Where to look for information on lenses?
Links are ephemeral. There’s no guarantee that any of the links below still works.
Information given on the sites listed is, in general, incomplete and inconsistent. If you can’t live with ambiguity and confusion, hide under your bed.
A number of lens types were made for many years, some with periodic major redesigns, others without. Either way, coverage claims change over time. “Fast” tessar types’ coverage has grown with redesigns. Dagor types’ coverage has shrunk with reconsideration of what coverage means. Be skeptical of all catalogs’ coverage claims.
All sorts of lenses:
http://www.cameraeccentric.com/info.html Many catalogs.
http://savazzi.freehostia.com/photography/default.htm Click on Old Literature, bottom left, to get to a number of Nikon LF lenses catalogs; his list of Nikon process lenses is incomplete
http://www.dioptrique.info/ Many, many lens prescriptions, mainly taken from patents, with calculated performance
http://www.graflex.org/lenses/lens-spec.html Michael Gudzinowicz’ list.
http://www.largeformatphotography.info/ Read the lens FAQs.
Ancient lenses:
http://www.antiquecameras.net/ This site is well worth exploring. A Lens Collectors’ Vade Mecum can be bought through it.
Berthiot lenses:
http://www.collection-appareils.fr/a...9d3802b532215d In French.
Boyer lenses:
http://www.galerie-photo.com/boyer-lens-optic.html
Congo lenses (Yamasaki Optical):
http://www.cosmonet.org/congo/index_e.html
East bloc lenses:
http://www.arnecroell.com/publications Also has Voigtländer LF lenses 1949-72. Presents data on LF lenses from the 1963 GOI and 1970 and ’71 Yakovlev catalogs
Fujinon LF lenses:
http://www.thalmann.com/largeformat/fujinon.htm
Kodak lenses:
http://www.bnphoto.org/ This site is hard to navigate, is worth the trouble.
Nikon process lenses:
http://www.galerie-photo.com/apo-pro...ikkors-en.html All of ‘em.
Rodenstock LF lenses (mainly current production):
http://www.prograf.ru/rodenstock/lar...html#Apo-Ronar Some older, all post 1945
http://www.rodenstock-photo.com/ Current production only.
Schneider lenses:
http://www.schneideroptics.com/ Hover over the info tab.
Soviet lenses:
http://www.lallement.com/pictures/files.htm Download the 1963 GOI and 1970 and ’71 Yakovlev catalogs. In Russian.
USAF lens datasheets:
http://archive.org/details/USAF_lens_datasheets
Re: Where to look for information on lenses?
Thanks, Dan - that's very helpful.
Pending its hoped-for restoration to the freshly-fangled Schneider-Kreuznach site, the wonderful S-K archive of old product literature can still be retrieved here:
http://web.archive.org/web/201009220...hiv/archiv.htm
Re: Where to look for information on lenses?
Oren, thanks for the link to the vanished Schneider archive.
I'm ashamed to admit that I didn't think of using the wayback machine to find it. I did use the wayback machine to find the Rodenstock brochures that Paul Butzi had posted; it found his page, doesn't have the brochures, alas. Bob Salomon, if you can lend copies, as you did to Paul, I can scan them and put them up somewhere (probably on Microsoft's skydrive service) that may be permanent for a while. If you're able and willing, please send me a PM.
Re: Where to look for information on lenses?
Lots of lens info mixed in with a great collection of US Photo supply houses as well as manufacturers catalogs.
http://piercevaubel.com/cam/catalogsall.htm
Re: Where to look for information on lenses?
Re: Where to look for information on lenses?
Here https://skydrive.live.com/redir?resi...33C77D1008!324 is a link to a collection of information on Rodenstock lenses. Brochures courtesy of Bob Salomon of HP Marketing, with help from Paul Butzi and Oren Grad. Process lens material from Joerg Krusche and Emmanuel Bigler. Please join me in thanking the people who made this compilation possible.
Be warned that online .pdf readers may render the text a bit soft. Download the file to see it clearly.
Rodenstock brochures:
lenses for professional photography – summary of their LF lenses, gives mechanical data and coverage
enlarging lenses brochure – summary of their enlarging lenses, gives mechanical data
apo-sironar-n – propaganda, descriptions, mechanical data and MTF charts
apo-sironar-w – propaganda, descriptions, mechanical data and MTF charts
apo-sironar-s – propaganda, descriptions, mechanical data and MTF charts
apo-macro-sironar – propaganda, descriptions, mechanical data and MTF charts for the 120/5.6, no information on the 180/5.6, for that go to Rodenstock’s site
apo grandagon grandagon-n -- propaganda, descriptions, mechanical data and MTF charts
digital lenses – summary of their digital lenses, gives mechanical data. Dated, for the latest go to the Rodenstock site
rodagon rodagon-wa -- propaganda, descriptions, mechanical data and MTF charts
apo-rodagon-n -- propaganda, descriptions, mechanical data and MTF charts
apo-rodagon-d -- propaganda, descriptions, mechanical data and MTF charts, no information for the 120/5.6, for that go to Rodenstock’s site
Process lens information:
03-Apo-Ronar – descriptions, mechanical data and MTF charts. From Rodenstock’s Process Lens Manual
05-Apo-Gerogon-Graphigon -- descriptions, mechanical data and MTF charts. From Rodenstock’s Process Lens Manual
Notices-Apo-Ronar-francais – Apo-Ronar information in French, shows axial MTF by spatial frequency
Everything on the Internet is ephemeral. Please download these files. If you want to post them on your own site, please do.
Re: Where to look for information on lenses?
Re: Where to look for information on lenses?
Excellent post. Thanks Dan
Re: Where to look for information on lenses?
Re: Where to look for information on lenses?
Thanks Dan. I sort of scanned the aero lenses and found one that was 181lbs....had no idea these were used in planes. However my 103yr Voightlander (203mm) Collinear Ser 11 is very little known. I did see someone from apug own one.
Les