Here is the information for the new Rodenstock 23mm and 40mm lenses introduced at Photokina last week. These will be shown at PhotoPlus later this month in NYC.

Also announced at Photokina was the news that Rodenstock is finishing a new web site for their photographic lenses. We will let you know when this is up.

New Super WA Lens for Digital Professional Photography HR Digaron-S 23 mm f/5.6

The new Rodenstock HR Digaron-S 23 mm f/5.6 is the first super wide-angle lens providing a large image circle of 70 mm and a flange focal length and back focal length allowing its use with nearly all types of technical cameras. Its optical con-
struction has been optimized to meet the requirements of digital photography. An almost diffraction limited high resolution is achieved in the whole image area already for a full aperture.
So sensors with a pixel pitch down to 6 µm and a resolution up to approx. 60 megapixels can tap their full potential.
Especially photographers of (interior) architecture or landscapes, who had to use an analog film for taking extreme image angles until now, will be highly impressed by this lens. The focal length of 23 mm for a 37x49 mm sensor corresponds to a focal length of 16 mm for a 24x36 mm sensor.
• The back focal length of 16.5 mm is only 1 mm shorter compared to the HR Digaron-S 28 mm and leaves enough space between the rear mount and the sensor for swing-and-tilt movements without touching the sensor or rear standard.
• The flange focal length of approx. 45 mm allows focusing at infinity with almost all technical camera models. On many of these cameras a flat lens board can be used, which makes it much easier to set the aperture and the shutter speed and permits the use of the Rollei Electronic shutter.
• The retro-focus design causes a steeper light incidence at the margin. So the further fall-off in illumination, which is inevitable when using micro lens sensors, can be avoided.
• No vignetting occures already for the full aperture f/5.6.
• The optical effect of the sensor cover glass has been taken into account in the optic calculation for eliminating its spherical and chromatic aberration, as well as its astigmatism.
• The high tech multi-coating provides for ultimate transmission, excellent contrast and freedom of ghost and flare.
• The HR Digaron-S 23 mm f/5.6 in Copal shutter size 0 is available also with the “Focus-Mount” helical focusing tube.
• A specially designed center filter is in preparation
The lens series Apo-Sironar digital HR so far will be re-named the HR Digaron-S like the new HR Digaron-S 23 mm f/5,6.

New wide-angle lens for the largest sensor formats HR Digaron-W 40 mm f/4
The pixel size of digital sensors cannot be reduced at will without an increasing image noise and decreasing dynamic range. For this reason, larger sensors for professional digital backs providing for the ultimate resolution (currently up to approx. 60 megapixels) have been developed. The digital lenses, designed for smaller sensor formats, with an image circle around 70 mm, do not allow much camera movement when using these large sensors. That is why we developed the Rodenstock lens series HR Digaron-W with image circles from 90 mm up and an almost diffraction limited high resolution. At the moment this series includes the focal lengths 40 mm, 70 mm and 90 mm (the last-mentioned lenses Apo-Sironar digital 70 mm f/5.6 and 90 mm f/5.6 will be re-named HR Digaron-W).
The image angle of the new HR Digaron-W 40 mm f/4 corresponds to that of a 26.5 mm lens for 24x36 mm sensors. Further focal lengths are in preparation. The HR Digaron-W 40 mm f/4 is outstanding for the following:
• The back focal length of approx. 25 mm leaves free space for shift-and-tilt movement between the rear mount and the sensor, without touching the sensor or the rear standard.
• The flange focal length of approx. 70 mm allows focusing at infinity for all technical cameras with a flat lens board, which makes it much easier to set the aperture and the shutter speed and permits the use of the Rollei Electronic shutter.
• The retro-focus design causes a steeper light incidence at the margin. So the further fall-off in illumination, which is inevitable when using micro lens sensors, can be avoided.
• No vignetting occurs for an aperture of 5.6.
• The optical effect of the sensor cover glass has been taken into account in the optic calculation for eliminating its spherical and chromatic aberration, as well as its astigmatism.
• The high tech multi-coating provides for ultimate transmission, excellent contrast and freedom of ghost and flare.
The HR Digaron-W 40 mm f/4 in Copal shutter size 0 is available also with the “Focus-Mount” helical focusing tube.
A HR Digaron-W 50 mm f/4 is in preparation and is expected to be available in the first half of 2009.