Guy Mancuso
Administrator, Instructor
So the ones we see for around 1300 are the ones that are the latest. Let's not talk of that 150 2.8 , i want that lens really bad.
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Mamiya 120/4 Macro
- Thread starter robmac
- Start date
Dale Allyn
New member
I know that I have read it also, but just can't confirm the validity of the reports. I had been under the impression that it was to be in the class with the new lenses like the 45-90 (and that other one that Guy doesn't want to mention), but maybe the reports were wishful thinking. (?)
It does seem odd that they'd announce one in January of this year (MF) and also be planning to release it's replacement within a short time frame.
I believe the ones you see for $1300 are not the 2008 version. I thought the "D", came out mainly as an upgraded 120mm for use with the Digial backs.
The ones that are $1300 that I have seen are the 2nd version I was referring to, which don't have the manual aperture ring but don't have the D label. The two lens look identical to the casual glance.
The "D" version of the was announced with the 150mm F2.8. They were announced right after the 28mm F4.5. I believe that the 28mm was the first of the "D" lenses. For a while on Mamiya's site there was a PDF file on the 120mm and 150mm D glass and what the improvements were but I wasn't able to find it today.
I have yet to find a D version for under $1800.00
Here is a link for a 2nd series on ebay,
http://cgi.ebay.com/Mamiya-120mm-f4...ryZ30074QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
Paul C
The ones that are $1300 that I have seen are the 2nd version I was referring to, which don't have the manual aperture ring but don't have the D label. The two lens look identical to the casual glance.
The "D" version of the was announced with the 150mm F2.8. They were announced right after the 28mm F4.5. I believe that the 28mm was the first of the "D" lenses. For a while on Mamiya's site there was a PDF file on the 120mm and 150mm D glass and what the improvements were but I wasn't able to find it today.
I have yet to find a D version for under $1800.00
Here is a link for a 2nd series on ebay,
http://cgi.ebay.com/Mamiya-120mm-f4...ryZ30074QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
Paul C
Guy Mancuso
Administrator, Instructor
Here is Mamiya's stick
With an angle of view of 33 degrees, this lens is equivalent to a 73mm focal length in 35mm format. Pinpoint sharpness with manual focusing is confirmed from infinity to 1:1 magnification with a green diode in the 645AFD III/II viewfinder. This lens provides a flattering perspective suitable for tight portraits, and permits good working distances in or out of the studio. It can be used for anything from extreme detailed close-ups to full-length portraits. The lens is manually focused (MF) and utilizes focus confirmation in the Mamiya 645AFD III and 645AFD II bodies plus auto-diaphragm operation.
Anomalous dispersion optical glass is employed to reduce chromatic aberrations, which results in APO-quality lens performance when focused from infinity to 1:2 magnification, and significantly reduces chromatic aberration from 1:2 to 1:1 magnification. The optical engineering and multi-coatings of this lens achieve excellent color balance, high contrast and high resolution over the entire focusing range, which is an extraordinary accomplishment for a Macro lens. The barrel design reduces flare significantly.
Mamiya uses eco-glass, which contains no lead or arsenic, maintaining the company’s "Earth-friendly, Nature-friendly" policy.
The Sekor MF 120mm f/4 D utilizes a 16 bit CPU that allows easy firmware upgrading, finer lens characteristic correction and faster, more reliable communication between the lens, camera body and digital back.
Sekor MF 120mm f/4 D Portrait/Macro Specifications
Optical Construction 9 elements, 8 groups
Angle of View 33°
Minimum Aperture 32
Diaphragm Automatic
Focusing System Manual (focus confirmation)
Minimum Focusing Distance 1.3 ft. (40 cm)
Maximum Magnification 1:1
Area Covered 1.65 x 2.25" (42 x 56 mm)
Equivalent 35mm Focal Length 73mm / 84mm with ZD Back
Filter Size 67mm
Lens Hood Built-in
Dimensions (L x W) 4.4 x 3.25" (111 x 83mm)
Weight 1.8 lbs (835g)
Compatible cameras 645AFD II/645AFD III/ZD
With an angle of view of 33 degrees, this lens is equivalent to a 73mm focal length in 35mm format. Pinpoint sharpness with manual focusing is confirmed from infinity to 1:1 magnification with a green diode in the 645AFD III/II viewfinder. This lens provides a flattering perspective suitable for tight portraits, and permits good working distances in or out of the studio. It can be used for anything from extreme detailed close-ups to full-length portraits. The lens is manually focused (MF) and utilizes focus confirmation in the Mamiya 645AFD III and 645AFD II bodies plus auto-diaphragm operation.
Anomalous dispersion optical glass is employed to reduce chromatic aberrations, which results in APO-quality lens performance when focused from infinity to 1:2 magnification, and significantly reduces chromatic aberration from 1:2 to 1:1 magnification. The optical engineering and multi-coatings of this lens achieve excellent color balance, high contrast and high resolution over the entire focusing range, which is an extraordinary accomplishment for a Macro lens. The barrel design reduces flare significantly.
Mamiya uses eco-glass, which contains no lead or arsenic, maintaining the company’s "Earth-friendly, Nature-friendly" policy.
The Sekor MF 120mm f/4 D utilizes a 16 bit CPU that allows easy firmware upgrading, finer lens characteristic correction and faster, more reliable communication between the lens, camera body and digital back.
Sekor MF 120mm f/4 D Portrait/Macro Specifications
Optical Construction 9 elements, 8 groups
Angle of View 33°
Minimum Aperture 32
Diaphragm Automatic
Focusing System Manual (focus confirmation)
Minimum Focusing Distance 1.3 ft. (40 cm)
Maximum Magnification 1:1
Area Covered 1.65 x 2.25" (42 x 56 mm)
Equivalent 35mm Focal Length 73mm / 84mm with ZD Back
Filter Size 67mm
Lens Hood Built-in
Dimensions (L x W) 4.4 x 3.25" (111 x 83mm)
Weight 1.8 lbs (835g)
Compatible cameras 645AFD II/645AFD III/ZD
Guy Mancuso
Administrator, Instructor
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
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
schweikert
New member
Every month, ebay seller Ahmuay in California has the 120mm D Macro for sale, brand new for less than $1400 buy it now. Are they USA versions? No way of confirming. I have asked the seller with no response. But, I have been told by several people on Luminous-Landscape medium format forum that have purchased a lot of Mamiya gear from that seller with great success, very reliable.
For anyone on a Mac, download for free Garagebuy http://www.iwascoding.com/GarageBuy
This little app rocks!. You can save endless searches for items on ebay and have everything in a single app, update daily or more often, watch auctions.
I have 30-40 saved searches for all types of stuff to keep an eye on things. I never really need to go to ebay unless to view the listing in a browser (but that can still be done in Garagebuy), or check a seller out.
In a few minutes each day, I can get my full ebay updates. Saves a huge amount of time.
For anyone on a Mac, download for free Garagebuy http://www.iwascoding.com/GarageBuy
This little app rocks!. You can save endless searches for items on ebay and have everything in a single app, update daily or more often, watch auctions.
I have 30-40 saved searches for all types of stuff to keep an eye on things. I never really need to go to ebay unless to view the listing in a browser (but that can still be done in Garagebuy), or check a seller out.
In a few minutes each day, I can get my full ebay updates. Saves a huge amount of time.
Last edited:
Guy Mancuso
Administrator, Instructor
I bought my 300mm AF from him and it is brand new.
bensonga
Well-known member
A bit of a tangent here.....but can anyone offer a comparison of this Mamiya 120/4 Macro with the Hasselblad 120/4 Macro? I've been thinking of adding a CF/CFE 120/4 "Makro" to my collection of lenses.....I'm just wondering if the Hasselblad lens is considered to be anywhere near as good as this Mamiya lens appears to be.It's phenomenal. I saw report somewhere that rated it as the single best MF lens ever tested, but that was a few years ago and things may be different now. Regardless, it's reputation is well deserved
Gary
P.S. Although I should just be saving my pennies for this beauty....and finally join the MFDB club.
Last edited:
I am going to go out on a limb here and say that I think you can hardly go wrong with any relatively recent model Zeiss lens, so if that's the baby you want, I say go for it . But in the same breath, I would add that the comparable macros from Hassy-Fuji, Contax Kyocera-Zeiss or Mamiya are all going to be outstanding performers too. And if you get one of these that isn't a good performer, then I'd suspect it is out somehow defective or out of adjustment.
. But in the same breath, I would add that the comparable macros from Hassy-Fuji, Contax Kyocera-Zeiss or Mamiya are all going to be outstanding performers too. And if you get one of these that isn't a good performer, then I'd suspect it is out somehow defective or out of adjustment. 
yaya
Active member
Actually it is very simple; there are 2 versions in production right now, with the only physical difference being a different chip in the D version. Visually they look very similar but the D has an Aluminium "decorative" touch, taken from the new 80mm/f2.8 D.
Both don't have an aperture ring as it is controlled via dials on the grip.
AFAIK there is no AF version planned, and there shouldn't be since AF can only introduce trouble on such a specialised lens (specialised as in Macro, Wide Angle, T/S etc.).
BTW I am disappointed with the AFDIII and was expecting it to bring some most needed improvements over its predecessor. Unfortunately it doesn't.
Still a very good system but the shutter lag the small-ish finder still put it behind the AFi and H3D (not to mention the 1/125 sync).
Yair
Both don't have an aperture ring as it is controlled via dials on the grip.
AFAIK there is no AF version planned, and there shouldn't be since AF can only introduce trouble on such a specialised lens (specialised as in Macro, Wide Angle, T/S etc.).
BTW I am disappointed with the AFDIII and was expecting it to bring some most needed improvements over its predecessor. Unfortunately it doesn't.
Still a very good system but the shutter lag the small-ish finder still put it behind the AFi and H3D (not to mention the 1/125 sync).
Yair
woodyspedden
New member
I know little about the Mamiya 120 Macro, but the Hasselblad 120 HC Macro is in a class of its own with respect to past lenses. It allows 1:1 images without extenders and is a general purpose lens as well as a macro beauty. I got mine new, from Kurland, at $2900, where the list price is about $3650! Great discount I say.
My older Zeiss 120 Macro was also an outstanding lens but required extension tubes to get to 1:1 and had some really noticeable flare. The newer lens seems to have fixed these noxious issues. Glad I was able to make the switch.
Let's keep posting our experiences about this lens.It is a remarkable product which hits the center line of our needs for an MFDB product!
My HMO.......what do you think?
Woody
My older Zeiss 120 Macro was also an outstanding lens but required extension tubes to get to 1:1 and had some really noticeable flare. The newer lens seems to have fixed these noxious issues. Glad I was able to make the switch.
Let's keep posting our experiences about this lens.It is a remarkable product which hits the center line of our needs for an MFDB product!
My HMO.......what do you think?
Woody
woodyspedden
New member
Beautiful product shots of the Hasselblad with the 40 CF (CFE IF?) lens. Don't know what it looks like with the 120 CFE IF macro but I love that lens. The issue is how does the older CFE compare with the newer HC 120? I love the fact that you can get to 1:1 without extension tubes and have a much more versatile solution to GP as well as close up image making. Love to hear some comments about your experiences with this combinationA bit of a tangent here.....but can anyone offer a comparison of this Mamiya 120/4 Macro with the Hasselblad 120/4 Macro? I've been thinking of adding a CF/CFE 120/4 "Makro" to my collection of lenses.....I'm just wondering if the Hasselblad lens is considered to be anywhere near as good as this Mamiya lens appears to be.
Gary
P.S. Although I should just be saving my pennies for this beauty....and finally join the MFDB club.
Woody
How about some sample shots showing what these lenses can kick out? You compare the various MTFs to say the stellar Leica APO and can't help but come away under-whelmed, but MTFs don't necessarily correlate with real life pic quality -especially in today's day of MFDB and DSLRs with the same pixel pitch -- vs the days of 35mm/MF film emulsions.
Jan Brittenson
Senior Subscriber Member
Lens looks fine to me... 3 sec @ f/11. ZD @ ISO 50. C1 4.1, processed desaturated to ChromeSpace, then saturated with ChromeSpace +35. Not the most exciting shot, it's just window lit with a gold reflector - and I couldn't really get enough fill into the dark areas so looks a bit dead. This is the N mount version of the lens.
What can I say. The lens does what it's supposed to... The 22MP back doesn't make it break a sweat. :thumbup:
Still fine tuning the processing; it's pretty sensitive to the raster showing through. I doubt that would really show in print though, and suspect it's mostly a result of inspecting fine detail on a high-contrast LCD display.
What can I say. The lens does what it's supposed to... The 22MP back doesn't make it break a sweat. :thumbup:
Still fine tuning the processing; it's pretty sensitive to the raster showing through. I doubt that would really show in print though, and suspect it's mostly a result of inspecting fine detail on a high-contrast LCD display.
Jan Brittenson
Senior Subscriber Member
Oh, right you were wondering how it performs relative to the Leica APO 100.
I'd say it's comparable to the Macro 60. It doesn't have the bite of the 100, and is slightly flatter in contrast. It also has what appears to be a slight flare veil that manifests itself as a slightly right shifted histogram. It rolls off a little at the top. It's not a Leica, but in absolute terms it's a very good lens.
I'd say it's comparable to the Macro 60. It doesn't have the bite of the 100, and is slightly flatter in contrast. It also has what appears to be a slight flare veil that manifests itself as a slightly right shifted histogram. It rolls off a little at the top. It's not a Leica, but in absolute terms it's a very good lens.
woodyspedden
New member
GaryA bit of a tangent here.....but can anyone offer a comparison of this Mamiya 120/4 Macro with the Hasselblad 120/4 Macro? I've been thinking of adding a CF/CFE 120/4 "Makro" to my collection of lenses.....I'm just wondering if the Hasselblad lens is considered to be anywhere near as good as this Mamiya lens appears to be.
Gary
P.S. Although I should just be saving my pennies for this beauty....and finally join the MFDB club.
The V CFE 120 Macro is now my lens of choice for product shots. The only downside is that you really need (expensive hasselblad) extension tubes to get to 1:1 or even close. For 1:1 you need two of the 56mm tubes and if I recall those puppies go for close to $400 EACH! The new 120 HD macro lens for the H3 series goes directly to 1:1 without extenders. However the downside is that this lens is huge and heavy compared to my V series Zeiss lens. So I am going to use the V lens and bite the bullet on extension tubes. Makes more sense to me although the other point of view is to use the HD lens as a more general purpose lens as it has autofocus and if you believe the press, less flare. Apparently the new lens also has the ability to select the focus zone you want ( I believe there are four positions) and thus optimize things for macro, infinity etc. I have no experience with this lens so I can't comment on how all this translates to better imaging. Perhaps Marc Williams or others who have this lens can give us some insights.
Woody
Jan, thanks. While no 100 APO (what is) the L 60 is no slouch from F4 onwards - the Mamiya sounds nice
It would be interesting to see/hear how the various MF macros stack up against one another let alone against their Leica, CZ, Nikkor brethren. The Hassy CF makro sells at a considerable premium to the Mamiya, so would be cursious to see/hear how they compare.
It would be interesting to see/hear how the various MF macros stack up against one another let alone against their Leica, CZ, Nikkor brethren. The Hassy CF makro sells at a considerable premium to the Mamiya, so would be cursious to see/hear how they compare.