Extremely Long Apo Ronars?

[Daniel Unkefer]

Hi All,
I have just picked up a 600mm F9 Rodenstock Apo Ronar, the classic process lens (not the newer variety, the original one). I know I have seen the 800mm, I think they made a 1000mm, and a 1700mm? What focal lengths in really long Apo Ronars are available? Does anybody have a link to any original Rodenstock literature?
Thanks in advance!
-Dan

[John Jarosz]

I have a 1985 Rodenstock lens brochure that has quite a bit of info on the Apo-Ronars.
I believe it shows the complete Rodenstock line of lenses for 1985.

The brochure lists Apo-Ronar lenses at 150, 240, 300, 360, 420, 480, 600, 1000, & 1200mm. This brochure does not show an 800. It shows image circles, but does not include MTF information or resolution. For example, it shows an image circle of 496mm for the 600mm lens. I regularly use this lens on my 8x20, but I have never run out of coverage. I do not see any softness in the corners so I've concluded that because I'm contact printing everything, there is more useful image circle than 496mm. For the Apo-Ronars, it shows MTF data only for the 240mm lens.

I've converted the brochure to PDF, but I don't have a website so that you could download it. If you are interested in a copy, please PM me with your email address and I can email it to you. It is 6.2 MB in size.

John

[Dan Fromm]

The brochure can be seen at http://www.butzi.net/rodenstock/rodenstock.htm

[Bob Salomon]

As of 1994 the following were available:

Apo-Ronar
150mm f9

Apo-Ronar CL
240mm f9
300mm f9
360mm f9
480mm f9
485mm f9
600mm f9
760mm f14
800mm f9
890mm f14
1000mm f14
1000mm f16
1070mm f14
1200mm f14
1200mm f16
1800mm f16

In 1987 there was also:
Apo-Ronar-CL
520mm f9

None are currently in production

[Don Dudenbostel]

Daniel I hope you didn't get the one Calumet was selling on ebay. I purchased that lens a month ago and returned it because of mechanical issues, a big dent and the front and inner element were loose and rattling in the mount. Also it wasn't coated. Calumet is generally very good but they really slipped up on that one.

I picked up another from a forum member and love it although I'm about to sell it. I just picked up a minty Fujinon C 600mm.

[Dan Fromm]

Don, how can a modern lens not be coated?

[8x10 user]

Most of the Ronar's are single coated, but I am lucky enough to have found a single multicoated 600mm Ronar CL.

[Joseph O'Neil]

I have the 600mm myself, mounted on my 8x10. Friggin *huge* lens - probally how I got my hernia to begin with.

Still, looking at that list of the larger lenses, has anybody actually used one? I know on my 8x10 I have to use almost full extention of the bellows to get a focus. If you had a 1200 or 1800 mm apo -ronar, where the heck would you ever use the thing? 20x24?

[Daniel Unkefer]

Still, looking at that list of the larger lenses, has anybody actually used one? I know on my 8x10 I have to use almost full extention of the bellows to get a focus. If you had a 1200 or 1800 mm apo -ronar, where the heck would you ever use the thing?

The late German photographer, Reinhart Wolf, used old long Apo Ronars, on a Sinar Norma system. This one looks like the 1000mm, with a 4x5 back. He shot the final images on 8x10.

The longest lenses I have used, in this same way, are my 480mm Rodenstock Apo Ronar, and my 59cm Zeiss Apo-Planar.

[GPS]

...

Still, looking at that list of the larger lenses, has anybody actually used one? I know on my 8x10 I have to use almost full extention of the bellows to get a focus. If you had a 1200 or 1800 mm apo -ronar, where the heck would you ever use the thing? 20x24?

This kind of lenses makes perfect sense on specialized home made cameras...