No, no, no, Bob ... The Apo Nikkors are better. I have not only proven that to myself hundreds of times over again, but nearly all the big pro labs once in business around here preferred them to Rodagon G's for mural work. And their into their own by f/11 clear down. The f/22 specification for process use specifically is for sake of standardized
exposure protocol, not for reasons of inferior performance at somewhat larger or smaller apertures. I've got a whole set of these things, along with quite a few Rodenstock official enlarging lenses, and except for focus brightness, would rate the Apo Nikkors superior in every paramater, including better than my beloved Apo Rodagon N's, necessary in shorter focal lengths. I'll leave it to your to describe the longer Apo Rodagons themselves once marketed for graphics rather than enlarger applications. But I think you're showing a bit of brand loyalty prejudice against Japanese optics not shared by many West Coast users. Apo Nikkors were considered the cream of the crop here, with the sole exception of extremely expensive Apo El Nikkkors, the Rolls Royces.