Fax-Rokkor / F.Rokkor-QF lenses

[darkroom_rookie]

Anyone familiar with these lenses? A 150/4.5 Fax-Rokkor and a variety of 190-200/5.6-7 F.Rokkor-QF's often show up for sale. The latter have a fixed aperture, not sure about the 150mm. I presume these come from various printers or copiers, and appear to be of symmetrical design. If the lens cells can be transferred to an aperture housing, and that looks to be a possibility, could they be successfully used for enlarging purposes?

 

[flavio81]

Anyone familiar with these lenses? A 150/4.5 Fax-Rokkor and a variety of 190-200/5.6-7 F.Rokkor-QF's often show up for sale. The latter have a fixed aperture, not sure about the 150mm. I presume these come from various printers or copiers, and appear to be of symmetrical design. If the lens cells can be transferred to an aperture housing, and that looks to be a possibility, could they be successfully used for enlarging purposes?

This is a very interesting idea, worthy of its own thread.

 

[darkroom_rookie]

Also, judging by this image, they're pretty good as macro or near-macro taking lenses on 4x5:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/makotin/14591936073/

Supposedly macro lenses work well for enlarging, maybe even better than regular (non-G) darkroom lenses for 12x and larger ratios. Not at f6.8, of course...

 

[Dan Fromm]

rookie, have you asked Google what it can find for either lens? I just did.

It returned a moderate number of offers to sell, a few questions about what the lenses are good for and no reports from happy users. There's no evidence that the cells, if the lenses are made with cells, will fit standard shutters. Re made with cells, we're used to lenses that consist of two cells, front and rear, that screw into a barrel or a shutter. Not all fixed aperture lenses are made this way. Some have stepped tubes with the bits of glass glued in or held in place by retaining rings. I have one such (retaining rings).

I've looked at the image you gave a link to. Not that good.

However, its your time, your money and your joy of tinkering. Don't pay much, play and enjoy yourself.

If you want an enlarging lens with variable aperture, buy one. It will be less expensive than getting one of these gems and paying to have it adapted if it can be adapted. To give you an idea of potential costs, in 2002 I had the late Steve Grimes extract 38/4.5 Biogon cells from an AGI shutter and make adapters to remount them in a Copal #0. He charged $300 for that work. I'm sure that prices have risen since then.

 

[darkroom_rookie]

Dan, I agree, a proper enlarging lens is the real deal. But I also agree about the tinkering!

Anyway, I can get one for $17. And I have an M72-threaded aperture housing from an utterly trashed 1960s 240mm Rodagon. About the cells, that notorious seller from Dallas has one for sale, showing two cells unscrewed in one of the pictures in his ad. And most of all, I really dig the 195mm focal length. Hope the image improves enough stopped to f11-16.

 

[darkroom_rookie]

This is a very interesting idea, worthy of its own thread.

F.Rokkor-QF cells:



BTW, did you ever receive my messages?

 

[murataxu]

Hello

what is the result about that lens? Could you use it with shutter? Any samplepictures?

cheers
Murat