Caltar II N with green stripe

[photonsoup]

What does a green stripe mean, if anything on these lenses?

[Eric Biggerstaff]

I believe it indicates it is a re-badged Rodenstock Grandagon. What focal length?

[photonsoup]

I've been told that the Caltar II N is a Rodenstock Apo Sironar N. I have a 90mm and a 210mm (without a stripe). This one is 65mm and has a green stripe

[Taija71A]

I believe it indicates it is a re-badged Rodenstock Grandagon. What focal length?

... This one is 65mm and has a green stripe.

____

Eric is of course correct...
Your 65mm Caltar II-N lens is therefore a 're-badged' Rodenstock Grandagon or perhaps? a Grandagon-N.

Enjoy!
--
Best regards,

-Tim.
_________

[hiend61]

Your 65mm Caltar II-N with green stripe is a rebadged Rodenstock Grandagon-N of the last series made. Thread filter is 58mm. A great lens. I love mine. Green stripe is just decorative. From 1992 or so, Rodenstock decoraed lenses with color stripes. Green for Apo Grandagon and Grandagon N, white for Apo Sironar N, red for Apo Sironar S, yellow for Apo Sironar W, orange for Apo Macro Sironar and blue for Apo Ronar. Lenses are identical with or without color stripe, except Apo Sinaron S which I think had always a red stripe, the same as Apo macro Sironar.

[Richard Johnson]

It means it is a newer lens than the ones made without the stripes. Improved coatings, larger coverage with each model iteration although even older 1970s-era Rodenstocks are still good sharp lenses.

In terms of aging, some of the older Rodenstocks suffer from element separation more than other brands but we're talking about 30 year old lenses and you don't know their history. Schneiders suffer from the flaking black internal paint, aka Schniederitis. Nothing beats actually inspecting a lens and having return privileges.

[Oren Grad]

Your 65mm Caltar II-N with green stripe is a rebadged Rodenstock Grandagon-N of the last series made. Thread filter is 58mm. A great lens. I love mine. Green stripe is just decorative. From 1992 or so, Rodenstock decoraed lenses with color stripes. Green for Apo Grandagon and Grandagon N, white for Apo Sironar N, red for Apo Sironar S, yellow for Apo Sironar W, orange for Apo Macro Sironar and blue for Apo Ronar. Lenses are identical with or without color stripe, except Apo Sinaron S which I think had always a red stripe, the same as Apo macro Sironar.

This is it. Green stripe means late production run. Color-striped Caltar II-Ns are actually relatively uncommon compared to the non-striped ones - evidently Calumet's orders were already ramping down by the time Rodenstock changed the cosmetics.

larger coverage with each model iteration

There's no difference in coverage between a striped and a non-striped Caltar II-N. For all practical purposes they are the same model.

In terms of aging, some of the older Rodenstocks suffer from element separation more than other brands but we're talking about 30 year old lenses and you don't know their history.

All Caltar II-N production - color stripe or not - is from much later than the time when Rodenstock was having trouble with this.

[David Karp]

All Caltar II-N production - color stripe or not - is from much later than the time when Rodenstock was having trouble with this.

I think anyone who is thinking about issues like this with Rodenstock lenses are thinking about the Type S Caltars, which were equivalent to the Rodenstock Sironar lenses. These Type S Caltars are to distinguished from the Caltar-S II lenses which were made by Schneider.

Caltar II-N lenses are often available at great prices. You see them going for less than the equivalent Sironar-N or APO-Sironar-N lenses.

Oren, remember about ten years ago, maybe more, when there were discussions on the forum as to whether the Caltar II-N lenses were rejects or subjected to lower quality control standards than the regular Rodenstock lineup? People just could not get their minds around the concept of private labeling. I always thought of Caltar lenses as the Kenmore of the photography world!

[Kirk Gittings]

Yes they can be quite a deal these days. I picked one up this summer for my Wanderlust (a CII-N 6.8 90MM MC but no green stripe) in mint condition for around $165 in Chitown at the Wabash pilgrimage store-without my SAIC faculty discout I think it was $185. I had friends at Calumet back in the day who were involved in the deals with RS. They swore to me that they were no different than the RS offering......

[David Karp]

Wow, that is a great deal!