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Rodenstock Rogonar-S 4.5/135, the tiniest 135mm lens
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PostPosted: Sat Apr 29, 2023 4:32 pm    Post subject: Rodenstock Rogonar-S 4.5/135, the tiniest 135mm lens Reply with quote

I've got this lens expecting a pretty chunky glass-and-metal item, something in the style of Rodenstock Heligon or even Benoist Berthiot Elliptar. This is how it looked in the seller listing.



When I received the parcel weighting 176 grams the careful package and the original box included, I first thought the lens itself was bluntly lost in its way. Not at all. Its size is simply and totally the opposite of my expectatations. It's a tiny piece, still of glass-and-metal. Compared to a common Pentacon 2.8/135 it makes it a real dwarf.





So, it is a technical lens, with no diaphragm and no focusing helicoid. And it fits well M42 bellows with an adhesive stripe of polypropilene put on.

The image quality is pretty amazing, as for central sharpness and contrast. If one accepts a nice field curvature and (surprisingly for a 135mm) a clearly visible vignetting, this is a very interesting and, I'd say enchanting, character lens. Here are some shots with slightly pushed contrasts. The camera is Sony Nex with a lens booster and bellows on.

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#6 Low light close-up


#7 Vignetting


PostPosted: Sat Apr 29, 2023 6:48 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Nice, there's been a few of those on ebay lately, maybe someone found a cache of them?

I have a 6.8/135mm French large format lens that is smaller, but I forget the name now, it's not Angenieux... I think the lens itself is a Perigraphe?


PostPosted: Sat Apr 29, 2023 6:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

You are right! It is 135mm Som Berthiot Perigraphe. Its hight is smaller, but it is slightly larger being a lens furnished with aperture.


PostPosted: Sun Apr 30, 2023 4:28 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Yes, that's the one, not seen my copy in many yesrs,,


PostPosted: Sun Apr 30, 2023 8:37 pm    Post subject: Re: Rodenstock Rogonar-S 4.5/135, the tiniest 135mm lens Reply with quote

alex ph wrote:

#1




Looks very good at close distance, however there seem to be some CAs visible in the second shot:

alex ph wrote:


#2




Nothing drastic though and it's hard to tell at that size.

According to an older thread here as well as Robert OTooles test of the Rogonar-S 57 mm (https://www.closeuphotography.com/rogonar-s-57mm-lens-test), that line usually features a 4/3 Tessar construction. I have no idea why it would vignette however because even a 135 mm Tessar lens should easily cover full-frame. I'm not sure how big the lens is, but if it's indeed slightly bigger than the M39 thread it probably has, it is indeed very small for a 135 mm lens. I don't know any lens with aperture which is this small in diameter, however there are a couple which come close, like the Meyer Helioplan 135 mm f/4.5 or the Tominon 135 mm f/4.5 (Polaroid MP4):



Both lenses are around 47 mm in diameter and the Tominon is quite a flat lens as well. Don't think they will match the more modern Rodenstock lens in terms of contrast though, so the Rogonar-S 135 seems like a nice lens to experiment with. I'm looking forward to some more shots and perhaps you find a way to lmit the vignetting, if there's some mechanical reason.

Here's a link to Rodenstocks data sheet where the Rogonar-S is mentioned:
https://www.rodenstock-photo.com/sites/default/files/2020-04/e_Rodenstock_Printing_CCD_43-62__8230%20%281%29.pdf
(it doesn't feature the 135 mm lens, so it might have been made for a specific client/application, which could explain the difference in image circle)


PostPosted: Sun May 07, 2023 3:30 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

In ebay listings I found a barcode scanner with Rogonar-S. That might be a hint of the lens origin. Even though the images in the listing are confusing, as at least one of them depicts a lens with aperture. So, the origin and the reason of vignetting remains to be cleared out.

The Rogonar-S I has finds out to be a very fine lens but it has faults among which a sometimes pronounced colour shift and a kind of flare spot on Sony Nex sensor (when shot without hood).

Here is a couple more shots in the open air to better present the lens' rendering.

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#2


#3


I find attractive results of a simple BW conversion, there is a little "something" which makes it visible in the rendering.

#4


PostPosted: Tue May 09, 2023 9:48 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Great find! Have you checked whether the throat of the M42 adaptor is causing vignetting? It's quite common at that focal length. The fixed-aperture Rogonar-S range in general wasn't designed for enlarger duty - or coverage - but it should cover the NEX, even with the booster – although, what shrinkage factor are you getting with that?

And what's the serial number of your lens?


PostPosted: Sat May 13, 2023 2:25 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thank you!

In fact, I found out that the vignetting with the lens booster must result from an old M42 extension ring I use in the setup. I need to try it with a larger M42 or a dedicated NEX ring.

The lens does not seem to have any serial number.