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Best medium format lenses ...
- Thread starter daf
- Start date
OK Erik,
Sounds like you know what you want!
If I had known you wanted wides that shoot wide open and were concerned about edge to edge I would have posted different tests. (I don't do that type of shooting by My friend's Rodenstock wides we tested were exceptional)
I tested 8 different lenses from wide open to F22
That was just a very small sample.
All the SK lenses were superb, but the 120Macro exhibited 0 curvature, 0 CA, and
none had diffraction issues all the way out to F11 even photographing the AirForce lens resolution chart!
Sounds like you know what you want!
If I had known you wanted wides that shoot wide open and were concerned about edge to edge I would have posted different tests. (I don't do that type of shooting by My friend's Rodenstock wides we tested were exceptional)
I tested 8 different lenses from wide open to F22
That was just a very small sample.
All the SK lenses were superb, but the 120Macro exhibited 0 curvature, 0 CA, and
none had diffraction issues all the way out to F11 even photographing the AirForce lens resolution chart!
jerome_m
Member
Then check that the aperture can still be adjusted. For example, the Hasselblad HC50-II was noted as a very good lens (I can confirm), but its aperture can only be changed electrically by the camera. You will no be able to use it unless the adapter has electronics and I am not aware of any such adapters. I believe that this is also true for Leica-S lenses.
Stuart Richardson
Active member
In the past I have shot with a nearly full kit of Hasselblad FE lenses, a Rollei 6008/Hy6 system with mostly Schneider lenses, a Mamiya 7II, Plaubel Makina, and Contax 645. In 35mm I have gone with Leica M and R, Zeiss ZF and ZM, Contax G and many more. In large format I have used Schneider Apo Symmar L's and Super Symmar XL's...
As a whole, the Leica S lenses are not just better, they are in a different league entirely. There are specific lenses in other systems that are spectacular, but they always seem to be a step behind in some measure than the S lenses. Either they are slower, or they are not as good wide open, or they have more fringing or distortion etc. For example, I shot with the 250mm Zeiss Superachromat on the S2 with an adapter. It is a spectacular lens. But the performance at f/5.6 was similar to that of the S 120mm at f/2.8, only it had a lot more vignetting. The S lenses are a tour de force, but of course they are extremely expensive and only work on the S bodies so a lot of people have not had a chance to really get a handle on how good they are. As I have said, I have shot with a lot of the world's best lenses, and the S lenses are so clearly better than pretty much anything else that it is not really worth arguing about. For example, I would be happy to make a 1x1.5 meter print from the 120mm shot wide open at 2.5...or the 35mm shot at 2.5. or the 45mm at 2.8 etc etc. Of course I would not go out and intend to shoot wide open for every shot, but that is the feeling with the S lenses...you don't have to worry about the lens at all...every aperture, every focal length, every distance...they just give you clean, sharp, low-distortion, fringe free, high contrast images with consistent color and look throughout the whole range. And no, I am not being paid by Leica, and sure you can say this is confirmation bias because I own an S system, but I also own a hell of a lot of other systems that I still love using, (Mamiya 7II and Konica Hexar for example), but when it comes to technical prowess, I would put the S lenses up against anything available on the consumer market.
Besides the S lenses, the best lenses I have used are the Mamiya 7 lenses and the Schneider lenses for the Hy6, so I have no doubt that the Schneider lenses for Phase are also very very good. I am also very very skeptical that they are better than the Leicas. I would be happy to see a comparison though.
As a whole, the Leica S lenses are not just better, they are in a different league entirely. There are specific lenses in other systems that are spectacular, but they always seem to be a step behind in some measure than the S lenses. Either they are slower, or they are not as good wide open, or they have more fringing or distortion etc. For example, I shot with the 250mm Zeiss Superachromat on the S2 with an adapter. It is a spectacular lens. But the performance at f/5.6 was similar to that of the S 120mm at f/2.8, only it had a lot more vignetting. The S lenses are a tour de force, but of course they are extremely expensive and only work on the S bodies so a lot of people have not had a chance to really get a handle on how good they are. As I have said, I have shot with a lot of the world's best lenses, and the S lenses are so clearly better than pretty much anything else that it is not really worth arguing about. For example, I would be happy to make a 1x1.5 meter print from the 120mm shot wide open at 2.5...or the 35mm shot at 2.5. or the 45mm at 2.8 etc etc. Of course I would not go out and intend to shoot wide open for every shot, but that is the feeling with the S lenses...you don't have to worry about the lens at all...every aperture, every focal length, every distance...they just give you clean, sharp, low-distortion, fringe free, high contrast images with consistent color and look throughout the whole range. And no, I am not being paid by Leica, and sure you can say this is confirmation bias because I own an S system, but I also own a hell of a lot of other systems that I still love using, (Mamiya 7II and Konica Hexar for example), but when it comes to technical prowess, I would put the S lenses up against anything available on the consumer market.
Besides the S lenses, the best lenses I have used are the Mamiya 7 lenses and the Schneider lenses for the Hy6, so I have no doubt that the Schneider lenses for Phase are also very very good. I am also very very skeptical that they are better than the Leicas. I would be happy to see a comparison though.
Stuart Richardson
Active member
Just a note though, if you are going to use them as tilt shift lenses on 35mm, why wouldn't you consider techcam lenses? Surely they are better suited than big retrofocal SLR lenses?
Another vote for this family - the 60mm Curtagon remains top, with two others noteworthy: the 90 macro (just edges out the previous version 90HRW Rodie), and the 300. The 60 and 150 telexenar make a great travel kit, throw in the 80AF and a 1.4 tele-extender for a bit more flexibility.