210 f/6.8 Geronar - Coverage and info?

Removed Account · Sep 12, 2007

I am looking for a 210mm lens to use on 4x5 for portraiture and still life. It would be a stretch for me to spend $400 on an APO Symmar or the like, so I am looking at other offerings. KEH has a Rodenstock 210mm f/6.8 Geronar for a very reasonable $265, especially given its condition. Does anyone have an idea of the coverage? In the still life especially I can use quite a bit of movements, so the more coverage the better. My little Wollensak 135mm f/4.7 rarely gives me trouble (unless using significant rise or fall) so that may give you an idea of what I am looking for. Thanks for the help!

- Justin

Jon Shiu · Sep 12, 2007

Hi, coverage is 230mm.

Jon

photomc · Sep 12, 2007

Jon has it...but for an idea of how much coverage that is, put mine on my 8x10 and it will actually cover 8x10 with no movements (and it is getting soft in the corners). It's a nice lens for the $, IMO.

Dan Fromm · Sep 12, 2007

Mike, doesn't "getting soft in the coroners" mean "doesn't cover the format?"

You did mean corners, not coroners, didn't you?

Nick Zentena · Sep 12, 2007

cafeharrar said:
I am looking for a 210mm lens to use on 4x5 for portraiture and still life.

IIRC it's a single coated triplet. Wasn't that expensive new.

Remember the closer you focus the more coverage the lens gives you. You could draw the triangle coming out of the lens to confirm this for yourself. The angle at the lens is the angle of coverage. The distance from the lens to the ground glass gives you the other dimension. If you're not a math person then drawing the triangle at different points will show how the coverage grows.

Why not consider one of the bargain grade plasmats? Or even watch for the next time they get a Fuji-W 1st series with a Seiko shutter in stock? You'll get more coverage. The newer ones will add multicoating. It's not like KEH bargain is a huge risk.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rodenstock#Geronar

Remember also the Caltars are usually Rodenstock. So if you're trying to save money consider those to. Same lens just the Calumet branding.

photomc · Sep 12, 2007

Dan Fromm said:
Mike, doesn't "getting soft in the coroners" mean "doesn't cover the format?"

You did mean corners, not coroners, didn't you?

LOL, never trust the spell check Dan, and yes soft would mean does not cover the format - unless using the look (not sure why one does that, but to each his own). Since the 210 Geronar was not meant for 8x10 was just wanted to relate first hand what I had seen on the GG.

ChuckP · Sep 12, 2007

My Geronar was multicoated. I think they all are. One big advantage is small size and weight. If you don't need that I'd look for an older Symmar or Sironar. But it's hard to beat the Geronar price. KEH seems a little high at $265. I sold mine for $185 a couple years back. Not bad for a lens in modern shutter.

Removed Account · Sep 12, 2007

The KEH price is high I believe because the lens condition is listed as Like New Minus, which to my understanding coming from them means that someone breathed on the glass at some point

- Justin

Nick Zentena · Sep 12, 2007

No it means they lost the box -)

davekarp · Sep 12, 2007

I have one. Its a nice lens stopped down to f/16 or f/22. Wider, it does not perform as well as other lenses.

Alternatives are 210mm f/6.8 Caltar II-E, which is the same lens mfg for Calumet by Rodenstock and often available for less $ than a Geronar, a 210mm f/6.1 Schneider Xenar (or its twin Caltar Pro) which is single coated but also very nice and can be used wide open (I have one of these too), or a 210mm f/5.6 Fujinon L, which is single coated. The Xenar and Fujinon L are Tessar type designs. Another small, light lens in this range is the usually much more expensive 200mm f/8 Nikkor M, which is multicoated.

Removed Account · Sep 13, 2007

I have a line on a Fujinon-W as well, located in Canada which will save me from getting a $50 kick in the nuts by customs.

Dave, as far as the Geronar not performing well open wider than f/16, would this create a soft-focus effect suited to portraits, or does the image lose detail in addition to sharpness?

- Justin

davekarp · Sep 13, 2007

Well, I think a bit of both, but it might be fine for that purpose. For a comparison with real photos, check this out: http://www.hevanet.com/cperez/test/BigMash210.html

For what its worth, my 210 Caltar II-E lives full-time on my Crown, which comes with me in the car. The 210 Caltar Pro is the one I use on dedicated photo outings, with my Walker Titan SF. And yes, I am nuts. I have a 210 Caltar II-N that I use with my monorail and lately as a gentle wide angle on my WP Improved Seneca.

davekarp · Sep 13, 2007

Oh yeah, I have several Fujinon Ws (2 of the multicoated versions, one single coated). None are 210s, all are very nice. The 125mm f/5.6 is one of my two favorite lenses.

Nick Zentena · Sep 13, 2007

The nice thing about the 210mm Fuji-W single coated is it covers 80 degrees +. The later versions are changed to a different design. That W version gives better coverage then the G-Claron. Is faster. Uses the same #1 shutter. 58mm filters. Plus it's often the cheapest 210mm option. One of the few 210mm I've seen cheaper was the Komura Commerical I bought and the shutter is likely worth what I paid for the complete lens.

210 f/6.8 Geronar - Coverage and info?

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