The GetDPI Photography Forum

Great to see you here. Join our insightful photographic forum today and start tapping into a huge wealth of photographic knowledge. Completing our simple registration process will allow you to gain access to exclusive content, add your own topics and posts, share your work and connect with other members through your own private inbox! And don’t forget to say hi!

Tell me about lenses.

rollei8is

Member
I recently purchased a DF+ body with a 80mm lens. I have a IQ 160 back.
I am looking to make it 3 OR 4 lens kit.
The NEW 40-80 is out of my budget. Please suggest good lenses. I am told the 35mm is not up to the job.

Thanks,
Ro--
 

kdphotography

Well-known member
What lenses you decide to add to your stable really is a matter of use and personal preference.

For more recent MFDBs, I recommend more the new Phase/Mamiya D series lenses or the Phase SK leaf shutter lenses. Older generation MFDBs, especially those with crops, can much easier utilize older lenses that may not be as sharp in the corners. Again, it depends on use.

For my uses, I like the Phase 35mm D series focal length. My copy is reasonably sharp and works well with my IQ180. No complaints at all! If you're looking at true wide angle performance, you need to go to a technical camera, not the DF or similar DSLR bodies.

Phase 150mm LS is my most used portrait lens followed closely by the 110mm LS. 240mm LS tempts me, but probably wouldn't see much use for me----though I do like the idea of the new 40-80mm LS, but haven't seen much by the way of commentary or review here.

I'd decide what is the focal length range that you need to cover first----then decide the lenses that fall in that range. For me I have the 35mm D (though rarely used) and in professional use the range for me is the 55mm LS to the 150mm LS. So with that in mind, my DF kit is mostly: 55mm LS, 80mm D, 110mm LS, 120mm D, and 150mm LS.

ken
 

pesto

Active member
If you do not need the sync speed of the LS lenses the "old" 150 f/2.8 is truly stellar and affords the advantage of a larger maximum aperture.
 

Don Libby

Well-known member
I have more of a herd than a stable of lenses for my DF which is based on usage and personal preference. You don't say what you're shooting so I'll address from my personal experience as a wildlife, nature and landscape photographer.

The one thing I've learned is to never attempt to limit yourself to a set number of lenses.

From long to wide, I have and have gotten excellent results using focal lengths that range from 240LS (480 with the extender) to 150 (300 with extender) to 120 macro, 80mm, 55mm LS and recently went back to a 45mm Hartblie Super-Rotator. Each lens has a purpose and each allows me to capture the file I want. At any given time/location I may use one lens over the other or not at all and shoot with my Cambo WRS.

Good luck and welcome to the infernal.....

don

 

shlomi

Member
The best ratio sharpness/price:

45mm D is plenty sharp and cheaper than 55mm LS, 55mm AF non LS is pretty good and very cheap if it is not critical for you
80mm D non LS, as sharp as LS
120mm AF if it is critical for you, otherwise MF is still very good
150mm AF non D is nice and practically for free, or D or even LS if this one is especially important to you

You can get these used for much less than list price.
LS are more useful but much more expensive and likely to fail sooner due to the leaf shutter.
 

Bill Caulfeild-Browne

Well-known member
I have the 28mm, 45mm, 55mm, 80mm, 150mm and 240mm.
I use the 55 most, the 45 least. But I find I need them all!
Not much help am I? Dante has me firmly in his grip.....
Bill
 

rollei8is

Member
I read all your comments. Thanks.
I am thinking of 28,55,110 and 240
OR
45,80,150 and 240.

I am not sure about the 28 as normally I don't shoot that wide.
Any issues with corner sharpness on the 28mm?
Thanks again.
R---
 

rollei8is

Member
A major dealer told me to stay away from the 35mm and suggested the 45mm
as an alternative. (no names).

Unfortunately, I don't have the time OR money to experiment.

Thanks,
R
 

shlomi

Member
A Phase One branded 35mm would be acceptable, but still not as good as any 45mm D.
Older copies of 35mm can be iffy, I've had a couple and wasn't excited about them.
I'm not willing to pay $3000 for the best version of 35mm, when I have a great 45mm D which cost me $1000...
You have a very big sensor like me, so 45mm is pretty wide IMO.

You have here a used copy for $1600: Mamiya Sekor AF 45mm F2 8 D | eBay
 

Ken_R

New member
Who told you the 35 is not good enough?

http://flic.kr/p/oTkAsk

Works great for me. As does the old 210mm.

Depends on which back one uses it on.

The IQ160 is the Largest sensor currently made so not all lenses are up to snuff in the edges and corners. With smaller sensors one is using the central part of the image circle of the lens which is generally very good on all lenses.
 

ondebanks

Member
I love this sort of thread - it gives us an excuse to go on about the lenses we like, whether or not they suit the OP's purpose! :D

How important is AF to you? If the answer is "not very", then all sorts of lens goodies await.

I have just the one Mamiya AF lens - and it's a zoom: the 55-110/5.5 AF. You could say it's my walkabout/convenient/everyday snapshot kind of lens. But it's a great performer too.

Everything else I currently have is manual focus. There are several reasons for this: (1) I had M645 cameras before my 645AFD & DB; (2) the fastest and most unique lenses are only manual focus; (3) they're cheaper; (4) I also use them on my Canon and Fuji/Nikon DSLRs, and thus avoid duplicating focal lengths with additional 35mm primes. So far, no-one has come up with a cross-platform adapter which can operate the electronic aperture of the Mamiya AF lenses, so it has to be the manual focus lenses for use on other systems.

The other AF lenses generally don't entice me.

The 1st-gen AF lineup are now quite affordable, but were by and large optically identical to some of the manual focus ones, and not exciting in terms of aperture speed. I have the manual focus 105-210/4.5 ULD zoom, and might upgrade to the identically specced AF version, to complement my shorter AF zoom...that's about it.

There are a couple of 2nd-gen D lenses that might figure in my future - if they really are that much sharper wide open. But right now they're well down my shopping list.

My camera cannot operate the 3rd-gen LS lenses, and in any case they're too expensive for me and I don't care about flash speeds.

So, back to the manual focus lenses!
I have: 24/4 ULD Fisheye, 35/3.5 N, 45/2.8 S, 55/2.8 N, 80/1.9 C, 110/2.8 N, 120/4 A Macro, 150/2.8 A, 200/2.8 APO, 210/4 N, 105-210/4.5 ULD zoom, 2x N TC.
I had: 45/2.8 C, 70/2.8 LS, 150/3.5 C
I want: 300/2.8 APO

Also, in terms of adapted 6x6 lenses -
I have: 300/4 CZJ MC Sonnar
I had: too many CZJ/Exakta-Schneider/Pentacon/Kiev lenses to list, from 30mm to 500mm...the better ones being the 30/3.5 MC Arsat Fisheye, 55/4.5 MC Arsat Shift, 60/3.5 Scheider Curtagon, 120/2.8 CZJ MC Biometar, 180/2.8 CZJ MC Sonnar. [Actually I still have all of these bar the Curtagon - I just haven't got round to selling them yet - PM me if interested]
I want/am curious about: Pentax 67 105/2.4 and 400/4, Hasselblad 110/2, RB67/RZ67 500/6 APO

And to round it all off, what lenses could I not live without? What keeps me in the Mamiya ecosystem, when from a camera point of view Pentax 645D/Z is the better option? Well that would be: 24/4 ULD Fisheye, 80/1.9, 120/4 A Macro, and the f2.8 APO telephotos. Of these, only the Macro has a Pentax equivalent - or an autofocus Mamiya/PhaseOne equivalent, for that matter!

Ray
 

synn

New member
Fair enough, the 35 sits on a cropped sensor for my application. Can't comment too much about full sized sensor use except that c1p can help add a bit of edge sharpness. But yeah, the 45 sounds like a better option on that sensor.

I am also thinking about the 50mm shift at the moment. Unfortunately, there's not much on the Internet about this lens.
 
I mainly do environmental portraiture and my work horse lens is a 55 LS with an IQ260. Its very sharp at all apertures and has a very pleasing rendering. I prefer leaf shutter glass, it gives me added flexibility when shooting outdoors with strobe.

That being said, recently I received a commission to shoot an architectural project and I rented a 45mm which was absolutely perfect. Still editing the files but I may just buy one.

The 40-80mm LS f/4.0-5.6 is a sweet piece of glass. I was able to use one for a few days on an IQ250 and found that its crisp even wide open on the corners. Its a handful, but I didn't have any issues using the lens for a full day shoot. (The lens was literally right off the workbench, the lens barrel was stamped sample #11. That made me chuckle.) I usually prefer prime glass over zooms, but on my shoot I didn't even think about using one.....
 
Top