Can a Rodenstock XR-Heligon 50mm f/0.75 be adapted to a Nikon FX DSLR?

Asked 1/27/2015

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I found a Rodenstock XR-Heligon 50mm f/0.75 X-ray lens and want to know how practical it is to use for photography. What mount does it use, does it have any aperture control, and is there any realistic way to adapt it to a modern Nikon FX DSLR?

Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

11y ago

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There are a number of fast X-Ray lenses out there. Rayxr De Oude Delft 50mm f/0.75, Rodenstock XR-Heligon 50mm f/0.75, Precise Optics 50mm f/0.75, Varo Optical 50mm f/0.75, Leitz 65mm f./0.75. There are also a number of longer f/0.95 – f/1 lenses in the 90mm range from the same lens manufacturers.

There's a company Miyazaki R&D (well, it's just one man hand-modifying the lenses, not really a company) that has successfully converted the De Oude Delft 50mm f/0.75 to Leica M-Mount so that it can be used "normally: ie. not macro only, but all of these lenses are still fixed focal length, fixed focus, and fixed aperture. They will only be useful for mirrorless cameras with short registrations and best with a camera that has live view. Also be aware that the lens conversion isn't cheap.

These lenses have seen a jump in price from about $200-$1000 depending on the condition and maker. Rodenstock and Leitz typically command a higher price because they are well known in the optics game. We all know that Leica/Leitz lenses have been the 35mm film standard forever and Rodenstock made the best large format camera and enlarger lenses.

I hope this clarifies most of the questions about these super-fast X-Ray lenses.

Originally by user38228. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

user38228

11y ago

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These X-ray lenses generally are not normal interchangeable-camera lenses. The XR-Heligon is typically a projection/imaging lens with no standard camera mount, and it usually has no aperture ring and no focusing ring. In practice, it is fixed-aperture, fixed-focus unless heavily modified.

The main problem for a Nikon FX DSLR is flange distance: this lens was designed for an extremely short registration distance (around 7mm), far shorter than Nikon F. That means a simple adapter will not let it focus to infinity on a DSLR. At best, you could mount it with extension tubes or a custom DIY setup for very close-focus/macro-style use.

Some specialty modifiers have converted similar 50mm f/0.75 X-ray lenses to short-register mirrorless mounts such as Leica M, but even then they are niche lenses and the conversion is specialized and not cheap.

So: for a Nikon DSLR, it is generally impractical except as an experimental close-up lens. If you want to use one seriously, a mirrorless camera with live view and a very short mount distance is the more realistic route. Also expect strong optical quirks like field curvature and chromatic aberration.

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