Rodenstock Sironar-S: unbelievable performance

[chris jordan]

Hi folks, just wanted to check in with a followup to some previous threads. You might recall that I asked for your thoughts on the best-quality lenses for 8x10, and there was alot of back-and-forth about various new and old lenses. I finally opted for the Rodenstock Sironar-S (despite their outrageous cost), in 360mm and 240mm focal lengths. I'm just back from a week of shooting with them, and I have to say that the results blow me away. The image circles are big enough for huge amounts of movements with no visible edge fuzziness even wide open (a problem I frequently have with my Nikkor 450M despite its supposedly huge image circle), and all thirty of my film originals came out looking impossibly crisp and sharp. I didn't do any direct side-by-side comparisions with my other lenses, but I can definitely say that there is a noticable difference between the results with these lenses and all the other lenses I have used. These are visibly the sharpest 8x10 film originals I have ever seen; I'm even concerned that my usual scan resolution of 2000 dpi isn't going to capture everything that these lenses can record. It's exciting to see film originals of this quality-- they will be really fun to print in large size.

So, thanks for your various suggestions, and for those looking for the end-all killer optics, this sure is the solution for me.

Best regards,

~cj

www.chrisjordan.com

[Capocheny]

Hi Chris,

Nice to hear... if you get up to Vancouver and want to try out a 360 Symmar-S, let me know, ok?

I also have the 240 Sironar-S and it's a beautiful piece of glass (sharp and contrasty, isn't it?)

Cheers

[Edward (Halifax,NS)]

Chris, I am very happy for you.

[Brian Ellis]

It's good that you like the lenses and even better that you took the time to say so when most of us post equipment messages only to complain. But I'm curious about the ways in which you find these lenses so much better than any others you've used (when I say "I'm curious" I don't mean that I doubt your statements, I mean I'd really like to know). I returned a 135mm Nikon W lens and replaced it with a 135mm Sironar S largely because of raves I read about the Sinronar S lenses here and elsewhere. After using the lens for a couple years I can say that I certainly like it, it's a fine lens and there's nothing wrong with it, but I also don't see any difference in the prints made with it and with my other lenses.

[Michael S. Briggs]

Yes, Chris, it is good to hear the followup report. One of the previous threads is Difference between ED glass and non-ED glass at http://www.largeformatphotography.info/lfforum/topic/499422.html -- Chris mentions there what he didn't like about the lenses that he was using.