Linhof 617sIII + super symmar XL 110/5.6 - image problems

[mosadek_miah]

Hi all,

 

I have just acquired a Linhof Technorama 617SIII with the Schneider

Super Symmar 110/5.6 XL lens via a custom-made Granview lens cone and

adaptor. I also have the 180/5.6 and 400/5.6.

 

My images with the 110/5.6 are sharp in the centre, but noticeably

blurry/soft/out of focus away from the centre, ie. only the central

third of the image is acceptably sharp.

 

I use a centre ND filter on front. My images with the other lenses

are fine.

 

What could be causing this???

Any advice/thoughts from panoramic / large format lens users

appreciated.

 

Mosadek Miah

email: mosadekmiah@hotmail.com

[bob_salomon]

Sounds like a very bad lens or a very bad repair job.

 

The currently avaailable lenses for the 617 III includes the 72, 90, 180 and

250. This problem has never been reported before.

 

Why not just use the 90mm?

[michael_yuen]

Did you shoot it wide open? Like most large format lenses, they should be used with f22 or smaller to get the best results. By the way the 110XL is a great lens for the Linhof 617. If I were buying the camera, I would go for the 110XL too.

[Troll]

You've probably got a problem with film flatness -- 120 is infamous for it. Try a roll of 220, and don't let it sit in the camera more than a few minutes because it will develop a "curl" at the ends of the film aperture. You may have to shoot at f:22 (or more) to get the entire film plane withing the depth of focus.

[deardorff8x10]

I use a 100xl on a 5x7 camera with no problem. Either there is a problem with the lens or mounting (maybe it there is a font "swing" out of alignment).

 

Michael

[george_jiri_loun]

I would be careful to condemn your camera because it uses 120 film...

I have the Linhof Technorama 617 and I have been using 120 film for over 10 years with no problem at all. I second the opinion that the custom made cone or the adaptor creates the problem.

[robert_lyons]

check out the lens mount first and then the lens second. it could be

that you have a bad lens or more likely the lens mount is not correct.

you should be able to shoot the lens at f8 or f11 and get a sharp

image. i had a handmade 6x9 w/a super angulon on it and though the

machining was precise the lens needed to be "shimmed" when it was

mounted to get it sharp. having used both the linhof and fuji 617's i

can say they are very sharp and made extremely well - rare to have

film flatness pr

[ellis_vener_photography]

<I>"You've probably got a problem with film flatness -- 120 is

infamous for it. Try a roll of 220, and don't let it sit in the camera

more than a few minutes because it will develop a "curl" at the

ends of the film aperture.'</I><P>Neither has been a problem in

my experience using 120 or 220 film in several 6x17 cameras:

the Fuji G617, the Linhof 617S or the V-Pan 617. And if 120 was

indeed "infamous or this it would have been abandoned by

professionals as a viable format long ago.<P> As to the other

problems Mosadek is having I really suspect that he is not

stopping down to at least f/16. F/16 to f/22.5 is the prime aperture

range for virtually all of the view camera lenses I have used. It

could also be a problem with the lens cone. Who built it? i can

think of several reasons for not wanting to use the 90mm over

the 110mm but all of them are creative or aesthetic reasons,

none technical.

[brian_ellis3]

It helps to read the question. He says the problem exists only with the 110 mm lens, his images when using his other two lenses are fine. It would odd, to say the least, for a film flatness problem to exist only when using one particular lens.

[upscan]

Mosadek: The camera is no better than the cones. The cones have to be made with great precision so that the image will in precise focus. I am talking about very small dimensions. It seems to me the lens adapter is the culprit. I would take the camera back and get another lens adapter, but you will only know that the new one is OK after you do tests. You have a fine piece of glass mounted on a donkey! Get a horse.

[Troll]

Please ignore my suggestion. I seem to have been way off base. Bill

[mosadek_miah]

Hi Guys,

 

Thanks for the suggestions.

 

I always shot at f/16.5 to f/32, so being too wide open shouldn't have been the culprit.

 

The lens cone is made by GRANVIEW in California. For those who are unfamiliar with them, they make adaptors and cones which allow use of any large format lens on the Fuji and Linhof 6x17 cameras, and the adapters also allow for some rise and fall (which I never used!).

 

The adapters and cones are quite pricey.

 

I will write to Granview regarding this problem.

I am in Sydney, Australia, so I may have some difficulty getting the thing fixed/replaced by them!

 

Mosadek

[felipe_sangines1]

The culprit might be an inaccuracy in the mounting of the

two lens groups on the shutter. Manufacturers use thin

metal shims to keep the two lens groups at a distance

within tolerances. Missing of those shims might cause the

bad image quality towards the corners.