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Archive 2015 · Medium Format Lens for FF macro, input please???

  
 
netling
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Medium Format Lens for FF macro, input please???


Hi All,

New to the forum, so I assume I'm posting this to the right topic. (If not, just PM me and I will move it.)

So I'm setting up for product photography and I had a few people on another forum recommend medium format lenses but then someone else stated that the glass/optics isn't up to 35mm/FF quality.

I'm running a Sony A7ii and really wanting to capture the elegance of a product from multiple angles with great smooth Bokeh. Yes, I understand that it's a lot to do with lighting and I'm getting that sorted out.

What actual facts are known about using a medium format lens on a digital setup? If not then what do you recommend that's reasonable ~$700 range.

Thanks in advance!



Sep 30, 2015 at 01:17 PM
Wainschmidt
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Medium Format Lens for FF macro, input please???


Hi netling

I'm not completely up on using MF lenses on FF cameras but I know it is possible. You will get much the same effect as using FF lenses on a crop sensor camera. Which means you will only use the more center portion of the lens which can cause a 'sweet spot effect' and not have to worry about the outer portion of the lens where it is more likely to have aberrations.

My recommendation would be just to stick with lenses made for the 35mm format your A7 is set up for. There are plenty of great macro lenses for you to choose from, especially with a budget of around $700. The great thing about macro is you don't really need auto focus so the world of old manual focus film lenses open up to you.

Some suggested lenses...
•Both the Contax Zeiss Makro Planars (60mm and 100mm) in C/Y mount fall in your budget
•Canon FD macro lenses
•Yaschica ML Macro 50/2.8 (or the ML Macro 55/4, a sweet Tessar design)
•Tamron adaptall 90mm macro

These are just some of the many, many options you have to choose from.

One thing, you mention wanting great, smooth bokeh. Bokeh is the quality of the out of focus area and with macro you are shooting with a very narrow depth of field anyway. You can get great bokeh with these lenses but only small parts of your products will be in focus. Normally for product shots you want all of the item to be in focus to give it a good representation, so this means using a lens stopped down quite a bit. This of course means bokeh will be decreased by a significant amount. Just something to consider.



Sep 30, 2015 at 02:35 PM
netling
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Medium Format Lens for FF macro, input please???


Thanks for the valuable input, greatly appreciated!

Yes, I've looked at some of those lenses and just purchased a Tamron 90mm. But I've been told the Mamiya should be in my arsenal because of it's sharpness and that I can use a stepdown (I'm not sure that's what it's called) to fit the lens frame within the full frame of the sensor. Crazy talk or maybe could be true?



Sep 30, 2015 at 03:16 PM
e6filmuser
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Medium Format Lens for FF macro, input please???


I can't help you with medium format, although I have used an XPan 90mm on m4/3 with some success.

I use various Large Format lenses for macro on m4/3. Of these, the Leitz Summar 12cm f4.5 might be the most affordable but I have used it the least.

"Product Photography" doesn't tell us very much. What magnification at the sensor?

The biggest problem you might encounter is with film lenses where the rear surface is flat, leading to reflections between it and the sensor. This is a problem with the original Tamron 90mm f2.5.

Harold



Oct 01, 2015 at 01:13 AM
netling
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Medium Format Lens for FF macro, input please???


e6filmuser wrote:
I can't help you with medium format, although I have used an XPan 90mm on m4/3 with some success.

I use various Large Format lenses for macro on m4/3. Of these, the Leitz Summar 12cm f4.5 might be the most affordable but I have used it the least.

"Product Photography" doesn't tell us very much. What magnification at the sensor?

The biggest problem you might encounter is with film lenses where the rear surface is flat, leading to reflections between it and the sensor. This is a problem with the original Tamron 90mm f2.5.

Harold


Thanks for the input! I'm using a Sony A7ii and I'm looking for a 1:1

I just got a great deal on a Tamron 90mm 172E, which looks good but still waiting for my adapter to get in.

Any further advise?



Oct 01, 2015 at 05:07 PM
Wainschmidt
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Medium Format Lens for FF macro, input please???


netling wrote:
Thanks for the valuable input, greatly appreciated!

Yes, I've looked at some of those lenses and just purchased a Tamron 90mm. But I've been told the Mamiya should be in my arsenal because of it's sharpness and that I can use a stepdown (I'm not sure that's what it's called) to fit the lens frame within the full frame of the sensor. Crazy talk or maybe could be true?


I'm not sure exactly what you mean by a stepdown. What you are describing sounds like a Speedbooster, but those are designed to make FF lenses work on crop sensor cameras as if they were FF as well. To my knowledge nobody has yet made a MF to FF speedbooster, although this would be very interesting and I would consider buying one myself. I used a speedbooster on my NEX 7 for over a year until the A7 came out with very good results.

As to why the Mamiya should be in your arsenal...who knows? Mamiya did indeed make some fine lenses but they don't hold a patent on sharpness. My money would be on the Contax Planars I listed beating out the Mamiya, but that is just my opinion not having used the MF lens myself. I would recommend again sticking to 35mm format lenses for now due to the ease of use with your A7.

Just curious, but which mount is your Tamron in? I was wondering which adapter you were getting.




Oct 01, 2015 at 06:49 PM
e6filmuser
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · Medium Format Lens for FF macro, input please???


netling wrote:
Thanks for the input! I'm using a Sony A7ii and I'm looking for a 1:1

I just got a great deal on a Tamron 90mm 172E, which looks good but still waiting for my adapter to get in.

Any further advise?


At 1:1 nothing matches a Nikon Printing Nikkor. I have the 105 and the 150. You can pay really big money for either but I got my 105 for abut £350. My only regret is that both are limited to f11 and I could really use f16 at times.

Here are some hand-held images:

https://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1385198/

Harold



Oct 02, 2015 at 02:21 AM
e6filmuser
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · Medium Format Lens for FF macro, input please???


There is not much about Mamiya macro lenses here or in other macro forums but the 120 seems to be the main contender:

https://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/708604

You don't state any focal length preference. 120mm may foreshorten too much. The Tamron 90 was also a leading portrait lens.

Harold



Oct 02, 2015 at 04:19 AM
netling
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · Medium Format Lens for FF macro, input please???


Wainschmidt wrote:
I'm not sure exactly what you mean by a stepdown. What you are describing sounds like a Speedbooster, but those are designed to make FF lenses work on crop sensor cameras as if they were FF as well. To my knowledge nobody has yet made a MF to FF speedbooster, although this would be very interesting and I would consider buying one myself. I used a speedbooster on my NEX 7 for over a year until the A7 came out with very good results.

As to why the Mamiya should be in your arsenal...who knows? Mamiya did indeed make some fine
...Show more
Yeah, I guess a Speedbooster is what I'm talking about... I thought I saw one but some times I've been research so late at night, I'm starting to second guess myself!

Thanks for the advise on the lens and will take it into consideration!

The Tamron is a Sony Alpha/Minolta mount and I'm getting an adapter with a Aperture control ring. Here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0140TG0LY?ref_=pe_623860_70668520 I didn't seek out a specific mount but Sony Alpha/Minolta mount but I picked up the lens for cheap and worked out. I might at some point move forward with a LA-EAx adapter at some point to utilize the auto focus and other features. Once I get the mount in I will post some pictures.



Oct 02, 2015 at 12:43 PM
netling
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · Medium Format Lens for FF macro, input please???


e6filmuser wrote:
There is not much about Mamiya macro lenses here or in other macro forums but the 120 seems to be the main contender:

https://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/708604

You don't state any focal length preference. 120mm may foreshorten too much. The Tamron 90 was also a leading portrait lens.

Harold


Thanks for the input on the lens, I will check it out!

The thread you provided is very good, I haven't seem it yet so good comparison.

I'm not fixed on a focal length, 85-120 range. This is for product photography, so studio setup, control environment.



Oct 02, 2015 at 12:59 PM
coffeeshakes
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p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · Medium Format Lens for FF macro, input please???


I use a pentax 645 A 120 macro on my A7r. Its a beautiful lens. A bit big, certainly, and you will want an adaptor that has a tripod mount on it so you don't torque your lens mount too much.

I'd probably prefer a smaller lens, the Samyang 100/2.8 or the Sony FE would be great, but the quality of the lens is outstanding, and I own it from long past when I shot 645...



Oct 02, 2015 at 01:32 PM
netling
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p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · Medium Format Lens for FF macro, input please???


I haven't checked out that lens yet... can you post some picts? Please...

One of the factors of the smoothness of the Bokeh, while we all know that it can be done in PS, I'm wanting to go from shot to social media with as minimal amount of touch as possible.



Oct 02, 2015 at 01:37 PM
coffeeshakes
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p.1 #13 · p.1 #13 · Medium Format Lens for FF macro, input please???


You might be overanalyzing this. Why do you want a medium format lens? Pretty much any macro lens will give you nice blurred backgrounds, the differences in bokeh might be less than you think. Pick up a used manual focus nikon, tamron, sigma, vivitar, whatever at an good price point, an adaptor, and you are off.


Oct 02, 2015 at 02:03 PM
netling
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p.1 #14 · p.1 #14 · Medium Format Lens for FF macro, input please???


I hear you and agree that on the grand scale it's pixel counting but when you get to print and are making 50,000 units of that print, every pixel counts.

I just got a Tamron 90 and excited to getting it going, just waiting for the adapter to get in.



Oct 02, 2015 at 02:44 PM





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