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Mamiya Lenses - quick rundown?
- Thread starter Andy Biggs
- Start date
Guy Mancuso
Administrator, Instructor
35mm is good but for sharp corners f16. I want a 45mm also to be honest. The 55mm is awesome. But I hear the 45mm is very good, buy me one too bud. Feeling very poor at the moment. LOL Sure you are also
PSon
Active member
Kurt,
The 45 mm is very sharp and reported in popular photography to be even sharper than the Contax 645 45 mm F2.8 lens. I had the lens and it is sharp but did not use it long enough to gain any experience. In addition, the new Mamiya 45-90 is suppose to be very sharp and the initial literature showed that it is similar to the Contax 645 Zeiss Vario-Sonnar 45-90. Thus, the Mamiya 45 mm lens may not be a popular lens in the near future. The 35 mm is a sharp lens as well like Guy mentioned and for the price differences compare to the new 28 mm, the 35mm has great value for your super wide angle lens. I some how still tend to lean toward the 45 if I would not pick up the zoom. I wish I had more information than this to offer.
Best Regards,
-Son
The 45 mm is very sharp and reported in popular photography to be even sharper than the Contax 645 45 mm F2.8 lens. I had the lens and it is sharp but did not use it long enough to gain any experience. In addition, the new Mamiya 45-90 is suppose to be very sharp and the initial literature showed that it is similar to the Contax 645 Zeiss Vario-Sonnar 45-90. Thus, the Mamiya 45 mm lens may not be a popular lens in the near future. The 35 mm is a sharp lens as well like Guy mentioned and for the price differences compare to the new 28 mm, the 35mm has great value for your super wide angle lens. I some how still tend to lean toward the 45 if I would not pick up the zoom. I wish I had more information than this to offer.
Best Regards,
-Son
KurtKamka
Subscriber Member
Great information. Thanks guys.
Son, as you've spent a lot of time with MF over the past several years, can you speak to utilizing primes vs. zooms for MF. As I anticipate shooting quite a few things in lower light and potentially utilizing my lenses differently than many other MF shooters, do the MF primes perform better at faster settings than zooms?
Kurt
Son, as you've spent a lot of time with MF over the past several years, can you speak to utilizing primes vs. zooms for MF. As I anticipate shooting quite a few things in lower light and potentially utilizing my lenses differently than many other MF shooters, do the MF primes perform better at faster settings than zooms?
Kurt
Guy Mancuso
Administrator, Instructor
Yes i am going back and forth a touch down in the wide end . Since i have the Horseman with a 35mm digitar I actually have two 35mm lenses. I thought about going 28,45 and 80 but the 28mm is very expensive . The other option is 35,55,80 which I have today. My question to myself is how often will i use the Horseman than if not much than sell it and get the 28 , 45 combo. But i am going to wait awhile also. The new 45-90 like Son mentioned is supposed to be extremely good but agin it will come in pretty expensive. i like the idea is you get some choices here money wise . you can get in cheap initial and have a lot of glass for low costs than add the expensive glass as needed.
I have heard good things about the 45 too, but like others, I already have the 35 and 55, so the 45 seems a bit redundant. I can tell you the 55 is excellent and I really enjoy it. But like Guy said, the 35 while very good needs to be stopped down to around f11 for sharp corners. (Actually I think it is curvature of field more than being truly soft at more open apertures.) I would like the 45 as a tweener focal for a slimmer kit when traveling: leave the 35 and 55 back home, and just take the 45, 80 and 150, so one less lens to carry. Don't like zooms in general, so will be selling my 55-110 anyway.
PSon
Active member
Kurt,
The 4 best Mamiya prime AF lens in term of resolution are: 2.8/45, 2.8/80, 4.0/120 and 4.0/210 ULD. The new macro D lens is pretty much the same as the current 120 with some added mechanical and electronic features only. Thus, I expect the upcoming new 80 D will be the same. The current 80 mm is very sharp and definitely one of my favorite lens. I did not like the zoom but the upcoming 45-90 zoom is suppose to be extremely good similar to the Zeiss 45-90. While I look forward to see the Mamiya 45-90 zoom, I had several experiences with the Zeiss 45-90 zoom and it is one of the best zoom lens I own in the medium format system. If you are going after fast glass for resolution and bokeh and skin rendition take a look at the Hasselblad Planar T*2.0/110 in all version. This lens can also be put on your Nikon D3 with magnificent results and you do not need the Nikon 105 Macro nor the Zeiss ZF 2.0/100. I felt that the Mamiya is another great medium format system and especially with Phase One digital back. This is why I made 20 adapters for the Hasselblad lens to go onto the Mamiya system and the Nikon system. Thus, you get the most out of your medium format lens.
Best Regards,
-Son
The 4 best Mamiya prime AF lens in term of resolution are: 2.8/45, 2.8/80, 4.0/120 and 4.0/210 ULD. The new macro D lens is pretty much the same as the current 120 with some added mechanical and electronic features only. Thus, I expect the upcoming new 80 D will be the same. The current 80 mm is very sharp and definitely one of my favorite lens. I did not like the zoom but the upcoming 45-90 zoom is suppose to be extremely good similar to the Zeiss 45-90. While I look forward to see the Mamiya 45-90 zoom, I had several experiences with the Zeiss 45-90 zoom and it is one of the best zoom lens I own in the medium format system. If you are going after fast glass for resolution and bokeh and skin rendition take a look at the Hasselblad Planar T*2.0/110 in all version. This lens can also be put on your Nikon D3 with magnificent results and you do not need the Nikon 105 Macro nor the Zeiss ZF 2.0/100. I felt that the Mamiya is another great medium format system and especially with Phase One digital back. This is why I made 20 adapters for the Hasselblad lens to go onto the Mamiya system and the Nikon system. Thus, you get the most out of your medium format lens.
Best Regards,
-Son
Guy Mancuso
Administrator, Instructor
Son did not realize the 210 was that good. I have a old Hassy 120mm CF F4 macro lens to handle the macro stuff and it still performs like it did many years ago for me. Damn now i will never find a 45mm cheap. LOL
PSon
Active member
Guy, the 210 ULD is sharp but the color is average. I prefer the Apo lens when they are 200 mm focal length and up. I am sure you love your 3.4/300 AF. I had that lens too and the color is really nice. You should also try the 2.8/300 MF version as well. The Hassy 120 macro is a great lens with some internal flare but can be fixed.
Guy Mancuso
Administrator, Instructor
Yes I am liking the color very much with the 300mm 4.5 and it is very sharp indeed. The 300 2.8 looks very nice indeed. If i had the 300 2.8 I might even be able to sell the Nikon system but I want to go some time here and get everything figured out what my needs maybe. I would like to get the 150 2.8 D lens but looks like July from what i have learned but the current 150 4.5 is a sweet portrait lens and stopped down gets very sharp
PSon
Active member
If you get the 2.8/300 in which KEH has a few and at very nice prices too you may not need your Nikon system but you can also keep your Nikon system with the Mamiya to Nikon adapter and be able to keep your new title "gear slut/whore." Despite I never gave myself this title but I am in the same boat as you, Jack, David and many more here LOL. I really enjoy the Nikon D3 with the 2.8/300 as well.