Horseman SW 135mm Lens unit Review

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wilash's Review of Horseman SW 135mm Lens unit Medium Format Camera

30th Jul 2004

Overall Rating

0.5 stars
  • Value for money
    0.5 stars
  • Photograph Quality
    0.5 stars
  • Ease of Use
    2.5 stars
  • Time Camera Owned
    Between 1 - 4 Weeks
  • Features
    1.5 stars
Good Points

Sharp.


Bad Points

Cannot illuminate 6x12 film area.


General Comments

This is a review of the new Horseman SW 135mm Lens Unit using the Rodenstock Sironar-S that was introduced in the summer of 2004. This lens is used with the Horseman SW612 and SW612 Pro 6x12 panoramic cameras. It is a replacement for the SW 135mm Lens Unit that uses the Rodenstock Sironar-N.

This is a defective lens. The cone the lens is mounted in prevents the 6x12 image area from being fully illuminated. Vignetting is worst at the minimum focus distance but it is obvious at infinity as well. The rear of the lens unit is simply too small.

Horseman is aware of this defect and told me it could not be fixed when I returned my lens to be fixed. Horseman told me they decided to used the cone designed for the old 135mm Sironar-N lens unit even though they knew it would vignette the image area. I certainly don't expect this in a professional product as expensive as the SW 135mm Lens Unit nor do I expect it from a manufacturer such as Horseman.

If you shoot full frame, this lens is a complete disappointment. If you don't mind cropping the image area to eliminate the vignetting, the lens will produce sharp images. But why has Horseman decided which part of the image area I can use as well as limiting me from working with the full frame? (The vignetting is not even centered. One corner is vignetted more than the others!) This lens is not for professionals or those who demand complete control over their images.

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