Did anyone ever see this report; maybe easier to read here
http://www.mamiya.com/assets/pdfs/645AFD/645AFLensesChart.pdf
The fact that many of America’s top professional photographers prefer
Mamiya cameras with their world-class Mamiya Lenses, is perhaps the
best testimonial to Mamiya lens quality. As the old saying goes, “The
proof of the pudding is in the eating”; the proof of lenses is the image
quality they produce.
Popular Photography Magazine’s Test Reports
Now we have the good fortune to prove what we are saying, because
this leading magazine tested both Carl ZeissTM lenses for the ContaxTM
645 and Mamiya Lenses for the Mamiya 645AF, and published the results
in the November ‘99 and April ‘00 issues, respectively. (Reprinted with
their permission)
The following concluding paragraph says it all:
“Conclusion: All the Mamiya AF lenses performed outstandingly, on a
par with or better than other medium-format autofocusing lenses we’ve
tested. Mamiya has placed the AF motor in the camera body, which
keeps down the weight and cost of the lenses – a smart move, we think.
Overall handling was nice (no aperture rings!), switching between manual
and autofocus was easy, and most important, our pictures were very
sharp. Pricing is moderate for the category, falling between the relatively
low-cost Pentax lenses and the more expensive Contax 645 AF optics.”
Please note: Of the nine lenses presently available for the Mamiya
645AF and the lenses presently available for the Contax 645, only three
lenses of identical focal length have been tested by Popular Photography
and are compared in this report.
These comparisons could leave the impression that we attach an inferior
label to a worthy competitor. That’s not the intention. We just want to
provide you with the facts.
Lenses
A Comparison with Carl Zeiss
TM
Lenses*
How good are
Mamiya
®
*Contax Distagon T
TM
, Planar T
TM
and SonnarT
TM
lenses
All trademarks are the property of their respective owners
116924 2/7/01, 10:27 AM
1
Popular Photography®Magazine Lens Testing Results
The numbers below indicate resolution in Lines/mm at center and corners of image.
Mamiya lens resolution results below are taken from the April 2000 issue of Popular Photography.
Contax lens resolution results below are taken from the November 1999 issue of Popular Photography.
Mamiya 645 AF 45mm f/2.8
& Contax Distagon T* 45mm f/2.8
Resolution at center
f-stop Mamiya Contax
2.8 excellent 50 excellent 50
4 excellent 62 excellent 70
5.6 excellent 78 excellent 78
8 excellent 70 excellent 70
11 excellent 65 excellent 70
16 excellent 62 excellent 62
22 excellent 50 excellent 50
32 – – very good 40
Resolution at corners
Mamiya Contax
very good 28 good 24
very good 31 very good 31
very good 35 good 28
excellent 39 very good 35
excellent 45 very good 35
excellent 42 excellent 36
excellent 39 very good 32
– – good 28
Mamiya 645 AF 80mm f/2.8
& Contax Planar T* 80mm f/2
Resolution at center
f-stop Mamiya Contax
2 – – excellent 53
2.8 excellent 70 excellent 53
4 excellent 78 excellent 67
5.6 excellent 68 excellent 84
8 excellent 70 excellent 75
11 excellent 70 excellent 67
16 excellent 62 excellent 53
22 excellent 48 excellent 53
Resolution at corners
Mamiya Contax
– – acceptable 18
excellent 35 acceptable 21
excellent 44 acceptable 25
excellent 49 good 28
excellent 44 good 33
excellent 44 excellent 41
excellent 39 excellent 40
good 31 very good 35
Mamiya 645 AF 210mm f/4 IF
& Contax Sonnar T* 210mm f/4
Resolution at center
f-stop Mamiya Contax
4 excellent 77 excellent 64
5.6 excellent 70 excellent 51
8 excellent 69 excellent 51
11 excellent 69 very good 45
16 excellent 54 very good 40
22 good 43 excellent 45
32 good 34 very good 40
45 – – good 36
Resolution at corners
Mamiya Contax
excellent 49 very good 28
excellent 49 excellent 34
excellent 54 excellent 40
excellent 54 very good 36
very good 43 good 33
good 30 very good 36
acceptable 27 excellent 38
– – good 33
* “ –”denotes that a value is not applicable.
** The Mamiya AF 55mm f/2.8 and AF APO 300mm f/4.5 IF lenses are not included in above comparisons.
There are no direct equivalent focal lengths in the Contax autofocus lens system.
116924_1 2/7/01 10:18 AM Page 1
Popular Photography Lens Resolution Tests Comparison
Popular Photography Lens Resolution Tests Comparison
Mamiya @ center
Mamiya @ corners
Contax @ center
Contax @ corners
Mamiya @ center
Mamiya @ corners
Contax @ center
Contax @ corners
116924_1 2/7/01 10:18 AM Page 2
Popular Photography Lens Resolution Tests Comparison
Mamiya Designs and Manufactures Its Own Lenses
Mamiya has set very high performance goals for both its cameras and lenses.In order to assure this high standard
is maintained for professional phorographers, Mamiya designs and manufactures its own lenses, in its own factory,
to its own specifications.Unlike other manufacturers of medium format cameras, Mamiya does not entrust this task
to others, but rather attends to every detail in the design and manufacturing process.
Engineers at Mamiya have developed rigorous performance criteria for each lens design.No detail is overlooked.
No test is omitted.The goal is technical perfection...The result is a series of lenses which have set the new world-
standard of performance.
Each lens element is precisely polished and coated using Mamiya’s proprietary multi-coating process to increase
light transmission, dramatically reduce flare, ensure crisp, clean whites and vibrant, yet natural colors.
Mamiya engineers and inspectors test continuously as the lens is assembled to insure flawless quality.The result is
a lens designed so carefully, built so meticulously, that it consistently renders extraordinary performance!
It is Mamiya’s unique balance of extreme sharpness, brilliant contrast, accurate and consistent color fidelity and
overall high performance that captures the imagination of contemporary photographers who choose Mamiya to
express their personal visions.
Among today’s community of world famous photographers, Mamiya lenses have established themselves as the new
benchmark by which others are measured.
MAMIYA AMERICA CORPORATION
8 Westchester Plaza, Elmsford, NY 10523
Phone: 914-347-3300 • Fax: 914-347-3309
E-mail:
[email protected] • Web site:
www.mamiya.com
34
38
Mamiya @ center
Mamiya @ corners
Contax @ center
Contax @ corners
33
116924_1 2/7/01 10:18 AM Page 3