Rodenstock APO Ronar 300mm f9

Eric Rose · Feb 4, 2019

I've only taken a very few photos with this lens but it has impressed me with it's stunningly sharp images. Here is a screenshot (reduced for photrio) of a 100% image portion as shown in PS. Ya I know I should have dusted off the folder camera haha. The full image is in the gallery. Seems photrio compression kills a bit of the sharpness but you get the idea.

DREW WILEY · Feb 5, 2019

It's a famous lens for its sharpness on 4x5, including at infinity and not just close-up, provided you have the in-shutter version with the elements properly spaced.

Patrick Robert James · Feb 5, 2019

I have one in a shutter and i agree, it is an incredible lens. I got lucky with mine. I bought it during the great dip back in like 2010 or so for $60. There was a while there when lf lenses were stupid cheap and it coincided with my desire to shoot more lf. Call it Irish luck. Lol.

chris77 · Feb 6, 2019

DREW WILEY said:
It's a famous lens for its sharpness on 4x5, including at infinity and not just close-up, provided you have the in-shutter version with the elements properly spaced.

are you saying that the barrel version is not sharp at infinity?

DREW WILEY · Feb 6, 2019

Not necessarily. But the shutter versions were conspicuously intended for general photography usage rather than close-range repro work. So there might be a difference in the spacing between the front and rear elements. You can obviously just examine subjects at infinity through a ground glass loupe or make a film test. If these aren't immaculately sharp in clear air conditions within a stop of two down from full aperture, then you might need to order a shim ring to correct the element spacing.

Marco Gilardetti · Feb 7, 2019

I am also a proud owner of one of these lenses, 360mm type in Copal 3. It's only f:9 which is sometimes hard to deal with when in interiors, but it's unbelievably small for a lens of this focal length! You really have no excuse for not carrying it with you. Unfortunately I didn't buy it "during the great dip" but exactly when people realised that digital was not so cool after all and perhaps large format had still something to say...

sharpnikkor · Mar 4, 2019

I have the 420mm f/9 version in a Copal #3 shutter. Not that bad in terms of size and weight.

It does stretch my 4 x 5 technical camera and my monorails to the limit for bellows extension

I haven't tested it but at infinity the 420mm is supposed to cover 8 x 10 with some movements.

My lens is multi-coated though not marked on the barrel as such. Dated from around 1978/1979.

Leo_123 · Jan 20, 2020

I have a APO Ronar STAT-KING 12"(300mm) F9 enlarger lens. I am into adapting lenses to various format cameras from 1" to FF.

This is the 4x5 lens?

Does anyone know the approximate crop factor for Full Frame or APSC?

I apologize in advance if this should be a separate thread.

Thank you.

papagene · Jan 20, 2020

The Apo Ronar covers at least 8x10. I use it on my Rochester Optical Empire State 8x10. It is a really nice lens.

Leo_123 · Jan 20, 2020

It has a very long flange distance of about 296mm. It says it should cover 5"x7" if I read it correctly. I took a chance on the lens in not great shape and it's definitely usable. I am just curious what the approximate crop factor would be. If it is 4x5 then it's something like 3.5 on FF. If it's an even larger format then it is even more. On smaller than FF formats the crop is even more. I am just trying to see if anyone else has done it and what their calculations were.

https://www.pacificrimcamera.com/rl/00817/00817.pdf

locutus · Jan 21, 2020

I have a 300mm Sinar marked Ronar which was in a Synchro Compur shutter when i bought it. It looks ancient and single coated but is quite sharp.

I've shot some full length portraits with it at full aperture and it created perfect 9.5x11" prints.

Distant landscape subjects are as sharp as any other modern Fujinon's i have given that i dont use too much movements, more then say 4 centimeters of rise and sharpness falloff is visible, even at f/22.

Most of my landscape compositions end up using maybe a centimeter or 2 of shift+rise and i'm entirely happy with those results printed 11x14".

Leo_123 · Jan 22, 2020

I found the answer. On LF it is 60mm/1.8 (0.20 or 1/5) equivalent so on a FF it would just be 300/9 and 450/13.5 on APSC.

https://mmcalc.com/

Rodenstock APO Ronar 300mm f9

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