Schneider Componon 2.8/50 Makro-Iris lens

This is the industrial strength version of the well known Componon-S 2.8/50 (CPNS50) lens. There are a few types of the 2.8/50 Componon-S lens, all are made by the Schneider Optische Werke in Germany. This lens is really easy to find on used market and with the good supply, the prices are very low, I must own at least 7 or 8 of these lenses in different iris mounts.

2022 Update

Earlier this year Schneider has revised the naming system for the entire V38 lens line renaming the Componon-S 2.8/50 Makro-Iris lens as the PYRITE 2.8/50 V38. Only the label has changed, the two are optically and mechanically identical.

Update, February 21, 2020:

This test has been updated with an added section on some new information that I discovered last night, the older Componon-S uses a 5 element design, this is different than the current 6 element design. This explains the large performance gap between the older and newer lenses!

All of the lenses in this post were purchased without any discount or commission from anyone, this test does not contain any affiliate links, ads or visitor tracking as there are on commercial for-profit lens review sites.

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Schneider Optics Awesome Customer Service
A couple of years ago I picked up a Schneider V-mount extension tube and a few various V-mount parts on eBay. The tube included lens without any label installed inside one end of the tube. The lens was in perfect shape but is was missing the lens hood, Schneider calls it a shroud, which is printed with the lens name. I called the Schneider office in Los Angeles to find out about a replacement shroud and the customer service rep was nice enough to send me a new shroud free of charge and even including a new lens cap. Now that is customer service!

Componon-S 2.8/50 QUICK Review

V38 mount
43mm diameter image circle
Locking aperture ring
Vibration resistent
Best performance Azimuth mark
M37 x 0.75 filter threads
Best suited for APS-C sensors

What I like:

Good center sharpness
Very easy to find on the used market
Easy to mount in normal or reverse
Very good performance value
All metal mount and body
Thread locking compound used on the lens cells

Don't like so much:

The older Componon-S 2.8/50 lens uses a 5 element design
5 blade iris
CA correction

Schneider Componon-S 2.8/50 Makro-iris lens

TECHNICAL DETAILS
Schneider Componon-S 2.8/50

Part number: 14796
Type: Machine vision
Focal length: 50mm
Aperture: 5 blades
Optical Design: 6 elements in 4 groups
Magnification range: -0.1, range according to SK is 1:20 - 1:1
Coverage: 43mm
Mount: V38.
Normal or reverse mounting: Reverse for anything over 1x
Front filter threads: M37 x 0.75

Basic V38 mount Lens set-up

Schneider-50-componon-S-V-mount-on-D500-2017-Robert-OToole-Photography

With the V-mount system there are never any loose mis-matching threads or sizes and the components are quick and easy to set up and rock solid.

Camera mount adapter: Novoflex Nikon F-mount to 39mm
V-mount adapter: SchneiderV-mount to 39mm
Extension tube: Schneider 75mm V-mount extension tube.

Componon-S 2.8/50 Iris mounts

These are the most common types of CPNS50 iris mounts on the used market. The Makro-Iris and preset iris mounts have the best performance azimuth position marked and the the lens cells are locked in place with a thread locking compound. Schneider uses two optical designs for the Componon-S, current and late model lenses use a 6 element 4 group design but older lenses use a less desirable 5 element, 4 group design.

Schneider-Componon-S-50mm-f2.8-Makro-Iris-lens-www-Closeuphotography-com.jpg

Schneider Componon-S 50mm f/2.8 B-V Mount
Makro Iris body
Schneider part number: 14796
Also known as:
BK-MAKRO CPN-S
Componon-S 2.8/50-0018
Filter threads: M37 x 0.75
Optical Design: 6 elements in 4 groups
Iris: 5 blade
Mount: V38
Notes: Best performance azimuth position marked with the red dot. Lens cells are secured with thread-locking compound. The B-V mount uses large size #0 cells. Optimized for 0.1x magnification. These are easy to find on the used market for very low prices, that is less than $100 new, sealed in plastic and in still the box.

Schneider-Componon-S-50mm-f2.8-BKV-L-lens-with-Printing-Nikkor-105A-lens-www-Closeuphotography-com.jpg

Schneider Componon-S 2.8/50 Black Plastic Barrel Type BKV-L
Plastic enlarger lens style body with green aperture window
Part number: 16828
Filter threads: M43 x 0.75
Optical Design: 6 elements in 4 groups
Iris: 5 blade
Mount: Leica-mount, M39 x 26 TPI
Notes: Optimized for 0.5x magnification supposedly. This iris mount uses the larger #0 lens cells.

Schneider-Componon-S-50mm-f2.8-lens-BK-www-Closeuphotography-com.jpg

Schneider Componon-S 2.8/50 All-metal Barrel Type BK
Older all-metal style body with split circle aperture indicator 5 element lens
Filter threads: M43 x 0.75
Optical Design: 5 elements in 4 groups
Iris: 5 blade
Mount: Leica-mount, M39 x 26 TPI
Note: This iris housing uses the smaller #00 size lens cells. The performance of this 5 element Componon is not as good as the later lenses and is not recommended.

Schneider-Componon-S-50mm-f2.8-Preset-lens-www-Closeuphotography-com.jpg

Schneider Componon-S 2.8/50 Preset Aperture
Filter threads: None
Optical Design: 6 elements in 4 groups
Iris: Waterhouse stop
Mount: Leica-mount, M39 x 26 TPI
Notes: Best performance azimuth position marked in red. This mount uses #0 size cells and the waterhouse stop is glued in place.

Schneider Componon-S 3.5/50 Cylinder Mount
Filter threads: M30.5 x 0.5
Optical Design: 5 elements in 4 groups
Iris: none
Mount: smooth bore cylinder mount.
Note: The performance of the 5 element Componon is not as good as the later lenses and is not recommended.

50mm lens test: nine lenses compared at 2.7x

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The main goal of this test is to see how the different versions of the Componon-S 50mm lenses compare, how do different samples of the same type compare, and to check the performance of a few various lenses against the Componon-S 50mm.

Lenses compared in this test:

Rodenstock El-Omegar 50mm f/3.5 lens (3-element) M39 Leica thread mount
Rodenstock APO-Rodagon 50mm f//2.8 lens M39 Leica thread mount
Schneider Componon 50mm f/4 lens B-00 M32 x 0.5mm mount
Schneider Componon-S 50mm f/2.8 BKV-L green aperture window iris mount
Schneider Componon-S 50mm f/2.8 lens Makro-Iris B-V iris mount
Schneider Componon-S 50mm f/2.8 lens BK split circle aperture indicator iris mount
Schneider Componon-S 50mm f/4 lens preset iris mount
Schneider Xenon 50mm f/2 lens B-00 M32 x 0.5mm mount
Tominon E36 48mm f/4 lens M39 Leica thread mount

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Rodenstock El-Omegar 50mm f/3.5 lens
Tested at f/4.5 in reverse, and stacked on a Schneider Componon-S 135mm f5.6 lens.

Comparing the El-Omegar low-dollar lens, above, to the upscale APO-Rodagon lens, below, should be easy, the high-end lens should crush the budget lens, but that is not what happens here, it is a lot closer than you would expect. The APO-Rodagon is sharper in both the center and corners, but not by much, and the El-Omegar has better controlled lateral chromatic aberrations (LaCAs) than the more expensive lens. The El-Omegar is the winner when you factor in the cost. If I had to recommend one of these two, the APO-Rodagon or the El-Omegar, I would say buy the El-Omegar, take the $300 or so in savings and buy a Componon-S Makro-Iris 2.8/50, and pocket the extra $200 you will have left over!

Rodenstock APO-Rodagon 50mm f/2.8 lens: Tested at f/4.5 in reverse, and stacked on a Schneider Componon-S 135mm f5.6 lens

The APO-Rodagon images are about average in sharpness and contrast. The lateral CAs are excessive for a lens labeled APO. The APO-Rodagon lenses are not worth the extra cost over a regular Rodagon or Schneider lens in terms of performance, or in terms of lens fit and finish of the lens.

Schneider Componon 50mm f/4 lens: Tested at f/4.5 in reverse, and stacked on a Schneider Componon-S 135mm f5.6 lens.

To be honest, I didn’t buy this lens to actually use it to make photographs, I bought the lens to use as a donor for parts. The lens performs pretty well, not bad for a lens made in 1977, and about average for the price paid, about $20.

Schneider Componon-S 50mm f/2.8 lens BK mount: Tested at f/4.5 in reverse, and stacked on a Schneider Componon-S 135mm f5.6 lens.

This version of the Componon-S lens has the split circle aperture indicator on the lens barrel. I’m surprised by the performance, I thought it would do better. The center is free of lateral CAs, but its also soft, the corners are even softer. The lens was produced in 1977 and was purchased for parts in 2020 for $30.

Update: The poor performance of this sample was a surprise, but it turns out that the drop in performance was easy to explain, this lens uses 5 element design, where the rest of the Componon-S lenses shown in the results, are 6 element designs. I’ve added more information on this page below the test results including optical layouts of the two designs.

Schneider Componon-S 50mm f/4 preset Iris lens: Tested at f/4 in reverse and stacked on a Schneider Componon-S 135mm f5.6 lens.

This is a preset f/4 version of the regular Componon-S 2.8/50 and also purchased for parts, this time for $80 complete with a Unifoc focus mount. Once again I’m surprised that it performs a little worse than the regular Componon-S for some reason! This lens does have a best performance azimuth marking on the barrel that I did not think of using for the test. I expected the Componon-S type lenses to be closer in performance so it is always a good idea to test your own lenses.

Schneider Componon-S 50mm f/2.8 lens in the BKV-L iris mount: Tested at f/4.5 in reverse and stacked on a Schneider Componon-S 135mm f5.6 lens.

This is the regular Componon-S body with the green aperture window. Performance is good, not the best, but not the worst. CAs are well controlled and sharpness is good. I have at least two of these version and the performance is similar between the samples.

Schneider Componon-S 50mm f/2.8 lens Makro-Iris body: Tested in reverse at f/4.5, and stacked on a Schneider Componon-S 135mm f5.6 lens.

This is the sharpest and most consistent performer in this test. Overall my best 50mm lens. This is also my favorite version of the Componon-S 2.8/50 lens, the V-mount Makro-Iris mount. This lens is marked with a indicator for the best azimuth position so the performance should be even better when setup with that mark, I didn’t think about using it for this test honestly. This lens should be the best performer since the lens is shimmed it seems that the performance was tested before it left the factory, and the cells are locked in place with thread locking compound, and the lens has a recommended azimuth mark (that I did not use). Since I own two of these Makro-Iris 2.8/50 lenses I was able to test both copies and they performance matched. These lenses sell for $775 on the Edmunds Optics site, I picked this lens up in February 2020 on eBay for less than $100, sealed, and still in the box.

Schneider Xenon 50mm f2 lens: Tested at f/4 in reverse and stacked on a Schneider Componon-S 135mm f5.6 lens.

The results from the Xenon 50mm at 2.7x are sharp and detailed in the center and corners at f/4 with very little drop-off in image quality towards the edges. This result is just behind the Makro-Iris CPN-S 2.8/50 lens. This is honestly the best result I have gotten from this lens and I’m glad I ran this lens in this test . All of the Xenon F/2 lenses are solid performers but they can be a little expensive for an enlarging lens.

Tominon E36 48mm f/4 lens: Tested at f/4.5 in reverse and stacked on a Schneider Componon-S 135mm f5.6 lens.

Good consistent results out of the Tominon at 2.7x stacked on the Compon-S 5.6/135 lens.

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Schneider Componon-S 50mm f/2.8 lens Makro-Iris B-V body, stacked on a Schneider Componon-S 135mm f5.6 lens at f/4.5 at 2.7x

2.7X Test Results

The results of this test show that you should why you should test your own lenses. When I gathered this pile of 50mm lenses I had no idea how the performance of the various Componon-S types would compare. My experience with the Componon 4/28 led me to believe that the performance of the various types would be similar with a little variation, but the results are eye-opening and proved me completely wrong. The Makro-Iris Componon-S is the clear winner in image quality but also the fit and finish of the lens is on another level compared to the others.

- All metal iris mount
- Locking aperture ring
- The rear cell is shimmed for best performance
- Azimuth position is marked for best performance
- Lens cells are locked into place with thread locking compound for vibration resistence

None of the other lenses have these high-end features yet the price of the Makro-Iris lens is about middle of the range. The APO-Rodagon cost was about twice the price of the Makro-Iris Componon-S for example. So it is easy for me to recommend the Makro-Iris Componon-S lens especially when you factor in cost.

Best lens in the test: Schneider Componon-S 50mm f/2.8 lens Makro-Iris lens.

Runner up: Schneider Xenon 50mm f/2 lens. Solid performer but Xenons are hard to find and can be pricey on eBay.

Best lens value: Schneider Componon-S 50mm f/2.8 lens Makro-Iris lens (I paid less than $100 for the copy used in this test).

Best center performance, best to worst:

Schneider Componon-S 50mm f/2.8 lens (B-V) Makro-Iris body (6 element 4 group design)
Tominon E36 48mm f/4 lens
Schneider Componon-S 50mm f/2.8 lens (BKV-L) green aperture window iris mount (6 element 4 group design)
Schneider Xenon 50mm f2 lens (6 element 4 group design)
Schneider Componon-S 50mm f/2.8 lens preset iris mount (6 element 4 group design)
Rodenstock El-Omegar 50mm f/3.5 lens
Rodenstock APO-Rodagon 50mm f//2.8 lens / Schneider Componon-S 50mm f/4 lens (tie) (6 element 4 group design)
Schneider Componon-S 50mm f/2.8 lens split circle aperture indicator iris mount (5 element 4 group design)

Best corner performance, best to worst:

Schneider Componon-S 50mm f/2.8 lens (B-V) Makro-Iris body (6 element 4 group design)
Schneider Xenon 50mm f2 lens (6 element 4 group design)
Tominon E36 48mm f/4 lens
Schneider Componon-S 50mm f/2.8 lens (BKV-L) green aperture window iris mount (6 element 4 group design)
Rodenstock APO-Rodagon 50mm f//2.8 lens (6 element 4 group design)
Rodenstock El-Omegar 50mm f/3.5 lens (3 element design)
Schneider Componon-S 50mm f/2.8 lens preset iris mount (6 element 4 group design)
Schneider Componon-S 50mm f/4 lens (6 element 4 group design)
Schneider Componon-S 50mm f/2.8 lens split circle aperture indicator iris mount (5 element 4 group design)

A total of 16 lenses were tested but the results out of the lenses below are posted due to some issues. The results from this group of lenses were so poor that it would be a complete waste of bandwidth to share the results. Trust me, the results are that bad. If you are curious about a specific lens on this list, just email me and I will send you the test crops.

Lenses that tested but results are not included here:

Beseler Color pro 50mm f/2.8 (6-element): tested at f/4.5, very soft corners, the worst in the test!
Leitz Weltzar Photar 50mm f/4: tested at f/4.5, sharp center and soft corners. Does not come close to covering APS-C.
Nikon AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.8D (6-element): tested at at f/4.5, extreme CAs and very soft corners with CAs.
Schneider Componon 50mm f/3.5 lens (6-element) cylinder mount: Soft corners, some CAs.
Schneider Comparon-S 50mm f/3.5 lens (4-element): tested at f/4.5, soft corners, CAs.
Schneider Componar-C 50mm f3.5 lens (3-element): tested at f/4.5, soft corners, CAs.
Sigma 50mm MF Macro 50mm f/2.8: tested at f/4.5, soft corners with CAs.

2.7x Test Setup

Front lens set at f/4 or f/4.5 depending on the lens.
Rear lens: Schneider Componon-S 135mm f5.6 lens normally mounted focused at infinity set at f/5.6

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 5 micron steps. 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.

5 Element Componon-S vs 6 element Componon-S

Two of the lenses in this test did not perform at the same level as the others with a less sharp center and a larger drop off in image quality in the corners. Since running this test, I have discovered that not all 50mm Componon-S lenses use the same design. Surprise!

The older lenses, this one was made in 1977, uses a 5 element design in 4 groups, as you can see below.

Exploded-view-Schneider-Componon-S-2.8-50-stacked-with-Componon-S-135-lens-www-Closeuphotography-com.jpg

The later model and current Componon-S lenses use a 6 element, 4 group design, as you can see in the illustration below.

Componon-S-50-2.8-6-and-5-element-designs-www-closeuphotography-com.jpg

The difference in performance between the older and later Comoponon-S samples was the first clue. The look of the front elements of the two older lenses was also a strong indicator something was going on. Removing the lens groups and disassembling the cells made the differences obvious. The older 5 element Componon-S lenses are not recommended due to lower performance.

This is not the same with the 4/28 and 4/35 lenses, the performance of the older lenses is also excellent when compared to the current models.

Mounting the Lenses for this test

Mounting the lenses in a stacked setup was simple using the rear M39 x 26 TPI rear mounts and mounting both lenses inside a SM2 lens tube. The front lens can be setup at a certain distance from the rear lens, touching, or even with the front inside the shroud of the rear lens.

Thorlabs-SM2-Setup-diagram-Stacked-lens-setup-www-Closeuphotography-com.jpg

The Componon-S 2.8/50 makro-iris vs Componon-S 2.8/50 vs Xenoplan 2.8/50

Four 50mm lenses, different looks, similar optics. The Componon-S Makro Iris, Componon-S (CPN-S), Xenoplan (XNP), and APO-Xenoplan (APO-XNP) lenses use different iris housings but with different image circles, prices and resolution. Looking at the gaussian data below, all provided by Schneider, all the lens designs are very similar. Technically these are all different lenses.