Rodenstock 300mm APO Sironar-S

[JPlomley]

I've finally narrowed down which lenses I'll need to build a LF system based on my shooting style in 35mm and 6x7. Carrying around a viewing frame for the last month has helped as well (for which I sure got a lot of strange stares). The lenses are the 55/75/135/210/300 Rodenstock's (although I am seriously considering the 72XL instead of the 75, but the weight may be an issue). My concern however is with the 300mm. It has a front thread of 100mm. So it looks like I will need a step-up ring from 100 to 105mm in order to use CC filters and polarizers. B+W make such a step-up ring, but in a 1.0mm thread pitch and 0.75mm thread pitch. Does anyone on this forum using the 300mm Sironar-S know offhand which is the correct thread pitch? They are a special order item from B&H taking 6-10 weeks, so I really need to get this one right the first time.

[Oren Grad]

M100x1 (scroll down to the second page here (http://www.linos.com/pages/mediabase/original/rodenstock_apo-sironar-s_e_2475.pdf)).

[Gordon Moat]

http://www.linos.com/pages/mediabase/original/rodenstock_apo-sironar-s_e_2475.pdf

The newest version is 100mm by 1.0mm pitch. However, I don't know if an older version is different.

Just out of curiosity, are you using these for business? Getting a matched set is a good idea for colour consistency, though not entirely necessary.

If you have not shot much 4x5, you might want to start with only one or two of those lenses, even if you buy all at once. Once you start moving (tilt, shift, et al) the lenses and film plane, you might find that your preview viewer is very rough from what you are actually capable of capturing on film. I use a couple preview finders, and still find that my actual image simply does not match the view through the finder many times. Of course, it might be the more extreme movements I use.

Ciao!

Gordon Moat
A G Studio (http://www.allgstudio.com)

[JPlomley]

Cheers for the feedback gentlemen. Mea culpa for not checking the Rodenstock website first...:o I've been using a Rodenstock 135mm APO Sironar-S (was going to get the 110mm XL but changed my mind last minute since it really is more coverage than I felt necessary for 4x5 landscape work). I am just blown away with the quality of this lens. I compared it against my Mamiya 65mm L rangefinder lens shooting the identical subject. I evaluated both the 4x5 and 6x7 chrome (same area) with a Schneider 3x 6x7 aspherical loupe and was amazed that the Rodenstock was as sharp as the Mamiya. I never would have believed that any lens optimized for a 4x5 surface area could hold it's own against the Mamiya rangefinder optic. So I am pretty much sold on the Rodesntock APO-Sironar S optics after this evaluation. The APO Grandagon seems to be a solid performer as well based upon reviews I have read on this and other sites. The 75mm is the only optic that is not Apochromatic, and that concerns me somewhat in that I will be scanning all of my chromes and really would rather not have to deal with color fringing. Hence the consideration of the 72XL, even though I doubt I would need the extremity of movements.

[Oren Grad]

The newest version is 100mm by 1.0mm pitch. However, I don't know if an older version is different.

The Rodenstock full-line brochure from 9/1993 also shows M100x1.

[Oren Grad]

The 75mm is the only optic that is not Apochromatic, and that concerns me somewhat in that I will be scanning all of my chromes and really would rather not have to deal with color fringing. Hence the consideration of the 72XL, even though I doubt I would need the extremity of movements.

None of these lenses is truly apochromatic; the "apo" designation is a marketing tactic, not a rigorous indication of a specific performance standard. (Note that neither Fuji nor Nikon chose to use the "apo" designation on their corresponding lenses.)

On the other hand, all of these modern lenses are well-corrected for their respective types. I can't recall ever hearing that the 75/4.5 Grandagon has a problem with excessive color fringing compared to competing lenses of comparable focal length and coverage. It may or may not be satisfactory for your purposes, depending on what your standards are, but the presence or absence of "apo" in the label doesn't tell you anything useful in that respect.

And on the off chance you really want to open that can of worms:

http://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/showthread.php?t=13991

http://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/showthread.php?t=22611

http://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/showthread.php?t=1937

[Ron Marshall]

I'm very happy with my 75 mm f4.5 Grandagon, and I have an Apo Sironar S 150 to compare it to. Never noticed any color fringing. Same on the weight and go with the 75.