Rodenstock Rodagon-WA

[Chris Fraser]

I recently purchased a (used)Rodenstock Rodagon-WA 1:4 f=60mm lens with the inte nt of using it on my large format camera (4 x 5 Arca-Swiss.). I have since bee n told that the lenses may not have adequate coverage at infinity for this forma t. I am also starting to wonder if this is actually an enlarger lense. I would appreaseat it if someone could tell me what the circle of coverage is for this lense and if it is adiquate for 4 x 5.

Regards,

Chris

Chris

[Chris Fraser]

Sorry about all the spelling mistakes... I pasted the spell-checked version from Word but something didn't work...

I recently purchased a (used) Rodenstock Rodagon-WA 1:4 f=60mm lens with the intent of using it on my large format camera (4 x 5 Arca-Swiss.). I have since been told that the lenses may not have adequate coverage at infinity for this format. I am also starting to wonder if is actually an enlarger lens. I would appreciate it if someone could tell me what the circle of coverage is for this lens and is adequate for 4 x 5.

Regards,

[Bob Salomon]

It's a wide angle enlarging lens for 6x6cm. That would mean the coveage is far too small to approach 45 at infinity

[tom meyer]

We (at a commercial lab) use these lenses for 35mm at low enlarger heights when hitting multiples. The head is lens prone to vibration with all the baseboard activity. They are excellent enlarging lenses, very flat field. It might make a good copy lens, didn't the lack of a shutter give you a clue? Maybe you're real fast with a lens cap (ha)...t

[Thomas Born]

I think everyone, from beginner to more advanced, deserves an answer which is helpful and not mean spirited. This is an enlarger lens but enlarger lenses can make good picture taking lenses too. This one will not cover a full 4x5 sheet of film but will cover enough to make a picture on quite a lot of the middle of the sheet. You can crop it when you print it. Your 4x5 might have a built in shutter such as a focal plane shutter, but if not you can still shoot at a very small f stop outside with a slow film or inside at an even slower shutter speed at which the lens cap or a piece of black cardboard could make a very usable shutter at slower exposures. I have successfully make slow exposures from a second to several seconds that way.

[Dan Fromm]

Thomas, I've recently tried out a number of reasonably good enlarger lenses at distance. They were consistently terrible.

Given the profusion of used LF lenses on the market, there's no reason to go the poor man's way and shoot distant subjects with an enlarging lenses. Where enlarging lenses shine as taking lenses is as macro lenses at magnifications in the range 1:10 to 1:1.

Cheers,

Dan

[Bob Salomon]

" deserves an answer which is helpful and not mean spirited"

Exactly what are you talking about?