Alright, what the heck is this? Also, recommendations?

<p><a href="http://www.ebay.com/itm/4X5-WIDE-68mm-RODENSTOCK-FAST-F1-1-LEICA-S2-LENS-MEDIUM-FORMAT-LENS-BABY-67-68-/221189728766?pt=Camera_Lenses&hash=item337fef69fe">http://www.ebay.com/itm/4X5-WIDE-68mm-RODENSTOCK-FAST-F1-1-LEICA-S2-LENS-MEDIUM-FORMAT-LENS-BABY-67-68-/221189728766?pt=Camera_Lenses&hash=item337fef69fe</a> <br>

On a side note, I'm looking to purchase a 4x5 field camera outfit. Any recommendations? Got about a $1k budget with a little wiggle room.<br>

Are there any reasonably fast normal lenses out there for LF? I'm actually not too concerned with the speed, I'm just looking for the ability to have shallow depth of field and decent resolution. I was thinking a 150/5.6 Symmar - as much as I'd like one, the more modern (and/or faster) Zeiss offerings are simply out of budget (but golly they are something else).</p>

<p>Roedenstock XR Heligon for X-ray imaging, possibly ?<br>

<a href="/nikon-camera-forum/006Gk5">http://www.photo.net/nikon-camera-forum/006Gk5</a></p>

<p>seems to get used for macro work, quite a few hits on google</p>

Ask Bob Solomon, a long-time contributor here and expert on all things Rodenstock.

<p>That vendor has serious problems with reality.</p>

<p>As for the lens, well,</p>

<p>In his book The Photographic Lens (1968, Focal Press, London, New York. Originally published as Das Photo Objektiv, 1956, Friedr. Vieweg & Sohn Verlag, Braunschweig), Hans Martin Brandt explains that lenses such as Rodenstock's XR Heligons and TV Heligons were used in pairs for "presentation of the image formed on an X-ray amplifier tube screen to a larger audience via a television system. Conventional optical systems cannot satisfactorily project these images onto the photo cathode of a television picture tube and special optical designs are required for this purpose. …</p>

<p>While it would go beyond our scope to go into this specific application in exhaustive detail, the optical transmission of an anode image to a television system requires so-called tandem lenses. These are a combination of two lenses optimally corrected for infinity. They are arranged in such a way that the anode image is in the focal plane of the first lens, while the photo cathode tube of the television camera tube is in the focal plane of the second lens. …</p>

<p>In the first place this relay optical system must have the largest possible aperture. On the other hand geometric image corrections must be brought to an optimum …</p>

<p>Rodenstock suggest a number of their lenses as suitable for such tandem combinations. Recommended systems for the lens facing the X-ray image tube are the 100 mm Kinemar f/1.5, the 75 mm XR Heligon f/1.1 or the 50 mm XR Heligon f/0.75. The second lens for projection onto the final image plane can be a 32 mm Heligon f/1.3 (for 16 mm narrow gauge cine), the 70 mm Heligon f/1.4 (for standard 35 mm cine cameras) or the 50 mm TV Heligon f/0.75 for Vidicon cameras.</p>

<p>Small children with more money than brains play with these lenses, but they're useless for nearly all photographic purposes.</p>

<p>This is a 68mm XR Heligon from Rodenstock. They list 2 versions with the same specs. Aperture ration 1:1.5 (aperture not supplied with lens and the lens pictured does not have an aperture ring), nominal focal length 68mm, maximum object circle 20mm, corrected glass thickness 4.2mm.<br>

To quote Rodenstock:<br>

"The collimator objective XR-Heligon, XR stands for X-ray) is the first link in the image formation chain of the tandem system. It forms an image of the exit luminous screen of the image intensifier tube at infinity. <br>

The XR objectives are available in straight (XR-Heligon) and angled systems (XR-Heliflex). This enables space savings in apparatus construction."<br>

The XR-Heligons are available in 6 focal lengths; 50, 55, 68, 75, 95 and 100mm. The XR-Heliflex are available in 75, 87, 100, 122 and 128mm.<br>

These lenses have no view camera use and extremely limited use on any small format camera. They are designed to be used with a second optic, not alone.<br>

Rodenstock also makes TV-Heligon lenses in focal lengths from 42 to 75mm but without a 68mm. These lenses are made as a recording lens for the transfer of information from the collimator objective to the target plane of the TV camera.<br>

Again, not a view camera lens and also supplied without an aperture.<br>

Lastly Rodenstock made 83 and 100mm Heligon lenses for the transfer of the image from a collimator objective to the film plane of a 70 or 100mm still camera. Again thes had no aperture and would not have any general photographic use.<br>

It is too bad that one sells parts scavanged from a piece of equipment that they don't have to tell you what it was scavanged from.</p>

<p>Thanks for the interesting info. I never intended to purchase the lens, I just had no clue what it was. Still on the hunt for a starter 4x5 field though... </p>

<p>It's a paperweight, overpriced by about $880.00</p>