Rodenstock Sironar

[juan]

20-years ago I bought my first 4x5 from a studio that was going out of business It came with a lens that's labeled Rodenstock Sironar 1: 5.6 f=210mm - plain Sironar, no S or N or Apo. I've used it for all these years without paying a lot of attention to it.

A few weeks ago, I got my first 8x10. According to everything I see on the net, the Rodenstock has only a 266mm coverage circle, not enough for 8x10, but I thought I'd try it anyway.

I made a temporary lens board and stuck the lens on the 8x10 - I was stunned to see it covers with plenty of movement. Then I looked more closely at the lens and see f-stops engraved not only for 210mm but also 400mm. Sure enough, removing the front element focuses at about 400mm.

I wonder if I have something other than a plain Sironar. Any ideas?
juan

 

[lee]

Hi Juan,
I have a 240 mm Sironar that is probably from the same vintage. It is big and in a Compur (modern) shutter that is a #3. It covers 8x10 also and until I got a 305 mm G-Claron and a 210 mm G-Claron that is all I had to use for 8x10. Mine is marked for 240 mm and for 600 I think. Tomorrow I will check and see what it says and let you know. As far as something other than a plain Sironar, I don't think so.

lee\c

 

[Thilo Schmid]

Juan,
AFAIK, Rodenstock Sironars were never inteded to be useed as a convertible (except maybe very old ones from the 60's). I assume that the previous owner had changed the f-stop-scale. Plain Sironars usually have the same coverage as the current APO-Sironar-N-Series. The APO-Sironar-N 5,6/210 has got an image circle of 301mm. Rodenstock is usually conservative in stating technical specifications.

 

[juan]

Thanks guys.
This lens is in a Copal 1, which is really surprising. And 301mm is still not large enough for 8x10, and this lens will handle almost all the rising front my camera give it.

I guess I'll just count myself lucky and go take pictures.
juan

 

[PaulH]

Juan,
You could try Bob Salomon at HP Marketing. He should have some info about your lens. bob@hpmarketing.com

 

[David A. Goldfarb]

Also Kerry Thalmann has been doing some retrospective articles on lenses by the various manufacturers in _View Camera_ magazine, so you might check back issues. I think he's covered Rodenstock in the past year, and there is also a CD compilation of technical articles that you can get from the _View Camera_ magazine website that might have it.

 

[juan]

Thanks again. Bob at HP marketing says that old (no dates given) Sironars were indeed convertibles.

I'll look for the View Camera back issues.
juan

 

[glbeas]

I see an entry for a 210 5.6 Sironar in Woodens Optical Reference Manual and it says it covers 11x14! It calls it a Makro-Sironar.
The other entry for a 210 5.6 Sironar says it covers 5x7.
Any chance you have the Makro?