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Looking for FX 35mm focal lenght

wagabundo

Member
Hi

Soon I would be new owner of 645df (P25+, 80mm), previously I was using 35mm on the 5DmkII. I really like this focal lenght.

80mm after small crop is about 57mm, that's why I'm looking for a second lens.

the selection of wide lenses is not huge.

Could you advice what should I choose ?

1) 45mm (best one in my opinion)
2) 35mm (variable quality of sharpness)
3) or maybe fisheye 24mm ? high versatility, defishing, fisheye, crop. I read that this lens is very sharp.
4) 28mm (too expensive..)

Thx!
Paul
 

wagabundo

Member
my mistake, the point of my topic should be not how to find right focal length, but after which of these lenses, can I expect the best quality? I don't need to have exactly 35mm, I can be around that.

in this context, for example: should I buy 45mm or better would be to buy fisheye (defishing + crop)

which of these lenses give me the best quality around my favorite focal length?
 

archivue

Active member
it depends… ;-)
if you are using your camera at F9 F11 then the old mamiya 55 AF is really good and so cheap…
the new schneider 55 offers hight synchro flash speed
keep in mind that a 35mm is a 2x3 ratio… if you need to crop you P25 to 2x3, you'll need a wider lens.
i don't like the 35… too wide angle for my taste, and you have to find a good copy…

if i was in your shoes, i will go for a 45 D (last generation… the plain AF wasn't that good ! )… but you will be limited to 1/125e sync speed !
 

kdphotography

Well-known member
It's always subjective to a degree, but imho, with the Phase P25+, you have a whole lot more lens options available to you than those of us with higher resolution MFDBs.

I think you'll do perfectly fine with any of the Phase/Mamiya lenses. Considering the slight sensor crop factor, lens weaknesses in the corners won't be there to notice. 35mm D, 45mm D will be fine. 55LS is definitely sharper than 55mmAF, but it will be fine on P25+.

ken
 

wagabundo

Member
I think 45mm would be perfect, but is there any optical difference between the old 45mm AF and a new one 45mm D ?
 

kdphotography

Well-known member
Some D series lenses are essentially the same, BUT at the very least there will be tighter quality control on these D series generation lenses. In that regard, better optical performance should be much more consistent among the lenses. The 35mm D is a good example of this.

Other D series lenses are completely new from the ground up and there is absolutely no comparison. The Phase/Mamiya 150mm D is a great example here.

Imho, it is better to select D series lenses---it's certainly easier than hunt, pick, miss...

And besides, the D series has that very fashionable silver band on the lens barrel. No self-respecting photographer from Dante's realm should be without .... :D

ken
 

ondebanks

Member
Hi

Soon I would be new owner of 645df (P25+, 80mm), previously I was using 35mm on the 5DmkII. I really like this focal lenght.

80mm after small crop is about 57mm, that's why I'm looking for a second lens.

the selection of wide lenses is not huge.

Could you advice what should I choose ?

1) 45mm (best one in my opinion)
2) 35mm (variable quality of sharpness)
3) or maybe fisheye 24mm ? high versatility, defishing, fisheye, crop. I read that this lens is very sharp.
4) 28mm (too expensive..)

Thx!
Paul
If you're considering manual focus, manual aperture lenses like the 24mm fisheye, then there are many others to consider.

Gerald mentioned the 50mm shift above, for example, but you don't have to restrict yourself to the Mamiya line either. There are adapters available to mount lenses from Hasselblad V, Pentax 67, Bronica SQ, Bronica PG, and Pentacon/Exakta/Kiev 6x6 onto the Mamiya 645 series.

These systems offer many interesting candidates in the 40-55 mm range...e.g. the Hasselblad 50mm FLE might be a real contender.

Ray
 
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