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Hartblei 45mm Tilt-Shift

mtomalty

New member
Is anyone currently using this lens on the Mamiya 645 platform
with either a Phase P45+ or Aptus 75?

If so,is the lens up to the task of delivering enough resolution
with these backs?

I'm coming from a pretty long history of large format landscape
shooting and ,when using my 1Ds2 and 1Ds3,I find even a modest
amount of tilt incredibly useful for the type of work I gravitate to.

Thanks,
Mark
 

Jack

Sr. Administrator
Staff member
I'd like to see a straight shot (no tilt) then a full corner shift (again no tilt) on the same set-up to compare the corner performance at full shift.
 
D

DougDolde

Guest
I had one of these for Contax 645 a few years back. It was handy for shift stitching but I didn't find the image quality up to Zeiss standards. Cheap though.
 

Jack

Sr. Administrator
Staff member
I tested three of them on my Contax 3 years ago, and all were pretty much crap in the corners and got worse as you shifted. Hopefully it was teething and they are better now :)
 

robsteve

Subscriber
I tested three of them on my Contax 3 years ago, and all were pretty much crap in the corners and got worse as you shifted. Hopefully it was teething and they are better now :)
Would the crop factor of the sensor help?

Flare control is another thing where the brand name lenses might be better. I have a 55mm Arsat shift that will flare if there is a white house on a sunny day in the picture.
 

mtomalty

New member
Thanks for the offer,Lance

I'd be using this lens in a classic near/far landscape application where maximum
depth of field is required. How the lens performs with shift is not a primary concern
for me.
A simple vertical shot in a parking lot or something similar where the camera is
positioned 18 or 24 inches above the ground and having some foreground detail
24 inches or so from lens as well as a distant horizon would be an ideal test for
my needs.
With the Hasselblad ArcBody (which I no longer own) and 45mm I could easily get
subject matter from two feet to ' infinity' in complete focus @f 11 with only
a couple of degrees of tilt.
If the Hartblei 45 TS could yield decent results under these conditions then it would
pretty much seal the deal for a Mamiya/Phase platform for me.

There are a number of decent 6x9 solutions available that I could put a DB on
but I often shoot in less than ideal situations with short windows of time that make
this option less than desireable.
As an example,today I was shooting (1Ds3 with 24ts and 45ts) creek and waterfall
scenics in the rain.Blackflies were insane and were clustering on lens element and
lens shade increasing frustration levels.
The tripod was in mid stream and I was using one hand to hold an umbrella to
keep camera relatively dry.
If I had to do this with a DB with a system that required swapping ground glass
back and forth with the DB then,given the circumstances and risk I think I would
often pass on the shot.
I've done it for decades with 6x9 or 4x5 cameras and,while physically challenging,
the penalty for dropping a film holder is nowhere near as catastrophic as dropping
a DB would be.
The ArcBody was pretty ideal for me but I could not get my head around the
traditional Blad V system ergonomics that I would have to use for regular shooting
since the Arc is V mount

Thanks,
Mark


Thx,
Mark
 
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