Latest rodenstock lenses with colored rings

[Former Member 8144]

Hi,
On the various rodenstock lenses the latest versions have the coloured rings around the lens body.
Do these versions offer any optical advantages whatsover from the earlier versions of the same lens without the rings?

Thanks,

Marc

[Ernest Purdum]

Sounds like some marketing type has seen an Apo-Lanthar.

[Bob Salomon]

Perhaps, depends on how much older the older versions are. Some were only made with the colored rings. For instance the Apo Sironar S, Apo Sironar Digital, Apo Sironar Digital HR.

There is a significant difference between the old 210 and 300 Apo Macro Sironars with or without the rings and the current 120 and 180 Apo macro Sironars that wee only made with the ring.

What is your specific question?

[Jack Flesher]

I heard -- not sure it's true -- that the green ring on the Grandagons means they went Earth-friendly and eliminated contaminents like lead and arsenic from the glass. I suspect it is more marketing hype than anything.

[Former Member 8144]

O.K. Bob,

Specifically with the grandagon n 90mm F4.5, and apo sironars s 135 F5.6and 180mm F5.6.
Do any of the lenses with the coloured rings perform any differently to those without the coloured rings..if any without coloured rings exist in the 135 and 180's..I know they do for the 90mm?
If yes in what ways?

Thanks,

Marc

[Oren Grad]

Marc -

The Apo-Sironar-S series doesn't exist without the colored rings.

The Grandagon-N lenses exist in both forms. Based on what Bob has posted in the past, I think what he's likely to tell you when he's able to respond again is that it's a matter of vintage, since there are ongoing refinements in production. Thus, in general the newer the better, but a very late pre-ring Grandagon-N will be very similar to an early sample of the lens with the colored ring.

Ernest -

Unlike with the Apo-Lanthar, where the three rings on the lens were a sort of marketing play on the apo correction, this is actually a nice identification scheme for the different lens series. Each series has a designated color, corresponding to the same color used in Rodenstock's marketing materials - e.g., the specifications table in the 1993-vintage Rodenstock full-line brochure that I have can be read at a glance, since the section for each lens series is coded with the same color as the ring on those lenses.

[Kerry L. Thalmann]

O.K. Bob,

Specifically with the grandagon n 90mm F4.5, and apo sironars s 135 F5.6and 180mm F5.6.
Do any of the lenses with the coloured rings perform any differently to those without the coloured rings..if any without coloured rings exist in the 135 and 180's..I know they do for the 90mm?
If yes in what ways?

Thanks,

Marc

There is no such thing as an APO Sironar-S without the spiffy red racing stripe. They were introduced at Photokina '92 and have had the red stripe from the get go.

For a consistent look, Rodenstock then decided to add colored racing strips to all their lens lines. The APO Sironar-W got yellow, the APO Sironar-N got silver, the APO Ronar got blue, the Grandadagon-N got green, etc. This was a cosmetic makeover and did not accompany any design changes.

All the stripe vs. no stripe really tells you is the relative age of the lens. For a little more granularity, I have a serial number vs. date of manufacture table for Rodenstock lenses (http://www.thalmann.com/largeformat/agevs.htm) posted on my web site. It only goes up to 1998, but that should cover the entire non-striped and the beginning of the striped eras.

In the end, if you're buying used lenses, there will likely be just as much potential for sample-to-sample variation between lenses with stripes as there will be for lenses with/without stripes.

Kerry

[Bob Salomon]

O.K. Bob,

Specifically with the grandagon n 90mm F4.5, and apo sironars s 135 F5.6and 180mm F5.6.
Do any of the lenses with the coloured rings perform any differently to those without the coloured rings..if any without coloured rings exist in the 135 and 180's..I know they do for the 90mm?
If yes in what ways?

Thanks,

Marc

The S was only made with the ring.

A non MC Grandagon N will not be as good as the latest Grandagon N. The stripe has nothing to do with it other then indicating which is a newer lens. The last of the Grandago N MC and the first of the green stripe Grandagon N MC lenses are identical.

What you have to do is try the lenses and make sure they meet your needs. Especially as you seem to be looking at used and you can't always tell the condition of the lens by looking at it. You have to use it.

[Kerry L. Thalmann]

Can anyone tell me when the green stripe version of the 90mm F4.5 was introduced?

Bob might be able to give you a more accurate date, but I seem to recall it was sometime in the 1993 - 1995 range.

Kerry

[Former Member 8144]

Thanks kerry.

I just deleted my message and as then found a post by yourself somewhere else with the 1994 as a date.

Cheers,
Marc

[Toyon]

I wonder if anyone makes aftermarket lens decals? I personally would like a flame decal for my Apo-Symmar and a heart with "mother" inscribed on it for my Petzval. I would also like a sticker for my camera that states "this is not a howitzer" for all those overeager security guards.

[JW Dewdney]

Bob might be able to give you a more accurate date, but I seem to recall it was sometime in the 1993 - 1995 range.

Kerry

Wasn't it 1997 or so?

[8x10 user]

What is the difference between the older 300mm macro Sironar N and the newer 180mm Apo-macro-N? I thought that the main difference was the angle of view and focal length. Correct me if I am wrong but I thought that they are both corrected for color, and that neither one of them use the ED glass.





Perhaps, depends on how much older the older versions are. Some were only made with the colored rings. For instance the Apo Sironar S, Apo Sironar Digital, Apo Sironar Digital HR.

There is a significant difference between the old 210 and 300 Apo Macro Sironars with or without the rings and the current 120 and 180 Apo macro Sironars that wee only made with the ring.

What is your specific question?