Rodenstock Sironar 240mm f5.6; "N", "S" or ?

[Jon Wilson]

Recently, I purchased a Rodenstock 240mm lens in a copal 3 which is marked Sironar 240mm 1:5.6 and I am not certain if it is the "N", "S" or some other series of lens. SN727922X. I reviewed the threads, but could not answer my questions. Can anyone advise? Any idea when it was made and its coverage? It appears to be MC, but has one coating "flakes/flaws" on the front cell and long series of "coating flaws" on along the edge of the rear cell. I am hopeful they will not adversely affect photographs with the smaller aperture. I have not been able to use it yet due to the fact the shutter needs to be CLA'd. Any insight or help is appreciated. Thank you.

[Bob Fowler]

Jon, you have a Sironar. If it was an S or N or whatever, it would be marked as such. If it's any consolation, I have the 180mm Sironar and it's a dynamite lens. It was probably made in the 1970's.

I suggest contacting Carol Miller at Flutot's Camera repair about the CLA (flutotscamera@earthlink.net). Her price and service can't be beat.

[Bob Salomon]

"727922X"

1971/72

[Jon Wilson]

Bob & Bob, thanks for the fast responses. I am going to use Carol. She has cleaned several of my shutters and the results have always been excellent. Does anyone have any clue as to the coverage of this lens? This is my first Rodenstock lens, but if the performance is what I think it will be, it will not be my last.

[Michael S. Briggs]

As a Sironar from the early 1970s, your lens is single-coated. The coverage of the Sironars was specified by Rodenstock to be about 70 degrees when stopped down, which would be about 335 mm diameter for a 240 mm lens. More recent versions of the Sironar series have more coverage, but if you are using this lens for 4x5, I can't imagine you exceeding the available coverage, so what difference would more coverage make?