manufacture
a range of lenses that rank amongst the most professional in the world
and
deliver
excellent image quality.
Now they have released the 50mm f/2.8 Super Angulon
and the 90mm
f/4.5 Makro Symmar
PC-TS
lenses for DSLRs and they are well worth
considering although they are expensive.
This is the type of lens that would suit Canon or Nikon 'Full Frame' DSLRs and especially those
cameras that have 'live view' that can be used for
precise focusing.
It is intended for serious work on a tripod and used
for the studio, macro, landscapes and architectural photography. I am not sure
if
Schneider will release a 35mm variant or even a wider version of this
particular range.
I like the 50mm variant and I know that wider lenses are preferred by
many photographers for landscape photography and I have used them myself
but these days there is a lot to be said for a lens that delivers an
image similar to the view from the human eye on a 'full frame' digital
sensor camera. The subject is not pushed to far back and not pulled to
near.
The bonus of using a 50mm for landscape work is that the 'finer details'
of distance in the background are more likely to be clearer in
definition and at 50mm there is a nice centre balance for the primary
subject and out of focus background shots. The 50mm lens
demands a tripod and is manufactured for manual photography with that in
mind. Likewise the 90mm offers that extra 'bite' into the landscape to
pull a 'cropped scene' out of the main scene without sensor pixel loss
and is a useful lens to have in the bag, albeit an expensive one.
You might say, what an expense for these
Schneider
DSLR lenses for landscape photography but remember if you purchased the
Schneider
50mm the 90mm, a midrange lightmeter and a Canon 5D MKII DSLR you would still
be cheaper than a 'Medium Format System' and you would probably have the
best image quality for landscapes that you could hope to achieve with
35mm photography - don't forget their pièce de
résistance the tilt and
swivel.
For example an Pentax 645D medium format digital sensor camera with a
standard
Pentax 55mm F2.8 AL [IF] SDM AW lens
costs £9,999.00 inclusive of VAT and delivery extra. A Canon 5D MKII
DSLR with the
Schneider
50mm, 90mm
PC-TS lenses and a
Sekonic L-758 digital
master
light meter costs £6,694.60 inclusive of VAT and
delivery extra. For more information on 645 photography - visit my
Medium Format Articles -
Pentax 645D and
Phase One.
With the new
PC-TS lenses, Schneider Kreuznach is giving creative DSLR photographers a tool which combines the speed and
spontaneity of the more manageable camera format with the versatility
and adjustability of the monorail camera.
They also
have front screw fitting for filters and can be used with the
Lee Filter system.
The video provides excellent information
but remember the lenses have no electronic contacts with any of the DSLRs
and each lens mount for Nikon, Canon and Pentax can be changed on the lens to suit the camera you are using. The lenses
are completely manual and to achieve 'optimum' exposure accuracy you will require a'
hand held' light meter which has been calibrated to the camera you are
using!
You can get more information and pricing from
Robert White in the UK but remember
to add VAT to the prices shown on their website.
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