Schneider-Kreuznach's APO-DIGITAR 5.6/120mm
A test report by still life photographer Richard Fischer, BFF/BBK
 

Every professional photographer has to come to grips with professional digital photography sooner or later. In my case (as probably for many others) it was later. I resisted this development for a long time. All the tried and tested is suddenly questioned. Experience, accumulated over many years, is suddenly no longer relevant. Everything is simply thrown over; or so you think.

BUntil you actually dare to try it out. Usually encouraged by a seminar you have sporadically taken part in (out of pure curiosity, naturally). And then there it is. The "small" professional large format camera. Connected up to a Mac. A length of cable runs from the lens over to the "brain", the workstation, the computer. You take a shy, uncertain look at this new equipment, tip-toeing around the new technology. At the rear, obviously: the digital back, the Eyelike from Jenoptik. But what has changed at the front? Is it all still what I am used to? Then I make eye contact: the lens! But what has happened to my trusted release cable ?

Well, there is some relearning to do. The shutter is now released using the mouse. So that's how it's done. Let's have a look at how it all works. After a few demonstrations on the set you gradually realise what a huge time-saving it means. I worked out that I can save about 10,000 km in lab trips per year alone! What a saving in terms of travel expense and time! 

Once I have got my new system set up properly, then locked myself in and practised taking shots, work becomes so much easier! However, the key is to make sure that all the elements harmonise with each other. In the process, I have established that the lens I work with is decisive if I want to retain my customary quality. As a still life photographer I was extremely satisfied with the large format lenses from Schneider-Kreuznach, so let's see how they get along in the digital world. Can the lenses focus just as sharply as the tried and tested analog versions ?

I tested this thoroughly with a difficult photographic series on endangered flowers and blossoms. For this series it was important to obtain excellent results as quickly as possible. Long, drawn-out trial runs were not an option. Living, threatened flowers are not easily replaced. Usually there is just one single specimen available for photography. That means I have to work quickly, cleanly and perfectly.

In this series I expanded into macro photography, with the
Apo-Digitar 5.6/120 M from Schneider-Kreuznach allowing me to take a very close look at it. In all areas of the distance parameters given (from tabletop to 1:3 image scale) this lens distinguishes itself
as an excellent workhorse. By the time I have got the fine details of individual petals, stolons and pistils in focus and set up my Scheimpflug, the rare specimens are already beginning to wilt! Despite the dimmable pilot lights and built-in ventilators, the studio light is simply too warm. Even cooling the photo studio down to a low temperature does not help. My exotic, rare flower models are just too sensitive.

JNow everything has to move quickly. Before the flower gives up the ghost, the picture must be lit, brightened, composed and photographed perfectly, sharply and brilliantly. It is therefore essential that I can rely on the lens. (Incidentally, the same applies to food photography.) Fortunately, I see the photo immediately. On my Fogra-compliant monitor I can instantly see every bit of blur, light that is too diffuse or too harsh, and poor image composition. This lens is reliable, cleanly reproducing all the details. No aberrations, and colours (naturally assuming a regularly calibrated screen) are portrayed realistically. With optimised edge definition, the Apo-Digitar modulates every detail clearly and sharply, also with available light used for 20 years, unbelievably neutral and three-dimensional, even within the shift limits. With such precise reproduction I simply cannot afford to make any mistakes. Here I am required as a photographer to employ all my technical know-how. Nevertheless, I do not have the feeling that this restricts my creativity. Not at all. On the contrary, the precision is inspiring, clearing my mind and clearing the path for new perspectives.

When you take a look at this lens, you ask yourself how on earth is this possible? The diameter of the lens is just slightly larger than a 2 euro coin! Accord-
ingly, it doesn't weigh much either. The perfect solution for my 6 x 9 Plauble view camera. Quite uncompli-
cated, not an "unwieldy machine", therefore also easy to operate and adjust. With the fully electronic shutter, mouse-controlled aperture, speed and shutter release, there is no chance of my accidentally touching the elaborate coating with fingers soiled from handling living plants.

After all, I work for the most critical of all clients in the visualising worlds: manufacturers of printing ink and printing machines, lithographic printing offices, publishers of large format calendars, concerns with products (Made in Germany) sold worldwide. Materials such as structured metal, pale, roughened plastics of all kinds, glossy lacquered white surfaces, even in critical areas such as high key (white on white in the printed image); the Apo-Digitar reproduces extremely well everywhere, reliably and consistently. My Schneider Optics has now become the digital standard lens. It faithfully provides me with a robust and precise service every day.

  Richard Fischer, BFF/BBK

Personal data

Born in 1951 in Manila as the grandson of an architect (buildings in Germany, China, Philippines) and the son of an engineer. International School De La Salle in Manila. Moved to Europe in 1963. Trained at business schools and studied design at the Mannheim University of Applied Sciences and at the Academy for Photography in Munich. First own photo studio in Hamburg in 1978. Member of the Association of Freelance Photo Designers (BFF) and the Federal Association of Artists of the Fine Arts (BBK). Various major projects, exhibitions and awards.