jcolwell
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Conner999 wrote:
Just started playing with my new M645 120/4 and early impressions are holy $%^.
Conner999 wrote:
Jim, is there any reason why one of Mamiya's excellent Rz or RB lens could not be adapted to the M645 bellows?
Given the much larger registration distances 105-112mm for RZ and RB vs 63mm for M645, it would appear you'd get infinity focus - in effect creating a Trailer Park RZ IID.
Hi Rob,
I've thought about using 67 medium format lenses, like the RB/RZ system or an absolutely fantastic Fujifilm GW-series lens, but I won’t follow that path for at least two reasons: the lenses are generally large, heavy and slow (like me), partly because they have their own focus helicoids; and, generally as the formats get larger, the lens sharpness diminishes. That’s probably no more true for RZ/RB than for the “small LF” lenses that I’m starting to use, but at least the small LF lenses (with image circles at about 160mm and less) are small and light.
Another issue is to consider exactly why you want to use a particular Alternative (other than the lure of the unknown and the attraction of the incredibly cool  ). I'm starting to use two "small LF" lenses on my Auto Bellows N; a Tokyo Kogaku Horseman Professional 105/3.5 (for 6x9, with movements); and, a Schneider-K Xenar 180/4.5 (probably with 4x5 coverage). They achieve infinity focus. I recently made a shorter bellows-to-EOS adapter that reduces the minimum sensor to flange distance by about 40mm, so I figure I can get infinity focus with a 65mm "small LF" lens. I have these LF lenses for “ground shots” at oblique angles, so the tilt available from the Auto Bellows is sufficient (maybe augmented by back tilt from the Mirex) to get the ground plane in focus (depending on tripod height), at focus distances that are far beyond what you can get with most enlarger and reversed "bellows" lenses. Longer LF lenses tend to have much larger image circles (commensurate with lower sharpness), and they need a lot more tilt - it’s easier to get closer. Shorter focal lengths get sufficient movements from the Mirex for most applications, and so the M645 lenses do the trick. I’m using M645 lenses from 35mm to 150mm for the movements, and I’m using the longer ones because they’re just so damn good.
Of course, most of the time that I use the Auto Bellows N system, it's for macro photography with magnification greater than 1.
Jim
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