I’ll keep this post a bit brief because the topic is closely related to the article Macro photography with an enlarger lens. For more general information, don’t forget to take a look there as well.
The German company Rodenstock is still one of the few manufacturers producing enlarger lenses. One of its older products, the Rodagon WA 40mm f/4, is a lens that can compete with the Nikon El-Nikkor 50mm f/2.8N for handheld shooting. In terms of size, they’re almost the same. The bayonet mount and filter diameters are shared: M39 and 40.5 mm. I’m not entirely sure which one performs better. But the Rodagon is a newer lens and more successful when it comes to color. Having a 40 mm focal length instead of 50 mm suggests a bit more magnification potential.
After using this lens for a while, it became one of the pieces of gear I choose quite often. Since it offers a relatively bright viewfinder, I barely used the Rodagon 28 mm after this lens arrived. The El-Nikkor 50 mm and the Rodagon 28 mm ended up sitting on the shelf.
At 40 mm it can magnify a bit too much for handheld shots, so it should be used with short tubes. For tripod work, it can comfortably reach high magnifications and delivers very good results. If you want to build a set, using two enlarger lenses at 80 mm and 40 mm makes it possible to shoot across a very wide range.
The Rodagon WA 40 mm is already a very good lens in terms of sharpness. It doesn’t cause any noticeable problems with CA (chromatic aberration).
Because it’s relatively rare and a bit pricey, don’t go to great lengths to replace other 50 mm enlarger lenses you already have (good-quality ones like Rodagon, Componon-S, etc.). You won’t feel a big difference. But if I had to pick only one, I would of course prefer the 40 mm.
Photos taken with the Rodagon WA 40mm lens
Goat Moth Caterpillar - Cossus cossus
Amazing creature, about 10cm long. View large 4000px Rodagon WA 40mm, 92 images stacked.
Guess who am i?
This is the most beautiful beetle i have ever seen. View large 4000px Rodagon WA 40mm, 97 images stacked.
Diving Beetle Larvae - Dytiscidae
Rodagon WA 40mm, 59 images stacked. View large 2048px
Jewel - Zicrona caerulea
6-7mm, unknown metallic beetle. It's so shiny. I should rework on it using a thicker diffuser. View large 2048px Rodagon-WA 40mm, 58 images stacked.
Hornet Sting
Just keep away! Rodagon WA 40mm, reversed on Olympus 65-116 telescopic extension tube. 113 images stacked.
Scorpion Tail
Length of the scorpion (head to tail) is 35mm. View large 2048px Rodagon WA 40mm, 66 images stacked.
Samurai
Reversed Rodagon WA 40mm on bellows. 57 frames stacked View large 2048px
Ground beetle
Reversed Rodagon WA 40mm on bellows. Continuous light, 56 frames stacked. View large 2048px
Cryptocephalus
Natural light, Reversed Rodagon WA 40mm on bellows. 95 frames stacked. Large view 2048px
Crane Fly - Rodagon WA 40mm
Reverse Rodagon WA 40mm on bellows.
Millipede
Reversed Rodagon WA 40mm on bellows.
Bee - Raynox + Enlarger test
Test shot with Reverse Raynox DCR-250 and Rodagon WA 40mm enlarger lens. Maximum bellows lenght,6X magnification.
Bee - Raynox + Enlarger test
Test shot with Reverse Raynox DCR-250 and Rodagon WA 40mm enlarger lens. Minimum bellows lenght, 3.1X magnification.
Beetle
Rodagon WA 40mm on bellows at 3.5X magnification. 2 janjjö led lamps and picnic cup diffuser. 60 frames stacked.
Dragonfly
Handheld stack sequence was terrible It was an almost impossible fully manual processing. I didn't use sharpening but somehow it is oversharpened during stacking. Reverse Rodagon WA 40mm on extension tubes.
Horse fly
An about to die horse fly with reversed Rodagon WA 40mm. 74 frames stacked.
Grass Moth
Reverse Rodagon 28 i think
Dung Fly
Handheld 13 frames stacked Reverse Rodagon WA 40mm Does Flickr oversharpen images??
Seed Bug Nypmh
Natural light, field stack Reversed Rodagon WA 40mm on bellows. Not a complete stack because of movement.
Fieldstack practice
Natural light field stack about 4X mag. Reversed Rodagon WA 40mm on bellows
Hoverfly
Reverse Rodagon WA 40mm on extension tubes
Yusufçuk - Dragonfly
Reversed Rodagon WA 40mm on extention tube set
Yeşil Gözlü At Sineği (Green Eyed Horse Fly - Tabaninae)
Alive horse fly, check the stack sequence. Reversed Rodagon WA 40mm
Yeşil Gözlü At Sineği (Green Eyed Horse Fly - Tabaninae)
Alive horse fly, check the stack sequence. Reversed Rodagon WA 40mm
Güve - Moth
I found this moth dead with a number of ants on it. Wings and one of its antenna were totally broken. I tried to get a good view of what is left. Reversed Rodagon WA 40mm on bellows. 60 frames stacked.
