Rodenstock Ysarex 1:45 f150 mm No: 6102181, Cherry-L, 1:4.5 f 105mm for copying

[Sunny Alan]

Hello elders,
I am looking for a MF copying camera system.

I got two lenses from my old film enlarger:

1. Rodenstock Ysarex 1:45 f150 mm No: 6102181
2. Cherry-L, 1:4.5 f 105mm

How good are these ones for copying?
They are with slight fungus, otherwise mechanically working.

Hope fungus can be cleaned by som body expert.

Please give me an opinion on the suitability and mount / camera suitable to utilise these ones.

[Teodor Oprean]

You should use enlarging lenses or macro lenses. The Ysarex is a general purpose lens optimized for subjects from 10 feet to infinity.

[Sunny Alan]

You should use enlarging lenses or macro lenses. The Ysarex is a general purpose lens optimized for subjects from 10 feet to infinity.

Any specific suggestion on enlarging lenses, please.

[Teodor Oprean]

Enlarging lenses: Rodenstock Rodagon, Schneider Componon. Macro lenses: Rodenstock Macro-Sironar, Schneider Makro-Symmar. You can find them in many focal lengths. Choose a focal length to match the diagonal of the format you intend to use.

[Sunny Alan]

Enlarging lenses: Rodenstock Rodagon, Schneider Componon. Macro lenses: Rodenstock Macro-Sironar, Schneider Makro-Symmar. You can find them in many focal lengths. Choose a focal length to match the diagonal of the format you intend to use.
Thank you sir for the advice.

Kindly propose me a specific lens which is cost-effective and apt to this purpose, since I am totally ignorant of MF, LF systems.

1. Even you may please advise me on a MF copying system as such. (A used one, cannot afford a new one).

2. My proposed largest size of painting to copy is 8 feet. In that case what should be the focal length?

3. And my Ysarex 1:45 f150 mm: If not good for copying, can is it give any advantage, if spending on an Adapter to use it on my 5D Mark 2 ? Will if work as a sharp medium long lens ?

[Teodor Oprean]

If your subject is 8 feet from the camera, the Ysarex will be fine. Just stop down to f/22. What I meant by the purpose-built lenses being better is that they are optimized for very close focusing distances. I thought you wanted to photograph something near the 1:1 macro range, but 8 feet away counts as general purpose photography. I assumed that you already had a 4x5 camera with rollfilm back, which is what works well with the Ysarex. It looks like you need to buy a camera. There are many choices. A Crown Graphic / Speed Graphic with Graflok back should be affordable. It can use both 120 rollfilm and 4x5 sheet film. Just make sure it has a Graflok back and not the earlier spring back. The Graflok back is what makes it possible to use a rollfilm cassette. If you want to use a medium format SLR, of which there are dozens of makes and models, it will take a bit of custom work to mount the Ysarex to that camera. Veijo Vilva's excellent web site can provide some ideas for how to mount a large format lens to a DSLR: http://galactinus.net/vilva/retro/index.html#cooke

[Sunny Alan]

If your subject is 8 feet from the camera, the Ysarex will be fine. Just stop down to f/22. What I meant by the purpose-built lenses being better is that they are optimized for very close focusing distances. I thought you wanted to photograph something near the 1:1 macro range, but 8 feet away counts as general purpose photography. I assumed that you already had a 4x5 camera with rollfilm back, which is what works well with the Ysarex. It looks like you need to buy a camera. There are many choices. A Crown Graphic / Speed Graphic with Graflok back should be affordable. It can use both 120 rollfilm and 4x5 sheet film. Just make sure it has a Graflok back and not the earlier spring back. The Graflok back is what makes it possible to use a rollfilm cassette. If you want to use a medium format SLR, of which there are dozens of makes and models, it will take a bit of custom work to mount the Ysarex to that camera. Veijo Vilva's excellent web site can provide some ideas for how to mount a large format lens to a DSLR: http://galactinus.net/vilva/retro/index.html#cooke

Sorry, I think I was not adequately clear, you misunderstood two aspects:
1. 8 feet is the supposed length of a painting, which may come to be captured and not the distance from the camera. OTOH, if you say an 8 feet long image, the distance from camera is 8 feet, may be correct, but I will take it with a pinch of salt....

2. I am not looking a FILM back, but a digital Back. No film developers are available locally.

So please suggest any used 'Digital Back' as good help.

Thanks,
Sunny

[Teodor Oprean]

You're posting to the wrong forum. You're doing digital photography. This is a forum for FILM photography.