Out of all the tube lenses I’ve tested over the last few years the Schneider Componon-S 5.6/100 (CPNS100) comes in about midpack, the CA correction is not the best but that sharpness is decent and the price is right. The CPNS100 is easy to find on the used market, and the prices are very reasonable, I’ve paid $15-30 for the samples I have, including $15 for the lens above with a mild case of lens cement failure (sometimes called Schneideritis). For the cost, the Componon-S 5.6/100 is pretty easy to recommend for use as a tube lens.
Due to the slow maximum aperture I’ve never tried this lens as a taking macro lens, but online reviews seem to be pretty favorable overall.
Componon-S 5.6/100 QUICK REVIEW
What I like
-Small compact size
-Excellent performance value as a tube lens
-Good availability on the used market
-Good range of iris mounts
Things I am disappointed with
-Aperture shape with the 5-blade iris
Things I don't need
-lens cement delamination (Schneideritis) is common with this model
-Schneider lens cells are normally only hand-tightened so they can tend to loosen over time.
Componon-S 5.6/100 Variants
The CPNS100 can be found in at least 4 different mounts, and probably more. The most common being the enlarger lens body (BLV-L), the larger B-0 iris body and the extra-large B-3 mount body, the Makro iris (B-V) is the latest and seems to be the least common type. The enlarger lens and Makro Iris body type are small enough to thread inside the 52mm lens tubes that I use in my SM2 studio setup.
All of the four of these types of CPNS100 tend to have lens cement failure (also called Schneideritis), that does not seem to cause any issues with image quality. Not all CPNS100 lenses have this issues, out of the 4 lenses I have of this type, two are defect-free, one has a mild case, and one has a moderate case.
Schneider Componon-S 5.6/100 Macro Lens in the BLV-L iris mount
Schneider Componon-S 5.6/100 Macro Lens
Enlarger lens iris mount BLV-L
Part number: 14022
Iris: 5-blade
Focal length: 102.3mm
Image circle: 108mm
Filter threads: M43 x 0.75
Mounting threads: Leica-Mount, M39 x 26tpi
Notes: easy to find on the used market. Front element is more shrouded than the other types, causing issues with corner shading. The lens above has a light case of cement delamination (Schneideritis)
Schneider Componon-S 5.6/100 Macro Lens in the B-0 iris mount
Schneider Componon-S 5.6/100 Machine vision
BK-0 iris mount
Part number: 12720
Iris: 5-blade
Focal length: 102.3mm
Image circle: 108mm
Filter threads: M43 x 0.75
Mounting threads: M32.5x0.5
Notes: easy to find and the mount is all metal. The lens above is what a moderate case of lens cement failure (Schneideritis) looks like.
Schneider Componon-S 5.6/100 Macro Lens in the B-3 iris mount
Schneider Componon-S 5.6/100 Machine vision
B-0 extra large iris mount
Focal length: 102.3mm
Image circle: 108mm
Filter threads: M40.5 x 0.5 and M50 x 0.75
Mounting threads: Leica-Mount, M39 x 26 TPI
Notes: this model has an extra large body but uses the same #0 threads as the B-0 bodies. This lens is 100% free of lens cement issues (Schneideritis).
Schneider Componon-S 5.6/100 Macro Lens in the B-V iris mount
Schneider Componon-S 5.6/100-0022 V-mount Macro Lens
Makro Iris, B-V iris mount
Part number: 34142
Focal length: 102.3mm
Image circle: 108mm
Filter threads: M37 x 0.75
Mounting threads: V38 mount. The lens above is pictured with a RafCamera V38 to M42 x 1.0mm thread adapter.
Notes: This version is the least common. The lens hood is removable to completely un-shroud the front of the lens, and the lens has a locking aperture ring. This lens sample has a very light case of lens cement delamination (Schneideritis)
Image quality sample at 2.9x
Click on the image below to view a larger version in a Lightbox viewer. The size of the image sent to your device is based on the screen size. To see an image in a new browser tab, right click, or two-finger press, and select Open in a New Tab or New Window from the menu. The full size image will be 2500px across and have 2500w at the end of the image URL. If the image size is anything smaller you can easily change the number to 2500 manually and press enter to bring up the largest image. You can also right click, or two-finger press, and select Save Image As to save the image.
For a cost of only $15, the 5.6/100 Componon-S makes some very clean and sharp images, as you can see in the sample above, made with the Componon 4/35 at 2.9x. Some versions like the BLV-L enlarger lens body seem to have more issues with corner shading but that is usually just an issue with front element being slightly more shrouded than the other body types. The Makro-Iris B-V body doesn’t seem to any of the same issues.
2.9x Test Setup
Front lens: Schneider Componon 4/35 lens reverse mounted
Rear lens: Schneider Componon-S 5.6/100 lens normally mounted focused at infinity
Stacked lens nominal test aperture: f/2.8
Stacked lens effective test aperture: f/8.2
Camera: Sony α6300, model # ILCE-6300, also known as: A6300
Sensor size: APS-C 23.5 × 15.6 mm. 28.21 mm diagonal. 3.92 micron sensor pitch
Flash: Godox TT350s wireless flash x 2 with one Godox X1s 2.4G wireless flash transmitter
Vertical stand: Nikon MM-11 with a Nikon focus block
For this test a stack of images was made with 2 micron steps, and was repeated for each aperture. The sharpest frame was then chosen using Photoshop at 100% actual pixel view. Separate images were selected for center, edge, and corner if needed. Each image was processed in PS CC with identical settings with all noise reduction and lens correction turned off, all settings were zeroed out (true zero) and the same settings were used for all of the images.
WHAT IS A TUBE LENS?
Tube lenses are used in a stacked lens configuration (also called coupling lenses). This is a technique where you mount a lens in reverse on a second lens, usually a telephoto lens mounted normally, that can deliver excellent results. With the rear lens set to infinity focus and with the front lens reverse mounted there is no loss of light due to extension so you have the potential to resolve more than a since a wider aperture has the potential for higher resolution. Ideally the tube lens will not add any chromatic aberrations to the image from the front lens. Some tube lenses, when stacked, can eliminate or greatly reduce chromatic aberrations.
MORE INFORMATION ON the CPN-S 5.6/100
Lens data notes: the MTF graphs on these data sheets are all computer generated. All the different versions of this lens have identical optics. Schneider Componon-S lenses have the optical design as the later APO-Digitar lenses but in the case of the Componon-S 5.6/100, the APO-Digitar lens does have slightly different gaussian data (lens optical design) according to Schneider. Since the Componon-S 5.6/100 has a generous 56 x 80mm sensor, where the APO-Digitar version is optimized for a 63 x 63mm sensor.
The Vivitar VHE 100MM 1:5.6
Over the years the Vivitar company sold private label optics made by different manufacturers, including the high-end VHE line of enlarging lenses which were made by Schneider, that includes the 5.6/100, which is just a rebadged Componon-S. Although the Vivitar VHE 100MM 1:5.6 lens that I own doesn’t look like a Componon-S lens, even when compared side-by-side, they share the same optics and lens cells. Trust me, I checked. The VHE lens I have is complete with a Schneider serial number and a mild case of Schneideritus.
The size difference of the iris housings creates an optical illusion, the cells are all exactly the same size and thread mounts between the three iris mounts, even though they don’t look it. All of the lens cell in the three different iris mounts above use the same #0 mount, with M29.5 x 0.5mm threads.
This is good to know if you are having problems finding a clean Componon-S, since the VHE lenses are often easier to find for a much lower cost, I believe I paid $29 for a clean VHE 5.6/100 that you see in the image above. The cells unthread easily and will re-install in any Componon-S B-0 or B-0 XL housing (you can see these two iris types above).
The lower price on the VHE lens is ironic since the Vivitar lens feels more luxurious and better put together than the Componons. This applies to the 5.6/100 VHE only, I have not checked the other VHE lenses like the 50, 135, or 150mm, but I believe these also rebadged Componons.
Schneideritis?
This is a common term that refers to lens cement delamination on the blackened outer edge of the lens elements in older Schneider lenses. This issue is not in the optical path so at the very worst it might make the lens more susceptible to flare, but in the real world I’ve never seen any negative effects on image quality, so it’s pretty much a cosmetic issue. For some reason the problem is more common with CPN 5.6/100 lenses than others, but it is possible to find samples without any issues.
Links for more info on the CPN-S 5.6/100 Lens
Data sheet PDF on the Componon-S 5.6/100 directly from Schneider optics:
https://schneiderkreuznach.com/download_file/force/432/1085
The Componon-S 5.6/100 Makro Iris lens is available new at Edmund Optics:
https://www.edmundoptics.com/p/componon-f56-100mm-focal-length/17672/
The Componon-S 5.6/100 for sale at BHphoto:
The CPN-S 5.6/100 at Adorama: