been told that the Prontor Professional shutter also

requires a "control box" accessory, as well as, optionally, "cables"

or some such thing--and this makes it sound all rather complicated to

use. I like simplicity--although I do like the idea of a self-cocking

shutter, to be able to possibly shoot faster.

[doug_paramore]

Nick: The Artars are not all that big, but they do not get smaller in

the middle like the Symmars, for example. My choice would be a Copal

shutter, but all #3 shutters are fairly large. The worst problem I

can find with the Artar, if you plan to use it for location

portraits, is that the maximum opening is too small. My 19in. Artar

only opens up to f-11. I don't know the focal length of the one you

are considering. Another problem is that the Artar is so blazengly

sharp you will spend all your time retouching. Your portraits will

look like medical book examples of skin problems without a soft

filter. The Artars are wonderful for scenics and such where you are

looking for all the detail you can get. As much as I like my Artar, I

would look for another lens for portraits. In regards to shutters,

the Prontar is top of the line, but the Copal seems to operate better

for some reason (my opinion).

 

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Hope this helps,

 

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Doug.

[alpshiker]

Although I have never used one, I have been told that the Apo-Artars are very sharp lenses, comparable in

design and size to the Apo-Ronars. Certainly an excellent long lens for landscape too. Artar comes from

Graphic Arts, a lens primarely designed for repro. The Prontor Pro with it's central remote control unit is

unfortunately expensive and awkward for "on location" takings. An Apo Tele-Xenar 400/5,6 New Compact

version would maybe weigh not more than the Artar and control unit and it's cost would perhaps be

comparable to the Artar and the required new control unit?

[nick_rowan]

Doug, Thank you for your second reply, but I have already decided that

I DO want the (Schneider Apo) Artar as a portrait lens, precisely

because of its extra degree of sharpness: I WANT the portraits to look

clinical and merciless in their registering of detail. That said, the

thrust of my question really centered around the TYPE OF SHUTTER to

accept with this lens--a lens, I should emphasize, that would be used

mostly in the field--and whether a Prontor Professional 3 shutter,

specifically, would be a sound choice, given my shooting needs, or

whether I should wait to find the same lens in a COPAL or COMPUR

SHUTTER. Any further thoughts? I.e., what would you do if you were

in my position: buy the lens in a Prontor Professional 3 shutter, or

wait to find the same lens in a Copal or Compur 3?

[larry_huppert1]

The Prontor Professional is considered by some as better than Copal

Press shutters. I've heard that the internal mechanisms are very

good. Contrary to other posts, the expensive control box is not

required to use this shutter, however the control box makes it's use

easier. The control box lets you do things from the cable release

box which all of us normally do by reaching around and manually

adjusting a more pedestrian shutter such as a Copal Press (e.g. -

activating the preview lever, and I believe also previewing at the

selected aperture which is a cool feature for a press shutter). The

force required for tripping a Prontor shutter is much greater than a

Copal Press shutter. The control box cable release handles this

nicely, but you can also use any good industrial strength cable

release. You will struggle with wimpy cable releases with this

shutter. Needless to say, it's near impossible to trip a Prontor

Professional with any kind of low-pressure pneumatic cable release

currently known to the world.

[bob_salomon]

"The Prontor Professional is considered by some as better than Copal Press shutters."

 

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A Copal Press shutter is no where near as good, as versatile, as reliable, as vibration free as a

Prontor Professional.

 

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Prontor's equivelent to the Copal Press was the Prontor Press. A far inferior shutter to the

Prontor Professional.

 

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Also the Copal and Prontor Press shutters are hundreds of dollars less then a Prontor

professional 01s, 1s or 3s.

 

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Unfortunately they will most lokely cease to exist some time next year due to a 1000% price

increase by Zeiss for all shutters from prontor Werke including Prontor and Compur designs.

 

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This also led Copal to raise their prices to the lens manufacturers starting next year so lens

prices will rise some next year after the current crop of shutters are used up by the factories.

[qtluong]

I have one Prontor, and I cannot really recommend it.

 

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The Copal (like most shutters) have one on/off switch on the barrel

to close and open the lens at the set aperture.

The Prontor uses a second cable release to do this operation. This

release has three positions: lens closed, lens open at set aperture,

lens wide open. Sometimes, this is convenient, when you want to

keep your settings and switch often from viewing to taking

configurations. I find this second cable release to be a nuisance

in the field. If your other lenses are in Copal, it's easy to get

confused.

 

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The Prontor is bulkier, but being made mostly of plastic, it is

about the same weight as the copal (at least in #1).

 

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The Prontor has no T position, so you need a reliable locking

cable release to do the same function using its B position.

When your cable release wears down, sometimes you won't trigger

the shutter while you think you had.

 

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The prontor requires more force to release, and I suspect it

causes more vibration for this reason.

 

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Be sure to check the article on the main page about shutters.

[nick_rowan]

Tuan Luong,

 

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Thank you very much for your practical, concrete advice--you have led

me to conclude that the Prontor Professional shutter would probably

NOT be appropriate for my shooting needs, and, moreover, may actually

be a hindrance.

 

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Larry Huppert,

 

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Thank you, too.

 

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I continue to regard this forum as one of the finest places anywhere

to get information. Thank you, thank you, thank you.