Rodenstock Apo-Sironar S 180mm f5.6

Conventional 4x5” format users will be familiar with this lens or its 150mm f5.6 counterpart.  I thought I’d highlight

the use of this normal perspective lens for 4x5” format as applied to the whole plate format.  Convention has it that

this lens covers 5x7” format adequately and indeed, Rodenstock recommend a maximum format size of 5x7” for

this lens.  Having found no reference to 6 ½ x 8 ½ inch coverage on the internet, the data from Rodenstock’s lens

charts indicates that this lens will not cover 180mm x 240mm formats.   It offers a theoretical covering power which

approximates the coverage of a whole plate format with sufficient covering power for minor corrections of field

perspective requiring movements only.

Lens Data:            Technical data available from:   http://www.linhofstudio.com/products/lenses/largelenses.html
                                                                                 [Full Rodenstock pdf file available]
                           

                              Reference pages also listed in:  http://www.butzi.net/rodenstock/apo-sironar-s/page2.htm   

                                                                                 http://www.butzi.net/rodenstock/apo-sironar-s/180mm.htm

Image Circle:        Approximately 276mm at f22 for infinity focus.  This affords  a modest 17mm shift movement on

                              whole plate format.
Weight:                 410 grams 

Filter thread:        67mm  No mechanical vignetting on Sinar or Cokin X-Pro Holder

Use:                      Moderate wide-angle offering  circa 75 degrees  of coverage
Ground Glass:     The Sironar S 180mm f5.6 offers a bright and even illumination across the ground glass with visible

                              illumination for corner checking (unless groundglass is clipped).
Illumination:         Field illumination appears consistently even to the margins of coverage and does not require the use

                              of a centre filter for whole plate coverage (black and white negative).

 

Test Camera:          Chamonix Whole Plate

Lensboard:             Copal 1 size Wista/Linhof or Sinar/Horseman board

Set-up:                    3rd base rail screw hole required for front standard locking on Chamonix Whole Plate camera

Movements:           Minimal movement range afforded by the extra covering power

Image Characteristics:

Emulsion:     Ilford FP4+

Developer:    Paterson FX39

Paper:           Seagull Oriental (Grade IV) Fibre Paper

Whole plate negative scanned from original print.  Unfortunately the print was not completely flat on the

scanner, hence some artifact.  The rebate margin design is characteristic of the Chamonix Whole Plate

holders.  I have since discovered, that this Chamonix holder has a light leak issue in the lower left corner,

which is consistently replicated in use and intrudes into the image area by less than 2 millimetres. 

Image was undertaken with approximately 10mm of vertical rise before expiration of the image circle at f22. 

The corners of the negative are sharp.  Blurring of the right hand corner is movement related artifact only.

Summary:

1.    The Apo-Sironar S 180mm f5.6 lens possesses sufficient coverage for whole plate format with an available

       17mm of shift or front rise movement.

2.    This  lightweight lens functions as a moderate wide-angle lens and possesses even field illumination

       without filter vignetting/light fall-off nor centre ND graduated filter requirements when used on the whole

       plate format.

3.    The Apo-Sironar S 180mm f5.6 lens represents an excellent choice for dual format users of the 4x5” and

       6 ½ x 8 ½ inch whole plate formats without the need for an upgrade to a larger, bulkier moderate wide-angle

       lens. 

4.    Its application for architectural use is limited by its modest coverage and is best suited as a non-architectural

       wide-angle lens, despite its superior lens characteristics, such as low distortion, high and even field illuminance. 

5.    Bellows extension is not problematic for most field camera designs.

Other relevant Rodenstock Lenses (require 259mm image circle for coverage):

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Acknowledgements: www.komamura.co.jp for lens data

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Thoughts, comments and suggestions welcome.