PDA

View Full Version : Scratched Rodenstock



chacabuco
11-May-2013, 06:56
I've got a nasty gouge in the glass on the front element of my Rodenstock lens. Does anyone have any experience sending lenses back to Rodenstock?

Thanks

Rob

E. von Hoegh
11-May-2013, 06:59
Fill the gouge with India ink and go out and make some pictures. :)

vinny
11-May-2013, 07:05
just make sure you're sitting down when they give you the repair quote.
shoot with it, if the results aren't what you like, start shopping for a used replacement lens

unscrew the elements, put it in a brass barrel, put more scratches on it, sell it on ebay for $1000!

chacabuco
11-May-2013, 07:09
Thanks, never heard of the India ink approach. The effects of the scratch are visible in the negatives so I know it has to be repaired or replaced. I figured it was going to be pricy, Ill wait and hear what they say, meanwhile maybe Ill get some ink.....

Fotoguy20d
11-May-2013, 07:29
Most likely not worth the repair cost. Which lens is it? Must be a huge scratch for it to make a difference.

Dan

E. von Hoegh
11-May-2013, 07:34
Most likely not worth the repair cost. Which lens is it? Must be a huge scratch for it to make a difference.

Dan

I'll say.

Bob Salomon
11-May-2013, 07:35
Unless it is a very recent lens there are no replacement elements available.

Roger Cole
11-May-2013, 07:35
The ink will prevent it from scattering much light. The trick works. It's worth a try before you trash the lens.

chacabuco
11-May-2013, 07:52
Its a 135mm f/5.6 Apo Sironar-S, and its a deep gouge

Bob Salomon
11-May-2013, 08:00
Its a 135mm f/5.6 Apo Sironar-S, and its a deep gouge

That is usually an insurance issue. Are you carrying insurance on your equipment? Should be a full value policy.

E. von Hoegh
11-May-2013, 08:41
Its a 135mm f/5.6 Apo Sironar-S, and its a deep gouge

I use a pre WWI 9 1/2" Dagor in a Compound shutter with a bad scratch right in the middle of the rear element. I also have another of the same vintage, in a barrel. Blacking out the gouge in the shuttered lens gives results indistiguishable from the pristine lens, I traded for the scratched one with the idea of putting the cells from the barrel lens in that shutter - it wasn't neccesary. :)

Try it.

chacabuco
11-May-2013, 09:41
Stupidly I dont have my gear insured, thats another thread, but something I need to look into.

Im going to try blacking it out, nothing to lose at this point. Thanks to everyone for chiming in.

Rob

vinny
11-May-2013, 09:45
Its a 135mm f/5.6 Apo Sironar-S, and its a deep gouge

I got mine for $500 in mint condition 3 yrs ago. I can tell you right now it'll be about double that to get the front element replaced.

Bernice Loui
11-May-2013, 10:22
How big is the scratch? The majority of scratches will not severely affect overall image quality. If the scratch is deep, carefully fill the scratch with black india ink to reduce stray reflections.

While that scratch may not look good at all and serious, there maybe absolutely zero effect on the images produced. This due to the area of the scratch -vs- the overall light gathering area of the front element, in the majority of cases, the area affected is tiny.

Suggest reading this article about severely abused microscope objectives and it's affects on image quality..

http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/mag/indexmag.html?http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/mag/artjun04/pjso.html


If a fix or replacement is honestly required, it could be more cost effective to find a good used lens as a replacement.. and you will have a spare known good shutter.


Bernice




I've got a nasty gouge in the glass on the front element of my Rodenstock lens. Does anyone have any experience sending lenses back to Rodenstock?

Thanks

Rob

photobymike
11-May-2013, 10:52
Its a 135mm f/5.6 Apo Sironar-S, and its a deep gouge

nice lens but worth about 350 to 500 tops yea yea i know its an APO ...i even saw one in good condition with a bad shutter for 180 on ebay..... watch close ...sometimes sellers dont know the difference between an APO and the regular "S" version

Louis Pacilla
11-May-2013, 11:15
nice lens but worth about 350 to 500 tops yea yea i know its an APO ...i even saw one in good condition with a bad shutter for 180 on ebay..... watch close ...sometimes sellers dont know the difference between an APO and the regular "S" version

I'm not sure about value of the lens but the Rodenstock 150mm APO Sironar -S- has a larger image circle (231mm @f22) then the APO Sironar-N- version (214mm@f22).Both are APO corrected but the extra IC of the S version makes it a much more useful lens as a moderate wide angle on 5x7. Both can be used on 5x7 but only the S version is practical giving decent room for movements.

Not sure what you mean by the "regular S" version

photobymike
11-May-2013, 11:19
There seems to be a lens 135mm that does not have the APO markings... They all seem to average in price at 350-450. The 150mm APO seems to be the better deal

Bob Salomon
11-May-2013, 11:33
nice lens but worth about 350 to 500 tops yea yea i know its an APO ...i even saw one in good condition with a bad shutter for 180 on ebay..... watch close ...sometimes sellers dont know the difference between an APO and the regular "S" version

Sironar; Sironar-N; Sironar-N MC; Apo Sironar; Apo Sironar-N; Apo Sironar-W; Apo Sironar-S.

There has never been a "Regular S" from Rodenstock in a Sironar branded lens for analog photography.

Except for the Apo Sironar-S all the rest are out of production.

The Sironar-N MC became the Apo Sironar-N. The Apo Sironar became the Apo Sironar-W.

photobymike
11-May-2013, 11:36
Well then they can be found cheap ...relatively any way

vinny
11-May-2013, 13:47
Well then they can be found cheap ...relatively any way
not the lens in question, it's a sironar-s.

Leigh
11-May-2013, 22:56
The element cannot be "repaired", it must be replaced.

The thickness of the element is part of the optical design.
It cannot be reduced significantly, as would be required to regrind the damaged surface.

The India ink technique does work. It simply reduces the effective aperture by a minute amount.

- Leigh