Your favourite “bang for the buck” lenses

[rdeloe]

I was about to throw out my copy of the Mamiya 645 35mm. This is near the corner of an unshifted image on the X2D. The blue fringing of tree branches is bad and I can't get rid of it with CA or fringing tools in LightRoom.


What about Phocus with its adaptive CA removal?


Better, but it's not going to win any awards for ... anything. I may still throw it out.

Well, when my Pentax adapter arrives, we'll see how their 35mm compares. Then there's just take the XCD 21mm, aim it upwards, and keystone correct....

Matt

I'm a huge Mamiya fan. They made some superb lenses (looking at you Mamiya 7!). However, that 645 35mm has always had a reputation of not being so good. Interestingly, the 45mm is also the weak link in the chain; ditto in the Pentax 645 lineup.

 

[Trevor Davis]

Would anyone have images to share using the Pentax 645 A 75mm? I'm thinking about getting one for my 907x, but I have been unsuccessful at finding image samples.

 

[MGrayson]

Would anyone have images to share using the Pentax 645 A 75mm? I'm thinking about getting one for my 907x, but I have been unsuccessful at finding image samples.

There are a bunch here.

I have the lens, but not the adapter. I'll have some images very soon. Maybe even ones not of Soup!

 

[rdeloe]

I have the lens, but not the adapter. I'll have some images very soon.

"Yay!", I was thinking. "More pictures of Soup!"

And then this...

Maybe even ones not of Soup!

 

[MGrayson]

"Yay!", I was thinking. "More pictures of Soup!"

And then this...

When have I ever resisted posting pictures of Soup?

 

[Trevor Davis]

There are a bunch here.

I have the lens, but not the adapter. I'll have some images very soon. Maybe even ones not of Soup!

Thanks for the link. It was very helpful!

 

[Oren Grad]

Over at the Large Format Photography forum, some thought your Caltar lens was a Rodenstock. Apparently Calumet sourced their "Caltar" lenses from various makers.

The 75/6.8 Caltar II-N is a rebadged Grandagon (or Grandagon-N, depending on the vintage). I have the late, green-ring Grandagon-N version of this lens. I've used it with 6x9 cm film, IIRC also for a very few sheets of 4x5, but haven't had occasion to try it on digital.

 

[Oren Grad]

I like the AstrHori 40mm f/5.6 Lens (FUJIFILM G): currently $249 new ...

Have you used it? The published MTF at 40 lp/mm and unspecified aperture shows good contrast out to exactly the image circle of full-frame 35, after which it falls off steeply - presumably it's the same glass as their M-mount 40/5.6. Hard to argue with the price, though...

 

[Whisp3r]

That's a difficult question to narrow down to one lens. I'd award this to a whole system: Pentax 645. In my opinion, these lenses are absolutely undervalued, all are (to my taste, opinions may vary) really sharp across the frame at "landscape apertures" of f8 - f11.
Pentax 645 A 35mm: go-to wideangle lens for landscape.
Pentax 645 A 75mm: tiny, lightweight, pleasing colors and bokeh wide open.
Pentax 645 A 120mm macro: fantastic macro lens.
Pentax 645 A 150mm: small, lightweight tele option.

All of them can be shifted on the GFX100s, and while the image quality somewhat suffers, the results are for me really usable. Even though I love my Hasselblad V glass, I found myself taking the Pentax 645 lenses more often due to their lighter weight without the shutter.

Thanks to threads and comments such as this one I'm discovering a lot of great stuff I would have otherwise missed out on My 75 A is arriving today, all the way from the land of the rising sun, and I don't even have a camera body to use it on :-D I have an almost blind faith in the expertise/experience of forum members here, thanks to all of you!

 

[f6cvalkyrie]

I'm a huge Mamiya fan. They made some superb lenses (looking at you Mamiya 7!). However, that 645 35mm has always had a reputation of not being so good. Interestingly, the 45mm is also the weak link in the chain; ditto in the Pentax 645 lineup.

What about the 28mm ? So far I'm doing wide-angle by stitching images from my 50mm Shift lens, or even from my 80 SK lens, but I would be happy to have a real wide-angle alternative ... any suggestions anyone ?

have a nice day,
Rafael

 

[rdeloe]

What about the 28mm ? So far I'm doing wide-angle by stitching images from my 50mm Shift lens, or even from my 80 SK lens, but I would be happy to have a real wide-angle alternative ... any suggestions anyone ?

have a nice day,
Rafael

Ah yes, 28mm... Check this thread out: https://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/66431797 And then this one: https://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/66551098

Long story short, for someone like me using a GFX on digital view cameras, there is only one "OK" option (the PC Super-Angulon 28/2.8, in Leica skin or native Schneider-Kreuznach), and it's really just OK. It's nice and sharp across the frame at f/11 and allows a couple mm of shift, but that's it.

I was getting better results by flat stitching two frames from a Pentax-A 645 35/3.5. I don't like working like that, but if you need that angle of view, that's a good option.

 

[scho]

What about the 28mm ? So far I'm doing wide-angle by stitching images from my 50mm Shift lens, or even from my 80 SK lens, but I would be happy to have a real wide-angle alternative ... any suggestions anyone ?

have a nice day,
Rafael

The Contax c/y 28/2.8 Distagon is a great little lens that I have used in the recent past with a GFX 50r (sample image below). I will try it again with the GFX 100s*.
Widely available but there are two versions AE and MM, the latter is better and can be identified by the green color of the f/22 mark on the lens barrel.

control click to get full size in new window

* I just tried the same lens on a GFX 100s and there was significant vignetting and smearing in the corners. Still usable by cropping to about 80 MP with same 4:3 aspect, but not ideal. So what is different between the GFX 50r and GFX 100s sensors that have the same physical dimensions (assumed) other than pixel density?

 

[rdeloe]

The Contax c/y 28/2.8 Distagon is a great little lens that I have used in the recent past with a GFX 50r (sample image below). I will try it again with the GFX 100s.
Widely available but there are two versions AE and MM, the latter is better and can be identified by the green color of the f/22 mark on the lens barrel.

Hi Carl. I've always liked the look of Contax lenses, but didn't try this option because I need movements. That means my search for a 28mm was limited to medium format or technical camera lenses.

 

[MGrayson]

The Contax c/y 28/2.8 Distagon is a great little lens that I have used in the recent past with a GFX 50r (sample image below). I will try it again with the GFX 100s.
Widely available but there are two versions AE and MM, the latter is better and can be identified by the green color of the f/22 mark on the lens barrel.

control click to get full size in new window

Nice! I loved the legendary C/Y 21/2.8, despite its mustache distortion, but didn't care for their 35mm. Glad to see such nice results from the 28mm even on MF!

On the quest for a shiftable WA for cropped MF...
Here is an interesting comparison of the Mamiya 645 35mm with the Pentax 645 FA 35mm (And the "brand new" Zeiss IF FLE 40/4). It confirms the poor showing of the Mamiya and the excellence of the Pentax. Of course, the review appears in a Pentax forum, so one must consider selection bias! On the other hands, it has actual measurements and, as we all know, measurements are never biased! (BTW, the Zeiss does really well at wide apertures!)

Matt

 

[John Leathwick]

What about the 28mm ? So far I'm doing wide-angle by stitching images from my 50mm Shift lens, or even from my 80 SK lens, but I would be happy to have a real wide-angle alternative ... any suggestions anyone ?

have a nice day,
Rafael

You might have missed an option that I mentioned in my earlier post to this thread. Here's a single image taken with an Arsat 30mm fisheye, tidied up a bit from when I first posted it. This lens was designed to cover 6x6 so with a P645 adapter onto my Universalis, it gives me generous room for movements - here I used about 14mm of fall. The distortions are manageable as long as I keep my camera level, and 'de-fishing' of stitched 6x6 equivalent images is straight forward in PS using the adaptive wide-angle correction filter. For a subject like this, the fish-eye effect could be ignored, although I did do some modest manual manipulation of the lower corners to stretch them back out a little. I've shot images of boats in marinas where I've managed to quite successfully get all the masts back into their normal straight configuration again. Its a useful option in a tight spot, and can be bought relatively cheaply.

-John

 

[Knorp]

Have you used it? The published MTF at 40 lp/mm and unspecified aperture shows good contrast out to exactly the image circle of full-frame 35, after which it falls off steeply - presumably it's the same glass as their M-mount 40/5.6. Hard to argue with the price, though...

Yep, the results can be found in the Fuji forum.

 

[Oren Grad]

Yep, the results can be found in the Fuji forum.

Found it - thank you!

 

[MGrayson]

The Pentax 645 35mm, 75mm, and 150mm, and tilt/shift adapter were all assembled this morning, so I went out and totally failed in my attempts at capturing architecture and cityscapes. I'll have to practice. Results were inconsistent, even at f/11. But only at infinity. They were all great at close to medium distance.

However.

Once I got home, I chased the Soup around the apartment and got

The FA 35/3.5 It sure can focus close, yet it doesn't scream "wide angle" to me.


The A 75/2.8 in very bad light (look at his pupil dilation!)


And the A 150/3.5 Now he's tired of this whole business.


So they work fine on close subjects, but that's not really what I need shift for.

Matt

Edit: It looks like it was air currents. I shot with the XCD 28P and the edges didn't look much better. That's the problem with infinity. There's a lot of stuff between it and the camera.

 

[John Leathwick]

The Pentax 645 35mm, 75mm, and 150mm, and tilt/shift adapter were all assembled this morning, so I went out and totally failed in my attempts at capturing architecture and cityscapes. I'll have to practice. Results were inconsistent, even at f/11. But only at infinity. They were all great at close to medium distance.

However.

Once I got home, I chased the Soup around the apartment and got

The FA 35/3.5 It sure can focus close, yet it doesn't scream "wide angle" to me.


The A 75/2.8 in very bad light (look at his pupil dilation!)


And the A 150/3.5 Now he's tired of this whole business.


So they work fine on close subjects, but that's not really what I need shift for.

Matt

Looks like they do a good job of capturing that slightly wild-eyed, harassed look - don't point that thing at me!

-John

 

[B L]

The Pentax 645 35mm, 75mm, and 150mm, and tilt/shift adapter were all assembled this morning, so I went out and totally failed in my attempts at capturing architecture and cityscapes. I'll have to practice. Results were inconsistent, even at f/11. But only at infinity. They were all great at close to medium distance.

However.

Once I got home, I chased the Soup around the apartment and got

The FA 35/3.5 It sure can focus close, yet it doesn't scream "wide angle" to me.


The A 75/2.8 in very bad light (look at his pupil dilation!)


And the A 150/3.5 Now he's tired of this whole business.


So they work fine on close subjects, but that's not really what I need shift for.

Matt

Edit: It looks like it was air currents. I shot with the XCD 28P and the edges didn't look much better. That's the problem with infinity. There's a lot of stuff between it and the camera.

Animal language intepretation: 2nd photo, "Dont you dare!"
3rd, " I told you not to chase me!"