Hi all

Any exact dates re. age of Rodenstock lenses? I know I had a list but I can`t find it! Thanks!

-- Armin Seeholzer (armin.seeholzer@smile.ch), April 15, 2001

Answers

No, but you can call Bob Salomon and he can age it for you by serial number, then tell you you need a to buy a newer one.

-- Wayne (wsteffen@skypoint.com), April 15, 2001.

Hi

I get a list from Paul Schilliger!

Thanks

-- Armin Seeholzer (armin.seeholzer@smile.ch), April 17, 2001.

would Paul like to share it?

-- Wayne (wsteffen@skypoint.com), April 17, 2001.

Sure!

Year of Production Serial No. up to 1910 50.000

1920 200.000

1930 400.000

1935 700.000

1938 900.000

1940 950.000

1945 2.000.000

1952 2.500.000

1954 3.000.000

1957 4.000.000

1961 5.000.000

1966 6.000.000

1971 7.000.000

1973 8.000.000

1974 9.000.000

1977 9.500.000

1979 10.000.000

1984 10.500.000

1991 11.000.000

1993 11.150.000

1994 11.231.713

1995 11.294.073

1996 11.358.165

1997 11.407.513

1998 11.468.541

-- Paul Schilliger (pschilliger@smile.ch), April 18, 2001.

Does anyone know when Rodenstock started multicoating their lenses?

-- Geoffrey Chen (DB45TEK@AOL.COM), April 18, 2001.

Thanks Paul! Now I wont have to (fill in the blank) next time I want to age a lens.

Wayne

-- Wayne (wsteffen@skypoint.com), April 18, 2001.

Paul's list, and a similar one on Schneider's website, are a salutary reminder of the drop in popularity of LF. From a peak production of nearly a million items a year to under 60,000 is a big drop, and presumably those serial numbers apply to all lenses made, including the new 'digital' lens range.
I wonder how many new LF lenses are sold per year worldwide?
The fact that Nikon haven't updated their LF catalogue in 10 years must be some kind of indicator of a sector in its death throes.

-- Pete Andrews (p.l.andrews@bham.ac.uk), April 25, 2001.

Pete, interesting pointing this out. I wonder however how many of the lenses produced concerned the Graphic Art industry. This sector of production started decline when the industry got digital. Repro cameras have been replaced by scanners and film flashing devices got digital. The large format cameras extensively used as universal cameras in the first half of last century were also advantageously replaced by medium format for many uses.

-- Paul Schilliger (pschilliger@smile.ch), April 25, 2001.