Rodenstock 5.6/146.8mm of unknown type

[Ian Greenhalgh]

Hi folks

I have the chance to buy a mysterious Rodenstock lens in barrel. All it says on the box is:

5.6/146.8mm
cat.no 0703.040.000.21

Does anyone have any info on identifying Rodenstock lenses by their catalogue number?

[Steven Tribe]

Isn't this another ex-process/photocopier lens? The type of catelogue no. and the 0.1 mm precision focal suggests it is.

[Dan Fromm]

Steven, it could be a scanner or machine vision lens.

If we're lucky, Ian will buy it and give us a report on it.

[Bob Salomon]

This catalog number is a standard Rodenstock catalog number. But it is not a current one. The description, 146.8mm is the actual focal length of the 150mm Rodagon G which was a 5.6 lens. 0703 was a starting designation for some of the Rodagon lenses. So it looks like you have an OEM version of the 150mm Rodagon G lens for mural printing from 4x5 film.

Unfortunately I know longer have factory price lists old enough to have the factory catalog numbers for the G series of lenses.

[Ian Greenhalgh]

Cheers Bob, that's exactly what I needed to know, I suspected it was an OEM version of something, but didn't know what.

Does anyone happen to know the coverage of the 150 Rodagon-G when used as a taking lens?

[Bob Salomon]

Cheers Bob, that's exactly what I needed to know, I suspected it was an OEM version of something, but didn't know what.

Does anyone happen to know the coverage of the 150 Rodagon-G when used as a taking lens?

It does not appear on any Rodenstock sheet as a taking lens, for any purpose. This is really a very specific use optic for 10 to 40X enlargements. Most other Rodenstock enlarging lenses doe appear on some Rodenstock brochures as macro and as CCD lenses.

[Ian Greenhalgh]

Hmm, does that mean it is likely to perform poorly as a taking lens?

[Bob Salomon]

Hmm, does that mean it is likely to perform poorly as a taking lens?

Very poorly. But it is unsurpassed as a duplicating lens. It is terrible as an enlarging lens. And first you need to figure out if it is the 4.0 or 4.5 version.

[Ian Greenhalgh]

I'll pass then, I have a 9/150 Apo-Gerogon, so I'll stick with that. Thanks fr the advice.

[Struan Gray]

Shirley a lens optimised for 10-40x enlargements from 4x5 film should take quite reasonable full-length portraits? Lenses don't know which way the light is travelling.

Ian, if this thing is costing a couple of beers, get it and test it.

On the other hand, all those beers add up, especially if you're buying one for yourself in parallel to be chummy. By the time you've bought them all, a keg's gone, and you could have just bought that Super Angulon you wanted all along.