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 What is a Variogon?
„Variogon" is the  brand name
for a vario-lens made by "Jos. Schneider
Optische Werke GmbH". But what is a vario-lens?
It is a lens that has no fixed focal length and can be changed by the
user with certain limitations. This is accomplished without having to
bring the image of the subject into focus again and again each time the
focal length is changed. A lens of this kind is also known as a zoom
lens.
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Fig. 1: Optical and mechanical competence in
construction and production:
Cross section of the 30-fold zoom-lens Variogon 1.8 / 6 - 180
mm for Super-8mm narrow-gauge film |
Vario-lenses were
already under development at Schneider-Kreuznach by the mid-50s.Because of our extensive
experience in optical calculation, construction, and full-scale serial
production, the vario-lenses were found in a wide range of
applications:
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For television ( TV-Variogon ) and
surveillance
cameras
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in the still photography ( single-lens reflex cameras
) - here again in the
35 mm and medium-format
sector
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for enlargers in the darkroom ( Betavaron )
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for variable still projection (
Vario-Cine-Xenon )
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in various OEM applications for designed
specifically for certain customers,
e.g., in printing, scanning and reproduction
technology (Variomorphot ).
In the most recent
technical innovation in photography, digital photography, the
Variogon has also assumed a position of importance. As an
integrated lens with variable focal length, it finds use in the series
of various zoom digital cameras of our co-operation partners.
The following list
offers a short historical retrospective, together with background
information about the "Variogon"-lens in its extremely
widely varied areas of use:
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