first of all thanx to everybody for their answers on my last questions concerning which wideangle lens to buy. i still donīt know yet, but i will find out soon.

surfing the web i found another interesting specimen:

a RODENSTOCK GERONAR 90mm/8.

what kind of a lens is this? when were they manufatured? were they multicoated? what imagecirle do they have?...

maybe somebody knows. would be nice. thanx again. thomas

-- thomas (dashuber@t-online.de), May 12, 2002

Answers

Like the 150, 210 and the 300 the 90 WA was made as a basic lens of modest coverage and in a shallsize so a student cuuld afford tfhem. There Are much better lrnses out there for more money

-- Bob Salomon (bob@hpmarketingcorp.com), May 12, 2002.

Thomas, you are on the right track now. A 90 f8 wide angle will match up with the Toyo 45A. You can still get front movements using a flat lensboard, and you will not need to drop the bed, as with a shorter wide angle lens ( although, I do use the shallow recessed lensboard with the 90SW on my Toyo. It takes the compression off of the bellows and allows for easier front movements). A few years ago, I had a Geronar 90 f8 . It had a very small image circle and showed a lot of fall off around the edges. It also was mounted in a Copal 3 shutter.A good beginners lens, but not a good match for the Toyo 45A. Look for a 90 f8 that is mounted in a Copal 0 shutter. Most of them are. Try looking at the mpex.com website They have many used ones in stock right now. You may want to E- mail Jim. He is the large format person there. He can help you to find a lens to fit your budget.Midwest Photo Exchange ships all over the world.

-- Eugene (TIAGEM@aol.com), May 12, 2002.

"It also was mounted in a Copal 3 shutter"

Not by Rodenstock

-- Bob Salomon (bob@hpmarketingcorp.com), May 12, 2002.

Its a double Gauss design, like the Kodak Wide field Ektar, with 4 meniscus lenses. A budget wide angle lens. From a 1988 German Rodenstock Brochure:

Angle of coverage 85 degees at f/22, 170mm image circle; that means you are rather limited in movements, to 10 and 12mm for 4x5. Smallest aperture f/32 (according to the brochure). It came in a Copal 1. Filter size 58mm. No mentioning if its multicoated or not. Rodenstock discontinued it in the early nineties (my 1993 brochure doesn't list it anymore).

-- Arne Croell (arne.croell@inemet.tu-freiberg.de), May 12, 2002.

You're right, as usual, Bob. My Greonar was mounted in a Copal 1. But, as I remember, it had a mounting ring, like a Copal 3. I had difficulty mounting it on my Wisner lensboard. Thanks for correcting my geriatric memory. Geronar = geriatric. That's why I will never buy another Geronar.

-- Eugene (TIAGEM@aol.com), May 12, 2002.