Pondering Mamiya Wide Angle

[aknicholas]

I'm pondering getting a wide angle setup for my Aptus 22. I want a manual focus lens that is between 28mm and 40 mm.

One thought is an AFD body an the 35mm 3.5 manual lens. It is inexpensive and many people say it is not sharp. I don't think I'd be satisfied with it based on what I read. Although a few people say it is a good lens.

I currently have an RZ body. I could buy a 37mm lens for that. The only think I worry about with the 37mm RZ is that it has a 180-degree angle of view, so I think I could get more flare than with a 645 lens. The 37s are also hard to find at a good price.

My third option is a Hasselblad 40mm lens. This is the longest focal length I'd want, and a little costly once you add an adapter.

I'd like to spend under $2,000. I like to save money, but I don't want images that most people would consider unsharp at the edges. Any suggestions?

Aaron

[mediumcool]

I have an Aptus 22, on a Mamiya 645AFD (first iteration) and I also have a manual 35/3.5N—I bought it cheap ($100US!) on eBay in part because of fungus on the front element; it flares in contrasty lighting, so I am thinking of having it cleaned. It, like all examples, is an old design and has severe moustache distortion, and quite a lot of sharpness falloff (which I can somewhat correct in Capture One). Anecdotally, there is a lot of sample variation. Long discussion about this lens here. And here is a post about getting distortion fixed on a non-EXIF lens.

For a cheaper alternative to a Hasselblad 40mm, I suggest looking at a Bronica PS 40mm f4 in the SQ mount; this is reputed to be quite a good lens, and adapters for Mamiya 645 are available online.

One of these and a 24mm fisheye would keep me going! 

[mediumcool]

If you’d like to experiment with a RAW file from a Mamiya 35mm ...

[pfigen]

The RZ 37, while being a great lens, IS a fisheye. Can you even adapt it to a 645 body? I don't know.

[mediumcool]

The RZ 37, while being a great lens, IS a fisheye. Can you even adapt it to a 645 body? I don't know.

Never heard of an adapter, but think of a full-frame 6x7 fisheye on a format smaller than half of the RB/RZ: why?

[mediumcool]

For a cheaper alternative to a Hasselblad 40mm, I suggest looking at a Bronica PS 40mm f4 in the SQ mount; this is reputed to be quite a good lens, and adapters for Mamiya 645 are available online.

Tried eating my own dog food advice-wise so I bid on a 40mm Bronica PS lens on eBay; I stopped bidding at my limit of ₤151; it went for ₤240.90.

[aknicholas]

I see a Mamiya 24mm that is $1,700 in EX condition.

I've seen that they have sold for $510-$1,100 so I'm not sure I want to pay that much. I've heard it is a great lens. I think at $1,020 it would be a great price; whoever got one for half that got a steal.

Aaron

[aknicholas]

The RZ 37, while being a great lens, IS a fisheye. Can you even adapt it to a 645 body? I don't know.

I would just use it on my RZ.

[mediumcool]

I would just use it on my RZ.

Widest is the 50mm lens then, unless you include the fisheye. The older non-ULD 50mm lenses are pretty ordinary BTW. Not very wide on a 36 x 48 sensor.

[mediumcool]

Here is a pic taken on Xmas night in South Australia with the oft-maligned Mamiya 35mm (on a 645AFD).

[aknicholas]

I ended up buying an AFD and a 24mm f/4. With crop factor it will still be wider than "wide".



It has not arrived yet.

[ChristianRandwijk]

How about looking for a Pentax 645 35mm lens? Supposedly they are quite fantastic, especially the FA version (which has risen dramatically in price on the auction site, these past few years). I'm pretty sure there is a Pentax 645-Mamiya 645 adapter out there.

[mediumcool]

I ended up buying an AFD and a 24mm f/4. With crop factor it will still be wider than "wide".



It has not arrived yet.

“Hope it’s a good one … ” to quote John Lennon! 

[mediumcool]

How about looking for a Pentax 645 35mm lens? Supposedly they are quite fantastic, especially the FA version (which has risen dramatically in price on the auction site, these past few years). I'm pretty sure there is a Pentax 645-Mamiya 645 adapter out there.

The Pentax tests out sharper than the Mamiya and Zeiss equivalents, but still with the annoying moustache distortion. There is no known adaptor. Mamiya 645 register distance 63.3mm; Pentax 645 register distance 70.87mm, so 7.57mm to play with.

And the 28 has already been purchased.