Please respond with feedback regarding Calumet's Caltar II lenses, specifically the 150 5.6 Symetrical. It is currently approx. $70 less than the Rodenstock S and $250 less than the Rodenstock E and the Schneider. Please let me know of your experiences, good or bad. Thanks, Ron

-- ron molk (ronmolk@earthlink.net), June 29, 2001

Answers

The Caltar II 150mm f5.6 Standard-Symmetrical is the exact same lens as the Rodenstock APO-Sironar-N. My Caltar came in a Rodenstock box. Between the other lenses I own, (a Caltar II 90mm f6.8 and a Fuji-A 240mm f9) I use the 150mm 75% of the time. Works great for me with landscapes.

-- Allan Fontanilla (allan@fontanilla.com), June 29, 2001.

Ron:

There are a couple of different 150mm Caltar II lenses on the new/used market. I own a 150mm Caltar II E, but you may also run into the II S. The 150 Caltar II E is a small, lightweight lens that might be a good choice for backpacking or any situation where weight is critical. The lens is a Tessar design reportedly made by Rodenstock (see the following link for more information: http://hv.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id=005669

My lens performs well, although I seldom use it in the field. The problem, I suspect, is simply that I'm not a big fan of the 150mm focal length. For whatever reason (personal or technical), I normally shoot with either a 90 mm wide angle or 210 mm.

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-- Dave Willison (dwillisart@aol.com), June 29, 2001.

-- DK Thompson (kthompson@moh.dcr.state.nc.us), June 29, 2001.

Maybe I can get this right this time....

We don't have the 150, but we do have a 210 and a 90 Caltar. The 210 is a great lens and has been very reliable, one of our main lenses really. The 90, is one of the slower ones--f9 I think, and it's a little bit of a dog....poor coverage really, but that's another story. We have 2 150s (G-Clarons) and these live on our copy cameras. The Caltars are a good value, but I prefer the longer lengths for shooting as well.

-- DK Thompson (kthompson@moh.dcr.state.nc.us), June 29, 2001.

Thanks for the replys to my Caltar II question. I ordered a new one from Calumet. It came in a Rodenstock box and it is a Caltar II-N. It is small and light weight. I''ll give it a try. Ron

-- ron Molk (ronmolk@earthlink.net), July 07, 2001.