"X-ray" lenses for 1x-5x

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Lou Jost
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Post by Lou Jost »

Klaus just kindly sent me lots of technical data from Rodenstock about these lenses. Unfortunately the main take-home lesson from the data is that there are many many different models of Rodenstock X-Ray Heligons, even at the same focal length and aperture, each designed for different working distances and "cover glass" thicknesses. Most of the designs expect to shoot through 2-4mm of glass with refractive index around 1.5. Working distances exclusive of the glass are usually only a few millimeters. Some models actually have essentially zero free working distance between the lens and "cover glass" (really the protective glass in front of the phosphor plate). For example, some 50mm f/1.0 and 54mm f/2/.6 Heligons have zero free space between lens and cover glass. A 75mm f/1.1 XR Heligon has a relatively enormous free space of 5.3mm and cover glass of 3.2mm (with some ability to trade off thinner glass for more space).

The 100mm f/1.5 versions vary greatly, with one model expecting to shoot through 14mm of glass(!) with no space between lens and glass. Another with same focal length and aperture, but more conical shape, expects 2.6 mm of space and a cover glass of 3.2mm.

Some useful generalities do come out of the data, though. Many of them seem to expect a front aperture mounted about 45-55mm in front of the lens, and about 47mm in diameter. Also the data seems to answer one of my key questions, namely what is the wavelength(s) these are optimized for? It turns out they were optimized for about 540nm +/- 90nm, at least when the data sheet was written (1989?). So they don't demand perfectly monochromatic laser light but they do want yellow-green light.

Also, longer focal lengths correlate with larger fields of view. 50mm lenses have FOV around 15mm while 100mm lenses have FOVs around 125mm.

Edit: Note that many XR Heligon models available on the internet are not described in the technical notes. There appear to have been many undescribed models made, even at the same focal lengths and apertures as the described ones.
Last edited by Lou Jost on Sat Nov 25, 2017 11:36 am, edited 1 time in total.

kds315*
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Post by kds315* »

Just FYI, I have in parallel made those Rodenstock XRAY-lens files available to Rik, our admin here and he is in the process of making those available to all members here!
Klaus

http://www.macrolenses.de for macro and special lens info
http://www.pbase.com/kds315/uv_photos for UV Images and lens/filter info
http://photographyoftheinvisibleworld.blogspot.com/ my UV diary

harisA
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Location: Greece

Post by harisA »

Thank you Klaus.I'm looking forward for these heligon manuals.

rjlittlefield
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Post by rjlittlefield »

Sorry for the delay. These docs can be accessed at https://photomacrography.net/archives/heligonlensdocs/ .

The first file listed there is https://photomacrography.net/archives/h ... alogue.zip . This is a 38-megabyte zip of all the other files.

Individual files are also provided, as .jpg, exactly as they appeared in the .zip file that kds315 sent to me.

These are:

https://photomacrography.net/archives/h ... x-card.jpg
https://photomacrography.net/archives/h ... x-card.jpg
https://photomacrography.net/archives/h ... x-card.jpg
https://photomacrography.net/archives/h ... sketch.jpg
https://photomacrography.net/archives/h ... tem-01.jpg
https://photomacrography.net/archives/h ... tem-02.jpg
https://photomacrography.net/archives/h ... tem-03.jpg
https://photomacrography.net/archives/h ... tem-04.jpg
https://photomacrography.net/archives/h ... tem-05.jpg
https://photomacrography.net/archives/h ... 2-1972.jpg
https://photomacrography.net/archives/h ... 2-1989.jpg
https://photomacrography.net/archives/h ... quadra.jpg
https://photomacrography.net/archives/h ... -1,1-a.jpg
https://photomacrography.net/archives/h ... -1,1-b.jpg
https://photomacrography.net/archives/h ... -2,6-a.jpg
https://photomacrography.net/archives/h ... -2,6-b.jpg
https://photomacrography.net/archives/h ... -1,0-a.jpg
https://photomacrography.net/archives/h ... -1,0-b.jpg
https://photomacrography.net/archives/h ... irst-a.jpg
https://photomacrography.net/archives/h ... irst-b.jpg
https://photomacrography.net/archives/h ... cond-a.jpg
https://photomacrography.net/archives/h ... cond-b.jpg
https://photomacrography.net/archives/h ... -3,3-a.jpg
https://photomacrography.net/archives/h ... -3,3-b.jpg
https://photomacrography.net/archives/h ... irst-a.jpg
https://photomacrography.net/archives/h ... irst-b.jpg
https://photomacrography.net/archives/h ... cond-a.jpg
https://photomacrography.net/archives/h ... cond-b.jpg
https://photomacrography.net/archives/h ... hird-a.jpg
https://photomacrography.net/archives/h ... hird-b.jpg
https://photomacrography.net/archives/h ... 1,25-a.jpg
https://photomacrography.net/archives/h ... 1,25-b.jpg
https://photomacrography.net/archives/h ... -1,9-a.jpg
https://photomacrography.net/archives/h ... -1,9-b.jpg
https://photomacrography.net/archives/h ... -1,4-a.jpg
https://photomacrography.net/archives/h ... -1,4-b.jpg
https://photomacrography.net/archives/h ... -1,9-a.jpg
https://photomacrography.net/archives/h ... -1,9-b.jpg
https://photomacrography.net/archives/h ... irst-a.jpg
https://photomacrography.net/archives/h ... irst-b.jpg
https://photomacrography.net/archives/h ... cond-a.jpg
https://photomacrography.net/archives/h ... cond-b.jpg
https://photomacrography.net/archives/h ... -1,5-a.jpg
https://photomacrography.net/archives/h ... -1,5-b.jpg
https://photomacrography.net/archives/h ... -1,6-a.jpg
https://photomacrography.net/archives/h ... -1,6-b.jpg
https://photomacrography.net/archives/h ... -1,8-a.jpg
https://photomacrography.net/archives/h ... -1,8-b.jpg
https://photomacrography.net/archives/h ... irst-a.jpg
https://photomacrography.net/archives/h ... irst-b.jpg
https://photomacrography.net/archives/h ... cond-a.jpg
https://photomacrography.net/archives/h ... cond-b.jpg
https://photomacrography.net/archives/h ... -1,9-a.jpg
https://photomacrography.net/archives/h ... -1,9-b.jpg
https://photomacrography.net/archives/h ... -1,0-a.jpg
https://photomacrography.net/archives/h ... -1,0-b.jpg
https://photomacrography.net/archives/h ... 0,75-a.jpg
https://photomacrography.net/archives/h ... 0,75-b.jpg
https://photomacrography.net/archives/h ... 0,75-a.jpg
https://photomacrography.net/archives/h ... 0,75-b.jpg
https://photomacrography.net/archives/h ... irst-a.jpg
https://photomacrography.net/archives/h ... irst-b.jpg
https://photomacrography.net/archives/h ... cond-a.jpg
https://photomacrography.net/archives/h ... cond-b.jpg
https://photomacrography.net/archives/h ... hird-a.jpg
https://photomacrography.net/archives/h ... hird-b.jpg
https://photomacrography.net/archives/h ... -1,1-a.jpg
https://photomacrography.net/archives/h ... -1,1-b.jpg
https://photomacrography.net/archives/h ... 1,25-a.jpg
https://photomacrography.net/archives/h ... 1,25-b.jpg
https://photomacrography.net/archives/h ... 0,95-a.jpg
https://photomacrography.net/archives/h ... 0,95-b.jpg
https://photomacrography.net/archives/h ... -1,1-a.jpg
https://photomacrography.net/archives/h ... -1,1-b.jpg
https://photomacrography.net/archives/h ... 1,25-a.jpg
https://photomacrography.net/archives/h ... 1,25-b.jpg
https://photomacrography.net/archives/h ... -1,2-a.jpg
https://photomacrography.net/archives/h ... -1,2-b.jpg
https://photomacrography.net/archives/h ... -1,8-a.jpg
https://photomacrography.net/archives/h ... -1,8-b.jpg
https://photomacrography.net/archives/h ... lenses.jpg
https://photomacrography.net/archives/h ... mm-2-a.jpg
https://photomacrography.net/archives/h ... mm-2-b.jpg
https://photomacrography.net/archives/h ... -2,1-a.jpg
https://photomacrography.net/archives/h ... -2,1-b.jpg
https://photomacrography.net/archives/h ... -1,6-a.jpg
https://photomacrography.net/archives/h ... -1,6-b.jpg
https://photomacrography.net/archives/h ... lenses.jpg
https://photomacrography.net/archives/h ... -6,8-a.jpg
https://photomacrography.net/archives/h ... -6,8-b.jpg
https://photomacrography.net/archives/h ... -7,7-a.jpg
https://photomacrography.net/archives/h ... -7,7-b.jpg
https://photomacrography.net/archives/h ... -6,6-a.jpg
https://photomacrography.net/archives/h ... -6,6-b.jpg
https://photomacrography.net/archives/h ... -8,6-a.jpg
https://photomacrography.net/archives/h ... -8,6-b.jpg
https://photomacrography.net/archives/h ... lenses.jpg
https://photomacrography.net/archives/h ... -1,1-a.jpg
https://photomacrography.net/archives/h ... -1,1-b.jpg
https://photomacrography.net/archives/h ... cond-a.jpg
https://photomacrography.net/archives/h ... cond-b.jpg
https://photomacrography.net/archives/h ... -1,1-a.jpg
https://photomacrography.net/archives/h ... -1,1-b.jpg
https://photomacrography.net/archives/h ... cond-a.jpg
https://photomacrography.net/archives/h ... cond-b.jpg

--Rik

kds315*
Posts: 224
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Post by kds315* »

Thanks Rik for making it available here!
Klaus

http://www.macrolenses.de for macro and special lens info
http://www.pbase.com/kds315/uv_photos for UV Images and lens/filter info
http://photographyoftheinvisibleworld.blogspot.com/ my UV diary

bobfriedman
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Post by bobfriedman »

this is great!... thank you Klaus and Rik!

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